ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN – It’s starting to look a lot like home already.
Under gray skies and a constant drizzle, the USS Abraham Lincoln left Naval Air Station North Island at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with little fanfare.
Sailors did not man the rails as they traditionally do when arriving or leaving port, and less than a dozen sailors stood on the flight deck of the warship during the departure.
The sailors, on their way home to Everett after the longest carrier deployment in 30 years, were easily outnumbered by reporters on the flight deck.
There was little to see.
No one was there on the pier to bid farewell to the carrier. The skyline of San Diego was almost invisible, a faint ghost as the ship left for Washington after a one-day stopover to unload the crew and equipment of the carrier’s eight squadrons.
The Abe’s trip to its home port will finish on Tuesday, a time span many sailors say they still don’t want to think about because it will make the journey seem longer.
Seaman Brad Riddle, an intelligence specialist in the Lincoln’s mission briefing center, was looking forward to reuniting with family and a decent espresso.
“The first thing I’m doing is getting as far away from the ship as possible,” he said.
The sailor got a little practice Friday. Riddle’s curfew was midnight, but he made it back to the ship 30 minutes before his departure deadline.
On shore, Riddle enjoyed a Caesar salad and goat cheese tortellini at the Napa Valley Grille near the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego. He went with a shipmate, Petty Officer 3rd Class Pat Kerstens, and the pair split the roughly $50 bill.
More fine food is on the menu when he gets home.
“My parents are actually taking me to the Rain Forest Caf in Seattle, it’s like my favorite restaurant,” said Riddle, 21, who has been in the Navy for 2 1/2 years.
“After the Rain Forest Caf, I’m hijacking their car and forcing them to Starbucks for caramel-apple cider,” said Riddle a former barista at an espresso stand in Puyallup.
He had one in San Diego and said it tasted “funky.”
“It didn’t taste right,” he said, adding that the Seattle area is the only place where people can find coffee drinks made correctly.
“Every time I think about going home, I get totally hyped,” he said. “It’s going to be like the ultimate night before Christmas.
“I’m looking forward to meeting my new niece,” Riddle said. “I’m also looking forward to seeing my girlfriend again, and basically, my entire family.”
The Lincoln left Everett last July, deployed to the Persian Gulf to help fight the war against terrorism in Afghanistan. But on the way home, it was turned around after it left Australia, and it stayed at sea to help oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
During the second port visit for the Lincoln since returning from the Gulf, many sailors came back to the ship well before their curfew.
Petty Officers had to be back to the carrier by 1 a.m. this morning, while chiefs and above had to return by 2 a.m.
It was the first time some on board had worn civilian clothes since a port visit in Australia four months ago. Many had to work during the warship’s stop last week in Pearl Harbor.
Fireman Eric Larson and Airman Terry McLaughlin went as far as the Navy exchange at the air station, but also stopped at the Rice King so they wouldn’t have to eat on the ship. They missed a menu featuring stir fry cabbage, corn and rice.
The pair picked up essentials needed to finish out the trip.
“I got a cell phone,” Larson said. “I needed one so I could call home and talk to my whole family.”
The two 19-year-olds were returning early because they had to work Friday night.
Seaman Jaime Clayborne also stopped at a Navy store to pick up supplies and was back on board the ship early. But not because he had duty.
“I’m not the party type,” said Clayborne, 26. “Early to bed, early to rise.”
Airman Jesse Canionero left the Lincoln for about three hours. He came back with three sodas from A&W for friends who had to work, plus two plastic bags filled smoked sausages, canned coffee, two boxes of muffins and a 2 1/2-pound bag of frozen shrimp.
“I usually do comeback early, so I don’t get carried away out there,” said Canionero, who is 20. “When I hit ports, I do what I got to do. Have fun, but be more on the safe side.”
Getting back to the ship early has its advantages, he said. The ship is empty, so the sailors’ living areas are quiet.
“Basically, you got the ship to yourself,” Canionero said.
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