Rusty state of USS Abraham Lincoln after marathon deployment shocks observers

Valerie Lynn Maigue/US Navy

Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters

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.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Jordan Steis/US Navy

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.”

瓦莱丽·林恩·梅格/美国海军

Chalinee Thirasupa/路透社

周三，当“亚伯拉罕·林肯”号航空母舰驶入泰国港口时，它的外观令观察人士震惊。这艘近1100英尺长的战舰从舰首到舰尾都锈迹斑斑。

但专家表示，考虑到海军方面称“林肯”号自去年11月离开圣地亚哥母港以来已在海上航行286天，出现这种情况也在意料之中。这艘军舰还在中东地区参与了数月的战斗和对伊朗的封锁行动。

“对于一艘在海上连续作业 60 天或更长时间的船只来说，水线附近出现锈蚀并不罕见，”曾在林肯号等尼米兹级航母上服役三次的美国海军前上校卡尔·舒斯特说道。

舒斯特告诉 CNN，解决生锈问题不是在海上就能做到的，尤其是在作战行动期间。

舒斯特表示，工作人员需要下到水线以下，打磨掉锈迹，涂上两层防锈底漆，然后再涂上两层海军灰漆。

“根据我目前所见，大概需要 30 天的防锈处理工作才能去除所有锈迹，”他说。

二级士官乔丹·斯泰斯/美国海军

舒斯特补充说，在泰国停留期间，可能会对一些关键领域进行一些工作。

林肯号于周三停靠在泰国湾曼谷以南的林查班港，预计此次访问将持续数天，让船员们在马拉松式的部署后首次获得完整的休息和放松机会。

舒斯特说：“在为期七天的港口访问期间，他们只会进行优先级较高的工作。船首和船体前部的锈蚀将首先进行处理，因为这些部位在船舶航行时承受的冲击最大，而且它们会吸收在盐水中航行，尤其是在波涛汹涌的海面上航行时产生的腐蚀作用。”

他说，船舶航行时可以处理上层的一些锈蚀，但沿水线进行维修时，船舶必须保持静止，不受波浪作用。

但这是一个不容忽视的问题。

“锈病就像传染病一样，会蔓延。所以，最好及早处理，控制住锈蚀，否则以后会面临更大的问题，”舒斯特说。

“它会削弱任何被侵蚀的钢结构。所以，你必须在它对甲板、走道和生命线等部件造成决定性影响之前将其清除，”他说。

锈蚀并非“林肯”号长期部署带来的唯一问题。它还导致了物资短缺和士气低落的报道，甚至至少有一名船员落水。

但美国总统唐纳德·特朗普驳斥了这些担忧，称林肯号的部署时间“远远不够长”。

自林肯号抵达泰国以来，特朗普一直没有就其状况发表任何评论。

但过去，美国总统曾要求海军改善其军舰的外观，因为在他的第二个任期内，军舰的部署时间越来越长。

去年，时任海军部长约翰·费兰表示，特朗普会在半夜打电话给他，询问生锈问题。

据Task & Purpose报道，菲兰在马里兰州的一次会议上说：“他多次跟我说：‘造船，造船，造船。把那些船从维修厂里弄出来。把该死的锈迹修好。’他不喜欢这样，我也不喜欢半夜接到电话。”

舒斯特说，水手们也不喜欢这样。

“除锈是海军最不受欢迎的两项活动之一，另一项是任何与管道相关的工作。我以前在船上当初级军官时，这两项工作都让我恨之入骨。”