Rusty state of USS Abraham Lincoln after marathon deployment shocks observers

As the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln pulled into port in Thailand on Wednesday, observers were shocked by its appearance. The almost 1,100-foot-long warship was covered in rust from bow to stern. But experts say that’s to be expected from what the Navy says was 286 days at sea since the Lincoln left its homeport of San Diego last November. The warship also saw months of combat and blockade operations against Iran in the Middle East. “Rust along the waterline is not unusual on a ship that has spent 60 days or more of operations continuously at sea,” said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain who did three tours on Nimitz-class carriers like the Lincoln. Tackling the rust problem is not something that could be done at sea, especially during combat operations, Schuster told CNN. Crews would need to be lowered down to the waterline, sand off the rust, put on two coats of rust-preventative primer and then two coats of naval gray paint, according to Schuster. “Based on what I am seeing, you are looking at about 30 days of preservation work to remove all the rust,” he said. Some work might be done on critical areas during the stop in Thailand, Schuster added. The Lincoln docked in the port of Laem Chabang, on the Gulf of Thailand, south of Bangkok, on Wednesday for a visit expected to last several days to give crew members their first full rest-and-relaxation port call after a marathon deployment. “They will do only high-priority work during a seven-day port visit. The rust on the bow and forward hull areas will done first because they take the most abuse when the ship is moving, and they absorb the corrosive actions that accompany moving through salt waters, particularly choppy seas,” Schuster said. Some of the rust on upper levels can be treated while the ship is underway, but it must be stationary and free from wave action when making the repairs along the waterline, he said. But it is a problem that can’t be neglected. “Rust is like a contagious disease. It spreads. So, it is better to deal with it early to contain it or deal with a much larger problem later,” Schuster said. “It weakens any steel structure it attacks. So, you have to remove it before it has a decisive impact on your components” like decks, walkways and lifelines, he said. Rust hasn’t been the only problem associated with the Lincoln’s long deployment. It has led to reports of morale problems amid supply shortages, and at least one crew member going overboard. But US President Donald Trump has dismissed concerns, saying the Lincoln’s deployment was “not nearly long enough.” No comment on the condition of the Lincoln has been heard from Trump since it arrived in Thailand. But in the past, the US president has called for the Navy to clean up the appearance of its warships, which have been facing longer deployments in his second administration. Last year, then-Navy Secretary John Phelan said Trump would call him in the middle of the night about the rust problem. “He has stated to me many times: ‘Shipbuilding, shipbuilding, shipbuilding. Get those ships out of maintenance yards. Fix the damn rust,’” Phelan said at a conference in Maryland, as reported by Task & Purpose. “He does not like it, and I don’t like getting calls in the middle of the night.” It’s not something sailors like either, said Schuster. “Fighting rust is one of the two most unpopular naval activities. The other being anything to do with plumbing. Hated both as a junior officer on a ship.”