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Posted on 07/09/2008 3:57:15 PM PDT by Saoirise
USS Abraham Lincoln in Arabian Sea to support Afghan operations By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Wednesday, July 9, 2008
ARLINGTON, Va. — The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has moved from the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea to support operations in Afghanistan.
NBC News first reported Monday night that the carrier has been moved because of the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, where a suicide bomber killed more than 40 people Monday outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul.
A spokesman for 5th Fleet confirmed the move Tuesday.
"Conditions are worsening on the ground in Afghanistan and commanders have requested additional air support," said Lt. Nathan Christensen.
The deployment is not meant to send a message to Iran, Christensen said.
"It’s absolutely not in response to Iran whatsoever," he said.
For security reasons, Christensen could not say how long the Lincoln would provide air support for Afghanistan, or when it is expected to leave the 5th Fleet area of operations.
"They are there for the foreseeable future," said Lt. Cmdr. Bill Speaks, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command.
Speaks would not say if the move was prompted by the worsening situation in Afghanistan.
"This is simply a move to ensure strategic flexibility and responsiveness through the posturing of our forces," he said.
He also could not say if the Lincoln’s trip to the Arabian Sea had been planned or was an adjustment due to conditions on the ground.
"These kinds of things are constantly under review and assessment," he said. "I honestly don’t how long ago that decision was made or thought of."
A Navy official could not give a specific date on when the Lincoln would be replaced by the USS Ronald Reagan.
The Reagan is currently in the western Pacific filling in for the USS Kitty Hawk, which is taking part in the Rim of the Pacific exercises in place of the USS George Washington, which is being repaired following a fire in May, the official said.
If needed, the Navy can send carriers to the 5th Fleet area of operations ahead of schedule, such as the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which is slated to deploy in late summer or early fall, the official said.
"It’s absolutely not in response to Iran whatsoever," he said.
Of course not :)
Weren’t we just talking about this
Ping.
I thought the Kitty Hawk was already on her way back to the West Coast to decomm?
Now that’s one” Lincoln bedroom” that’s worth sleeping in.
And my daughter does ~ every night! :~)
How old is Kitty Hawk?
I was able to tour the Midway last week in San Diego..
If Barry Hussein bin Obama was President, this move would have been nixed as “too provocative.”
ping
They had to delay their return to the west coast due to the USS George Washington being damaged by an onboard fire. The Navy hasn’t said when the GW will actually make it to Yokosuka to officially take over.
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Maybe an Ahmadenijabarbeque?
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The fire on the GW was fought for a bit more than “several hours”. More like a half day. There was severe damage over many deck levels. It will be a while before she relieves the Kittyhawk.
Non-Navy personnel may not be aware that those USS GEORGE WASHINGTON sailors, and all sailors for that matter go through fire-fighting training in Boot Camp.. at least that was the way things were in my Navy Days.
When a ship is underway, miles and miles from shore, if a fire breaks out as in this case, fire-fighting is an All Hands operation. There’s no fire dept. to call.
On another semi-related topic, The USS KITTY HAWK was a new ship during my time. I served aboard a Destroyer Tender providing repairs and services to the fleet. I recall job orders from the KITTY HAWK when I worked in the Pipe Shop while we were overseas.
In Yokosuka, there is a pier named Piedmont Pier.. named after my ship back at the end of WWII because PIEDMONT set up repair operations while tied up to that pier. Again, during my time in Yokosuka, the carriers would be moored to Piedmont Pier, and we would be moored at another location at that Naval Station.
I’m assuming that carriers still moor to Piedmont Pier.
One more semi-related item, the scuttlebutt during those years said that the USS KITTY HAWK and the USS CONSTELLATION were built from the same plans and were the longest ships in the fleet. Each ship would boast that they were the longest so to settle the arguement, they measured the flight deck of each ship. The KITTY HAWK was the winner by 6 inches. If they were built from the same plans, how could one be bigger? Expansion joints and temperature caused one to be shorter than the other.
Like all good Sea Stories, “Now this is no s**t!”
The downside of that is that for most sailors that is the last fire fighting training they undergo unless under certain circumstances. The flight wing, for example, know next to nothing about fire fighting aboard the carrier they are attached to. The fire on the GW was fought in rotation by many sailors aboard her while still steaming. My daughter told me a carrier cannot come to a complete stop to fight even a major fire.
Kitty Hawk is serving as forward deployed carrier in the Pacific while USS George Washington (CVN 73) is undergoing repairs following a fire at sea and is presently engaged in RIMPAC 2008.
Kitty Hawk is 48 years old, having been commissioned in May 1960. Ir is the last remaining US non-nuke CV in commission.
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