Abraham Lincoln makes 200,000 successful arrested aircraft landings

PACIFIC OCEAN, UNITED STATES

07.21.2020

Story by Seaman Apprentice Louis Lea 

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)   

PACIFIC OCEAN– Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) celebrated the ship’s 200,000th trap, or aircraft recovery, via arresting gear on the flight deck, July 19.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the “Vigilantes” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, marked the milestone by catching the number four wire.
“It’s amazing what we have accomplished,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 1st Class Corris Brown, leading petty officer for the arrested launch and recovery equipment (ALRE) division aboard Abraham Lincoln. “Two hundred thousand is well ahead of schedule for the lifetime of the ship. I won’t be there for 250,000, but that’s the next milestone, and it is right around the corner.”
Naval aircraft use a tail hook to grab one of four catch wires to make an arrested landing. The force generated by aircraft landing is diverted, via the catch wire, to the engine room in order to bring the aircraft to a halt. The Sailors who work in these areas as engine room operators are the first line of defense for any issues with the catch wires that may occur during an arrested landing.

“We maintain communication with Sailors involved in all parts of flight operations throughout the day to be able to address issues and respond quickly,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class Tremaine Smith, an engine room operator. “Communication is always business first, but we always try to lighten the load by making each other smile when we can. With a job this hard, it’s important to keep morale up.”
Capt. Walter Slaughter, Abraham Lincoln’s commanding officer, commended Sailors during a cake-cutting ceremony in an arresting gear engine room aboard the ship.
“I am so proud of you all for making this momentous occasion possible,” said Slaughter “I am proud to be a part of the team that was able to work so hard day in and day out to get here.”
Abraham Lincoln is underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations.

• Date Taken: 07.21.2020
• Date Posted: 07.22.2020 17:24
• Story ID: 374387
• Location: PACIFIC OCEAN, US