# USS Abraham Lincoln **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 15, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359 "2026-08-15T21:31:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/61 "2026-08-16T19:13:34Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I’m pretty sure @steronz was going for sarcasm, and understands that. I got that too, but it was a pretty poor job of it to be fair. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/62 "2026-08-16T19:19:30Z")
I made a half dozen posts criticizing all the armchair quarterbacking, followed by one post where I sarcastically armchair QBed (in response to a sarcastic post that was armchair QBing), it’s not my fault if people don’t hang on every word it write. I’m giving gold here, Jerry! Gold! ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/63 "2026-08-16T19:20:10Z")
As much as I would like to see a 737 ~~woosh~~ land on an aircraft carrier full of ~~**[telephone sanitisers](https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Golgafrincham)**~~ mold remediation experts I understand the mold problem has gotten so out of hand that the only workabe solution is to nuke it from orbit. Unfortunately the Iranians are not allowed to have nukes, so it will have to be the Russians. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/64 "2026-08-16T19:22:43Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Instead of catapults, I had the Jet Shop above me and the Steering Gear below. The Jet Shop was tough. Snipes & supply live well below the flight deck. I bow to your better knowledge of shipboard life. I am nearly totally unfamiliar with ship configurations, having never had to set foot on one. > [@Kropotkin](#): > > Not since @Chefguy retired! OO-rah! It’s been over 30 years since I retired, but I would bet that there are still battalion deployments to Spain and quite likely to the Middle East. They can mobilize astonishingly fast and practice doing it both in homeport and when deployed (they’re called “mount-out” exercises) and involve mobilizing everything from nuts and bolts to heavy equipment and firepower. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/65 "2026-08-16T19:25:21Z")
Can they just make the reactor go critical? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/66 "2026-08-16T19:29:57Z")
I thought what you were saying was so obviously sarcastic that I was trying to figure out whether the people responding to you were continuing in the sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/67 "2026-08-16T19:33:29Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > > [@What\_Exit](#): > > > > They’ve had flash evaporators since I was in 40+ years ago, as long as they have power, carriers have fresh water. One thing the USS Lincoln would never be short of is power. Nuclear Reactors and all. > > The reactors run the engines. Waste heat from the engines runs the flash evaporator. When the ship is at low cruising speed, less heat = less water. Nobody is saying they don’t have enough to drink. But they don’t have enough for daily showers either. Aircraft carriers have distilling units that will draw steam regardless of what speed the engines are operating at. Rest assured, this has nothing to do with how fast the ship is going. > [@What\_Exit](#): > > That’s sounds wrong Indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/68 "2026-08-16T19:38:53Z")
I’m surprised Kegbreath hasn’t blamed low morale on low T. Or maybe he has. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/69 "2026-08-16T19:42:50Z")
More info about the _Abraham Lincoln’s_ ability to make potable water: [**Abraham Lincoln Makes Potable Water - Official US Navy Website**](https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/2253374/abraham-lincoln-makes-potable-water/) [not every aspect raised here is addressed in the article, but I still found it interesting] ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/70 "2026-08-16T19:43:46Z")
I’m reasonably certain they weren’t short of water, but shower rooms on the Ranger generally had their own steam powered water heaters and these were prone to various failures. If this is still true of the Nimitz class carriers and the parts to repair these 100 or so heaters were running low, it could lead to a lot of cold showers. For the enlisted who live with over 100 crew per berthing if even 8 at time were down, that is 800 over-worked and over-tired crew trying to find working showers. Probably complicated a bit by crews these days being mixed compared to my time in the 80s. I have no clue how the berthings work today. In my day we never had more than 100 woman on board, they shared 1 berthing on the O3 level (just below the flight deck) and had marine guards. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/71 "2026-08-16T19:59:49Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I thought what you were saying was so obviously sarcastic that I was trying to figure out whether the people responding to you were continuing in the sarcasm. There are definitely people on this board that wouldn’t recognize sarcasm if Leonard Hoffstader was holding up a “SARCASM” sign. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/72 "2026-08-16T20:59:15Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I am confident that the 15 minutes I’ve spent thinking about these logistics from the comfort of my own home make me more of an expert in dealing with the situation than the military personnel who have made a career out of figuring out ship logistics. I’m not an expert at all, which is why I’m asking questions - so I can learn. It may come across as armchair quarterbacking, but it isn’t: I’m generally curious. I’m sure all of my questions have good answers. Except for those that have bad answers, of course. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/73 "2026-08-16T21:08:13Z")
Was this a serious comment? > [@Alessan](#): > > Then build a new one! The U.S. military is better at building things than anyone in history - the envy of the military world. The Seabees could build a new depot with their eyes closed. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/74 "2026-08-16T21:16:10Z")
During Vietnam, the Seabees and the Air Force construction crews use to rebuild airfields daily. So my guess is he was serious. I knew both Vietnam era Seabees and one of the Air Force guys. (I don’t remember what they were called, maybe Civil Engineering as they liked to put on airs?) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/75 "2026-08-16T21:16:11Z")
I mean, the depot itself is basically just a big warehouse, right? There’s nothing architecturally complicated about that. Build another. Then you have to fill it, and I’ll admit that I don’t know what you need to fill it with, but I’m 100% confident that the US military has people who do know that. For starters, they knew what was in the old one; try just restocking all of that. The point isn’t that restocking ships is an easy problem. I’m sure that it takes a lot of training and experience to do it, and my hat’s off to those who do that job. The point is that it’s a solved problem. The US military has already trained the people who do it, and they’ve gotten the experience. All that’s lacking is for their bosses to tell them to do it. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/76 "2026-08-16T21:23:30Z")
Rebuild the thing that already got blowed up once? What might happen when it’s done? Eta: nevermind, I have it on _good authority_ that Iran’s offensive capabilities have been _totally wiped out_. Back to the stone age, even. Build away! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/77 "2026-08-16T21:26:58Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Was this a serious comment? It was. I’ve always been in awe of the engineering and logistical capabilities of the U.S. military. If they didn’t rebuilt and restock the destroyed depot within a week, there has to be a reason for it, and I’m curious to know what it is. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/78 "2026-08-16T21:31:04Z")
The Kuwait supply base is apparently functional but disrupted by Iranian attacks. This is why logistics was shifted way off to Diego Garcia and why more Supply Ships should have been getting to the Lincoln’s fleet. The failure to keep the USS Lincoln supplied falls directly on Secretary Hegseth. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/79 "2026-08-16T21:31:27Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I knew both Vietnam era Seabees and one of the Air Force guys. > (I don’t remember what they were called, maybe Civil Engineering as they liked to put on airs?) The Air Force has Red Horse, which is their attempt at construction. We used to laugh at their efforts, but perhaps they’ve gotten better. And yeah, airfields were what the Seabees were first created for in WWII: building airfields on the Pacific islands, and defending them against the Japanese while they waited for the Marines to show up. Since then, their mission expanded to vertical construction involving all of the construction trades. They number up around 15,000 at this point. Nowadays there are six active duty battalions and five reserve battalions, each of which number about 600 (more when there is a war). You’ll notice that those numbers don’t add up to 15K, but there are Seabees on most all Naval bases, doing maintenance and construction, plus there is the Antarctic contingent, the State Department contingent and other special programs. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/80 "2026-08-16T21:31:39Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It was also horribly impractical to supply the entire city of Berlin entirely by air. But it was still done. Are you really meaning to say that a carrier deck can handle the same amount of traffic as Templehof, even in proportion to the difference in population? [_Time_ magazine article:](https://time.com/6980488/american-humanitarian-aid-history/) > The success of the Airlift was easily quantifiable. During the blockade, rations in West Berlin rose to 2,000 calories, higher than anywhere else in postwar Germany. Diseases like rickets and typhoid that traditionally prey on the malnourished dropped. At its height, one plane arrived every 30 seconds. The Airlift proved that the military could transition from a fighting force to a humanitarian force, quickly, effectively, and with public support. In other words, U.S. military action was humanized. 2,000Kcal a day is not enough to sustain an active sailor indefinitely and you’re not including fuel and ordnance for the air wing, the reason the ship is there in the first place. > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > TLDR: They did not plan in advance for the obvious consequences because the fucking idiots are in charge. No plan survives contact with the enemy. When you have no fucking plan the problems are compounded. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359.md?page=5)