USS Abraham Lincoln Sailors learn all kinds of
Navy acronyms during ship's work-up cycle

NAVY WIRE SERVICE (NWS) - November 8, 1999 -

by JOC Joe Staker, USS Abraham Lincoln public affairs
    USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At sea, (NWS) -- FEP, PIA, ORSE,
and ITA -- all these are Navy acronyms. What do they all
mean? In the lifecycle of a ship, Sailors get to know what
many of those acronyms mean. In fact, Sailors onboard USS
Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) will be dealing with many of these
acronyms in the near future.
    Abraham Lincoln recently departed Puget Sound Naval
Shipyard and is preparing for its next major Western
Pacific/Arabian Gulf (WESTPAC) deployment, currently
scheduled to commence in mid-Aug. 2000.
    The abbreviated catch phrases mark snippets of time in
the ship's Interdeployment Training Cycle (IDTC). This began
after the six-month Planned Incremental Availability period
(PIA) ended Sept. 15.
    The crew recently completed a Carrier Assessment of
Readiness and Training (CART) "fast cruise" on Naval Station
Everett. Practice scenarios simulated situations requiring
fire and flooding response and culminated in a mass casualty
drill.
    During the current underway period, the ship is
undergoing a Tailored Ship Training Availability (TSTA) and
a Final Evaluation Period (FEP). Representatives from the
Afloat Training Group Pacific (ATG) are onboard to conduct
training pertaining to almost every aspect of shipboard
operations.
    DCC Robert Simmons, ATG team leader, commented upon the
number of new crewmembers onboard the aircraft carrier and
stressed the importance of the current training phase. "The
watchstanders need to do damage control training in steps,"
Simmons said. "Right now, each repair locker [fire and
flooding response team] can handle a drill that involves
their own area -- in each drill they will simulate putting
out a fire, and everyone will be happy. Later they will be
able to handle more complex scenarios, and do it more
effectively."
    "In a real damage control situation, repair lockers have
to work together," he explained. "Fire and flooding crosses
through warfare areas and across artificial boundaries. If
something affects a weapons area, they may cooperate to rig
casualty power to launch the next missile. Eventually they
start to see that everything onboard affects everybody, and
that we are 'fighting the ship' as a whole."
    The aircraft carrier is expected to be in port over the
holidays. Once underway again, a two-day Undersea Warfare
Exercise (CUEX) and a Comprehensive Training Unit Exercise
(COMPTUEX) will take place off the coast of southern
California, followed by an Integrated Training Assessment
(ITA) and Operational Reactor Safeguards Examination (ORSE).
During ORSE, an independent inspection team officially
certifies that the operation of the reactor plant meets
stringent safety guidelines. This certification will be
revalidated four times throughout the year.
    Following those drill sets, air operations will shift
into higher gear with Carrier Air Wing carrier qualification
flights (CVW CQ) and Fleet Replenishment Squadron carrier
qualification flights (FRS CQ). These qualifications will be
followed by an inport period for Shore Intermediate
Maintenance Activity (SIMA) availability and a Combat
Systems Readiness Review (CSRR).
    Over the summer, the ship will participate in a Joint
Task Force Exercise (FLEETEX/JTFEX) while preparing for
deployment.
    Crew leave and the onloading of supplies will take place
during a Pre-Overseas Movement (POM) period, leading up to
WESTPAC 2000, and bringing the cycle to a close. At that
point, the ship will be fully prepared to deploy to any
point in the world in support of U.S. foreign policy.
                            -USN-