Lincoln CSG Returns Home from Southeast Asia
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS050223-10
Release Date: 2/23/2005 4:44:00 PM
From U.S. 3rd Fleet Public Affairs
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group (ALCSG), including Abraham Lincoln and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, returns home next week after an extended deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean.
Lincoln will make a brief stop at Naval Station (NAVSTA) Pearl Harbor, Feb. 23. CVW-2 aircraft will fly off Lincoln while off the coast of San Diego Feb. 28. Lincoln will pull into Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island on the morning of March 1 to offload the rest of CVW-2. Lincoln will return to Naval Station Everett, Wash., on the morning of March 4.
As was the previous case for Lincoln, along with accompanying air wing and ships, the current deployment turned out to be anything but typical. After a port visit to Hong Kong over the Christmas holiday season, ALCSG immediately responded to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami in Southeast Asia.
On New Year's Day, Sailors from the ALCSG began to deliver vital food, water and medicine to help stabilize life-threatening situations, as well as provide helicopter transportation for displaced persons. From first light to sundown, helicopters from San Diego-based Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron (HS) 2 "Golden Falcons," Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 47 "Saberhawks" and Helicopter Combat Support Squadron (HC) 11 "Gunbearers" carried out missions into Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, and along the Sumatran coastline, rendered inaccessible due to the devastation caused by the tsunami.
From Jan. 1 until Feb. 4, ALCSG aircraft flew 1,747 missions in support of Operation Unified Assistance (OUA), carried 5,711,866 pounds of supplies, including 16,308 gallons of water, and transported 3,043 passengers. Over 1,200 crew members from the ship and air wing volunteered to go ashore and assist. Medical personnel from Lincoln treated 259 people. Also, more than 200 patients were medically evacuated for further treatment.
Besides OUA involvement, Lincoln made port calls to Hong Kong and Singapore, and participated in six community relation projects with 125 volunteers. The ship also hosted dignitaries such as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Frank Lavin; U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, B. Lynn Pascoe; Dr. Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense; and Commander, U.S. Pacific Command Adm. Thomas Fargo.
The ship's involvement attracted media locally from Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as numerous other national and international media outlets. In all, Lincoln hosted 111 media representatives aboard while off the coast of Sumatra, as well as held media availability sessions in Hong Kong for 63 foreign and local press, and 19 local press members in Singapore.
Lincoln's involvement in OUA highlighted the entire ALCSG surge deployment under the Fleet Response Plan (FRP), as well as the Navy's sea-basing concept of being able to undertake such a mission solely from the sea. Adm. Walter Doran, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, recently lauded the effort, saying, "It showed the agility of naval forces. It showed our ability to get there quickly."
ALCSG is one of the first carrier strike groups to deploy under the Navy's new FRP. The FRP, unveiled in 2003 by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark, redefines the manner that the Navy deploys its forces to more closely match operational needs.
FRP deployments are hinged on the concept of "presence with a purpose" in various strategic theaters worldwide. While deployed in the Western Pacific, ALCSG supported the nation's defense and cooperative security commitments overseas, such as a joint training exercises with Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force ships.
Capt. Kendall Card commands Lincoln. It is the flagship for the ALCSG, commanded by Rear Adm. Doug Crowder. Lincoln is also home to Destroyer Squadron 9, commanded by Capt. Jon W. Kaufman, and CVW-2, commanded by Capt. Lawrence D. Burt.
The ALCSG consists of the guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) and guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65), both homeported at NAVSTA San Diego. Other ships include NAVSTA Everett-based guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86) and NAVSTA Bremerton, Wash.-based fast-combat support ship USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7). HC-11, Det. 2, assigned to Rainer, is based at NAS North Island.
CVW-2 consists of HS-2, HSL-47, and Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30, Det. 4 from NAS North Island; Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2, VFA-137, and VFA-151 from NAS Lemoore, Calif.; Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 116 from NAS Point Mugu, Calif.; Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 131, from NAS Whidbey Island, Wash.; and VFA-82 from Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, S.C.
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