Sailor for a day

24-hour tour on board aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln leaves lasting impressions

Story and photos by LESLIE CRAWFORD

Igrew up in a Navy family and am married to a retired Navy commander, so when I had the opportunity to tour and spend a night on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, it was an invitation I couldn’t pass up.

On a bright, cold, sunny December morning at 0715 military time, a small group of international journalists headed to the ship, which was docked at Naval Air Station North Island.

On board, we were met by a hum of activity and the smell of paint and machinery, and we were welcomed by Lt. Cmdr. Chelsea Irish, the Lincoln’s public affairs officer. During the 24 hours on board, our group traveled in a pack on a tight schedule. There is no escaping the atmosphere of activity, and we were constantly on the move throughout the ship.

It’s “all hands, all the time” on the Lincoln with a it lands on the flight deck. continuous training schedule. Whether it’s a dental extraction, jet repair or cooking for 3,000 people multiple times a day, the ship is completely self-sufficient.

Every morning from 7:45 to 8:45 during the Lincoln “Power Hour,” crew members clean the ship. I never saw a garbage can, only heavy paper bags in strategic locations that were labeled for different kinds of disposal. Macerated paper and food waste are “fish food,” bones and metal sink to the ocean floor, and plastic and other inorganic trash are held for recycling or disposal until the ship returns to shore.

The average age on the Lincoln is 21.5 years with 20 percent of the crew female, in line with the Navy average. Everyone has multiple jobs, and there isn’t a lot of downtime. A 35 percent turnover every year sets the stage for job rotation, allowing for advancement with increasing responsibilities.

“You are always training your replacement,” one sailor said.

The sailors we met were happy to talk about their jobs and their future. Most were there to take advantage of educational opportunities offered through the Navy but weren’t sure if they would make a career of the military.

There seemed to be a camaraderie and team spirit — with good natured-ribbing. Two junior sailors were nicknamed Roomba 1 and Roomba 2, because new members often don’t know where they are going and crash into walls.

Below deck, I had no idea where I was in relation to the bow or stern, port or starboard, but I soon learned that’s not uncommon.

“My first day on the carrier I got so lost I cried,” a sailor said.

To help navigate, maps are posted on bulkheads and numbers are posted at intervals along the passageways. Once you crack this code of numbers, navigating the passageways gets easier.

In the afternoon, we were scheduled to watch flight operations, which required safety gear. Prior to heading to the flight deck, we donned inflatable life vests, in case we went overboard, and “cranials,” a kind of helmet for head and ear protection, plus ear plugs.

Pilots from Miramar, Lemoore and North Island flew jets to the Lincoln, which was about 100 miles out to sea, to practice touch and go maneuvers. They landed by catching the arresting cable with their tailhook and were catapulted for takeoff.

Hand signals are vital. Flight operations have been compared to a ballet with hand, arm and body movements that guide aircraft around the deck and prepare them for takeoff. One crew member does a precheck thumbs up, a pilot salutes readiness, the shooter on deck does a kneel and point, signaling the catapult and, like a slingshot, the plane is launched off the deck. The Lincoln’s catapult system propels a jet off the deck from 0 to 160 mph in a couple of hundred feet. A trail of steam billows out of the catapult track after takeoff.

Moving to the rear of the carrier, we watched planes come in for touch-and-go and arrested landings. The ship’s arresting gear discharges 1,100 feet of cable, which is caught by the tailhook of a landing plane, stopping the aircraft from a speed of about 150 mph in a few hundred feet.

Watching a plane whiz by as it catches the cable was a whole new level of impressive. Observing flight operations from the deck was exhilarating and sobering at the same time. The flight deck of an aircraft carrier has been called one of the most dangerous work environments in the world. During our safety brief, the safety officer described it as, “very violent, very fast-paced operations. A lot of ‘g’s’ going on.” I was very conscious that I was a spectator to a high-risk activity.

We moved on to the high perch of Vultures Row, a viewing area behind the ship’s bridge, which offered a better perspective of the endless movement of planes on the deck, landing, fueling and transiting into position for a catapult shot. In the evening, we came back to Vulture’s Row for night operations. Watching jets land on a small, moving runway in the dark in the middle of the ocean was a nail-biter.

We were all ready for our bunks by 10 p.m. Since I was the only woman in our

Clockwise personnel serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and midrats, a midnight meal for sailors working the night shift. Hull Technician Davies gives a rundown on the work in the machine shop. “If it breaks, we can fix it. We have to be selfsufficient,” he said. The Officer of the Deck (OOD), the direct representative of the ship’s commanding officer, is responsible for the ship while on watch. group, I got a cabin to myself. The room was comfortable, pretty chilly and noisy. Flights continued into the night, and I could hear the arresting cables whooshing out and the jet engines roaring. But I warmed up under four blankets and was lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the ship.

We were back up with the sun, touring a few more hours until we were scheduled to fly back to North Island on V-22 Ospreys, the tilt-rotor aircraft that flies vertically like helicopters or horizontally like prop-planes. Yes, I was very excited.

Outfitted again with safety gear and cranials, we boarded the Osprey at 10:30 a.m. for the hour flight back to North Island. A few sailors joined us as they transported off the ship for leave time, change of duty or medical appointments. This was just another day for them, like riding a bus to work.

Making our final approach into North Island I could see the Hotel del Coronado and the Coronado Shores as we flew over North Beach. We landed by the terminal in the middle of North Island and the great adventure was over.

Even though it’s very likely that I was the oldest person on board, I’m happy to say that I easily climbed countless ladders and didn’t hit my head, crack my shins or trip over anything.

It was a day to remember. ■