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By David Boey
29 April, 2006, Changi Naval Base, Singapore - SOME 6,000 sailors and naval aviators aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, and two escorts arrived in Singapore this week for a port visit.
The Lincoln's visit provided another welcome opportunity for members of the Militarynuts discussion group (http://militarynuts.com) to see firsthand the size, layout and combat capabilities of a foreign warship.
Previous Militarynuts excursions brought members aboard the Indian Navy aircraft carrier, INS Viraat (R 22), and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76).
THE SHIP
The Lincoln, a nuclear powered flattop, is the fifth Nimitz-class warship and is the second named in honour of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. The name previously graced a ballistic missile submarine, SSBN 602, which served the US Navy from 1961 to 1981.
The carrier is the centrepiece of Carrier Strike Group 9. Its sharp end comprises fighter planes, airborne early warning aircraft and anti-submarine helicopters from Carrier Air Wing 2.
According to the US Navy website, the Lincoln's escorts comprise the Ticonderoga-class Aegis cruiser, USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), and two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS Shoup (DDG 80).
The Lincoln berthed at the Deep Water Pier at the Republic of Singapore Navy's Changi Naval Base, which is at the eastern end of Singapore, with USS Mobile Bay and USS Russell on the opposite side of the pier.
USS Shoup is currently on a port visit elsewhere.
The Tour
Our visit began with identity checks at the naval base guardroom. A record number of 16 Milnuts turned up as awareness of such visits has grown since the excursions started some months ago.
After being given the go ahead, Milnuts members were asked to carry an ink stamp on their hands before proceeding with the tour.
The stamp's cryptic code, FWS4, probably meant something to someone but we knew better than to ask.
After passing security, we boarded a bus for the short ride to the Lincoln's berth.
The Lincoln's massive haze gray hull, which measures 332.9 metres long (1,092 feet), dominated the pier and provided an impressive backdrop for that Kodak moment.
We boarded the ship via a long walkway which led us to the elevator aft of the Lincoln's island. Once aboard, we were led to the hangar deck, which was relatively uncluttered as many of the birds and helos were topside.
The ship's company is proud of the Lincoln's heritage. First stop was a heritage room which had museum quality displays that chronicled the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. Of interest were samples of porcelein that were owned by the Lincoln family, and muskets and edged weapons that date from the Civil War.
The Lincoln displayed a high standard of ship husbandry and one could hardly find a speck of dust in the heritage room, and other places we were allowed to tour.
After climbing about eight flights of near vertical metal stairs, we were led to the Admiral's bridge. Our US Navy hosts - both naval aviators - pointed out features of the various planes spotted on the flight deck, and patiently addressed the flood of questions that inevitably followed.
The colourful markings carried by aircraft belonging to 00 tail code air group commanders of CVW-2s component squadrons added a dash of colour to the air wing's complement.
And in a break from the drab low visibility national markings carried by USN machines during the height of the Cold War, several aircraft had their "star and bar" insignia painted in red, white and blue.
Unlike the previous Milnuts visit to the Reagan, the deck edge lift was not used to bring visitors to and from the flight deck. This meant Milnuts had a good work out on the Lincoln's stairs as we went up to the island and down to the flight deck.
Under blazing sunshine, we had a good look at Super Bugs, Seahawks, a clutch of Hawkeyes and several Prowlers.
Though most of her crew were enjoying shore leave, a good number used the down time during the port visit for maintenance work.
The Prowlers, for instance, were seen undergoing first line maintenance with everything hanging out, while a deck crew cheerfully stood by under a jury-rigged umbrella in full fire gear in 95 per cent humidity and 30 degree Celsius heat (about 86+F).
The type and variety of US naval aviation found on carrier decks has dipped markedly since the US Navy decided to build its strike groups around the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Gone are the days when F-14 Tomcats, A-6 Intruders, A-7 Corsairs and S-3 Vikings populated the flight deck.
The lack of variety was made up by interesting slogans and colour schemes carried by planes in CVW-2's hornet's nest.
Several Milnuts recalled that US President George W Bush made a carrier landing aboard the Lincoln's deck in an S-3 Viking after Operation Iraqi Freedom was launched and they relished the special opportunity to walk the same deck that W did during his high profile visit.
The tour ended with a walk down the pier, but not before a last barrage of snapshots of the ship and one prominently display "Do's and Don'ts" sign that locals found amusing.
We wish the Lincoln "Fair Winds and Following Seas" as she continues her Western Pacific deployment.
The Milnuts would like to thank the Lincoln's crew for their warmth and hospitality, the American Embassy in Singapore and the Republic of Singapore Navy for their help in making the visit possible.
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