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ON BOARD USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN NEAR THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ - ‘Here we go! Here we go!’. The shouts from the airmen onboard the US Navy C-2A Greyhound transport aircraft can be heard through cranials (helmet) and earplugs. Landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln, a carrier deployed to the US 5^th Fleet in the Arabian Gulf, seems uneventful at first if you ignore the fact that you are looking the other way and face the tail of the aircraft.

An attack of nerves is natural for someone who has a fear of flying, and the wheezing sound of the wheels emerging from the belly of the machine further shakes your resolve before more of the unexpected happens.

A descent in darkness with no windows to look out does not help the cause. Twenty seconds later, there’s a sharp thud when the wheels slam the flight deck of the Nimitz class nuclear-powered carrier at 160mph.

Collared down and strapped tight, there’s a pull as the plane lurches forward. Muscles tighten and a bead of sweat trickles down the brow.

It’s getting itchy under the helmet, but this reporter resists the urge for a scratch. Frozen palms and greasy fingers try hard to grasp the armrest as the mind struggles to come to grips with the situation inside the plane. Outside, a cable on the deck of the mammoth ship has done its job. The Greyhound’s tail-hook grabs it, bringing the aircraft to an abrupt halt within 350 feet of hitting the surface.

A near perfect ‘trap’ brings a collective whoop of relief from the passengers on the plane. But photographer Kiran Prasad seated beside this reporter does not appear to share the sentiment and wears a pained expression through his goggles. He nods in discomfort after the shaking which has not been kind on his stomach. It’s no use talking with ears plugged so he bears the ‘retched’ feeling in silence.

The 10-minute wait seems like eternity as the plane taxies to its designated spot on the deck and the back hatch is opened for our escape to freedom at sea!

It’s refreshing to get out and bask in the light with the air whipping your body. Navy personnel on deck usher us to a corner through the fumes and smoke of the engines and then lead us to the Ward Room where Captain John Alexander, Commanding Officer of the majestic 1,092-foot-long nuclear-powered vessel, joins us for some cookies and coffee.

The Abraham Lincoln is the centre-piece vessel of Carrier Strike Group 9, now deployed to the US Navy’s 5^th Fleet based in Bahrain, which ensures the security of the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and extending all the way to the Arabian Sea. The Group is commanded by Rear Admiral Troy Shoemaker and is transiting the Strait of Hormuz which Iran had threatened to block last month if it comes under attack from the West or Israel over its disputed nuclear programme.

Two other warships, the USS Sterett and the USS St. George, have joined the Abraham Lincoln on this trip to assert the US Navy’s superiority over the waters.

It’s a show of force, though US officials prefer to play it down, and comes after Tehran last month warned another carrier, the USS John C. Stennis, not to return after it had made its outbound transit through the Strait, which narrows to 50km near an area known as the ‘knuckle’ before widening into the Gulf of Oman.

Awesome might

The ‘Abe’ carries 5,500 personnel and more than 60 aircraft on her decks. Planes include the lethal F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet fighters, the reliable C-2A Greyhound transporters, Hawkeyes for surveillance, Prowlers for jamming enemy radars and multifunctional Seahawk choppers, called helos in navy parlance.

We’re back on deck in an hour to watch the mean machines take to flight and show their prowess in the air. Shooters ensure the safety of man and machine on the flight deck which spans 4.5 acres. The sea is lost when you’re standing in the middle of such a vast floating ‘city’ which can do upwards of 30 knots.

Flight deck personnel wear purple, white, yellow, red, green, brown and blue shirts and handle various duties from refuelling, handling catapults, safety and maintenance.

Our cranials, safety collars and goggles are back on. The noise of the supersonic engines can be eardrum-busting, but is muffled, thanks to the protective gear covering our ears. Meanwhile, F/A-18s line up for takeoff and a shooter directs us to just 10 feet away from the fighter. There is a sudden tug at the heart, which feels heavy like the chambers are laden with some inexplicable weight. Definitely not emotional. The F/A-18 gets a catapult boost, shoots down the runway and clears the deck.

With four catapults, the Abe can launch four planes every minute, the shooters explain. The spectacle of might continues for 30 minutes. All along, the heart is not in place. You realise sound can transform into a powerful emotion.

On the other side of the deck, more traps are laid. Hornets, Prowlers and Greyhounds grab the cables during practice landings. The show of force goes on and is a deterrent to conflict in the region. In times like this, keeping the peace can be harder than going to war.

allan@khaleejtimes.com

Quick facts

· Commissioned on 
Nov 11, 1989

· Displacement: 97,000 tonnes

· Two 30-tonne anchors

· 1,900 shipboard 
telephones

· Four flight deck catapults

· 2,530 tonnes of AC 
capacity, enough to serve 800 homes

Source: US navy

Daily on the ‘Abe’

· 15,000-20,000 meals served

· 13,000 sodas consumed

· 600 gallons of milk drunk

· 620 pounds of hamburgers eaten

· 180 dozen eggs consumed

· 800 pounds of vegetables consumed

· 900 pounds of fruits eaten

· 5,550 pounds of laundry cleaned

· 250 haircuts given

Source: US navy