The Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) has been the subject of a firestorm of controversy lately, as a record-breaking deployment—over 260 days—nears its end.
During this deployment, multiple complaints have surfaced about major supply problems and deteriorating living conditions, which in turn have led to concerns about mental health problems amongst the Lincoln crew members.
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) conducts U.S. blockade operations in the Arabian Sea, April 16. The ship’s embarked carrier air wing includes eight F-35C stealth fighters, F/A-18 fighter jets, EA-18G electronic attack aircraft, E-2D command and control planes, MH-60 helicopters and CMV-22B Ospreys for logistics support. (U.S. Navy photo)
A U.S. Sailor observes an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, prepare for flight operations on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during Operation Epic Fury, March 30, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)
An F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, launches from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during Operation Epic Fury, March 31, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)
Adm. Brad Cooper, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander, felt compelled to release a statement wherein he stated that “Of the Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln currently has among the lowest number of cases related to mental health” whilst also acknowledging that conditions were far from perfect.
Regardless of whether one chooses to accept the good Admiral’s words at face value, CVN-72 has a proud and impressive history. We’ll now take a quick look at that history.
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) History In Brief
CVN-72 is the fifth ship of the illustrious Nimitz class of nuclear-powered supercarriers, out of a total of 10 warships in the class that have been built. Built by Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), she was ordered and awarded on December 27, 1982, laid down on November 3, 1984, launched on February 13, 1988, sponsored and christened on that same launching date by Jo Ann K. Webb—former Army nurse during the Vietnam War and former Director of the National Cemetery System—and commissioned on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 1989.
The warship’s motto is “Shall Not Perish”—channeling the Gettysburg Address there—and her nickname is just plain “Abe.”
“Abe” has proven her worth in battle multiple times during her 36 years of faithful service prior to the current long-suffering deployment, including the 1991 Persian Gulf War, aka Operation Desert Storm, the 2003 Iraq War, aka Operation Iraqi Freedom—one of my high school classmates, a now-retired Navy Machinist’s Mate, served upon “Abe” during this timeframe—and airstrikes against the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen in 2024.
In addition, the Abraham Lincoln made history in the following ways:
-First Pacific Fleet “flattop” to integrate female aviators into the crew, in 1994
-First USN carrier to deploy a Marine Corps F-35C squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314), in January 2022, thus signifying the Corps’ entry as a player in the 5th Generation stealth fighter game
-First USN carrier to be skippered by a female officer, then-Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt—now a rear admiral and holding the title of Director, Maritime Operations, U.S. Pacific Fleet—serving in that capacity from 2021 to 2023
CVN-72’s Tech Specs, Vital Stats, and Capabilities
The label “supercarrier” isn’t mere hyperbole and isn’t applied to USS Abraham Lincoln just because she was named for one of America’s most beloved Presidents of all time.
The ship sports an overall length of 1,092 feet, a beam width of 252 feet, a maximum navigational draft of 37 feet, and a fully laden displacement of 116,800 short tons.
Those sizable dimensions accommodate a crew of 3,200 commissioned officers and enlisted seamen in the ship’s company, and an additional 2,480 crew members in the air wing, not to mention the carrier’s raison d’etre, her 90 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Besides the aforementioned F-35, that aircraft roll call includes:
–E‑2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) – Long‑range airborne early warning and control aircraft, in the same vein as the U.S. Air Force’s E-3 Sentry AWACS platform
-EA‑18G Growler – The go-to Naval Air asset for electronic warfare (EW), particularly suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD)
-F‑A‑18E/F Super Hornet – The air-to-air and air-to-ground combat platform immortalized by “Top Gun 2: Maverick”
–MH‑60R/S Seahawk – The Navy’s anti‑submarine warfare (ASW) and search and rescue (SAR) helicopter
What’s In a Name?
Unsurprisingly, the U.S. Navy has named many of its individual warships and warship classes alike for naval heroes, e.g., the Nimitz-class supercarriers, the Fletcher-class and Spruance-class destroyers, the Zumwalt-class destroyers, and so forth.
However, interservice rivalries aside, in the spirit of “One Team, One Fight,” the United States Navy has named its fair share of ships for American Presidents who had been US Army officers, including George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower, and our current subject at hand.
“Honest Abe” had a pretty brief and rather lackluster military career as a militia captain in the Black Hawk War of 1832, but that didn’t prevent him from being an effective commander-in-chief during the American Civil War, which has been appropriately described by academicians as the “Seminal Event in American History.” Indeed, the U.S. Navy saw significant growth under Lincoln’s leadership, in terms of sheer numbers of warships as well as their technological capabilities.
Therefore, President Abraham Lincoln is definitely worthy of having a powerful warship named in his honor. Two other USN vessels have borne his name, namely:
–USS President Lincoln, a troop transport commissioned by the Navy in 1917 for World War I service and sunk by the German submarine SM U-90 in May 1918
–USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602), a ballistic missile submarine that served from 1961 to 1981
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (with a concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series,” the second edition of which was recently published.
