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Abraham Lincoln Installs Primary Air Search Radar, another RCOH Milestone Achieved

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS150513-01
Release Date: 5/13/2015 8:50:00 AM

By Mass Communication 3rd Class Ryan L. Wampler, USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (NNS) -- Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Newport News Shipbuilding's shipyard workers reached another milestone during the current refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) May 5, successfully reinstalling the ship's AN/SPS-48 primary air search radar antenna on Lincoln's island.

Sailors and shipyard workers teamed up together to complete the two-day installation, assembling the components the first day and lifting the radar to the island the following day.

'Installing the radar on time is one of the most important measures taken in the refueling and complex overhaul process,' said Lt. Loudon Westgard, a division officer assigned to the Combat Systems Department. 'This was a major accomplishment, and the shipyard workers and Sailors aboard Lincoln should be very proud of the progress they are making.'

The AN/SPS-48 is a long-range, three-dimensional air search radar that allows for 360 degrees of coverage and the ability to detect the height of a target above the surface of the water. The radar system was deployed in the 1960s as the primary air search sensor for anti-aircraft warships and is the predecessor of the AEGIS system used currently on other Navy ships.

The SPS-48 antenna is now the second antenna to be installed on the Lincoln's island, which was enlarged during the overhaul. Over the next few months the Combat Systems Department along with Newport News Shipbuilding will continue to install additional antennas for navigational, communications and aircraft landing functions.

'Our goal as a department is to get the equipment back on board and return the Lincoln back as an operational warship,' Westgard said. 'The next few months will be a crucial time for us as the ship starts to bring the systems online and begin the testing process.'

Lincoln arrived at Newport News in March 2013 to begin the RCOH process. During the carrier's RCOH, the shipyard refuels the ship's reactors, paints the ship's hull, modernizes systems and performs a complete recapitalization of the entire ship. This process produces a recapitalized carrier capable of supporting current and future warfare doctrine. Once the RCOH is complete, Lincoln will continue to operate in the U.S. Navy fleet for another 25 years.