Without fanfare, USS Abraham Lincoln leaves Everett for the last time

EVERETT — For one final time, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln sailed away from its homeport of Everett.

The warship headed out Wednesday morning for a scheduled deployment in the Middle East. Later next year, the warship will cross the Atlantic to refuel its nuclear reactors at its new homeport of Newport News, Va.

Before he boarded, the Lincoln’s commander, Capt. John Alexander, called Wednesday a “historic day and a bittersweet day.”

“It’s fitting that we are leaving on a typical Northwest day,” Alexander said of the foggy conditions. “I wish to thank all the people of Washington and the Everett area for their enormous efforts on our behalf throughout the years.”

About 400 sailors in dress uniforms and wool coats lined the rails of the flight deck as the rest of the “Abe” crew prepared to pull away from the pier at Naval Station Everett.

Navy Airman Lydia Campbell, 24, helped release the lines that held the ship to the pier. While she will remain stationed in Everett, her husband is serving on the Lincoln. It was difficult for her to let go of the lines, Campbell said. Her husband, George Collins, works below deck. They said their farewells as he climbed aboard the ship at dawn.

The USS Abraham Lincoln became a part of the landscape during the 15 years it was based in Everett.

Thousands of sailors called this area home, and people here identified with the ship, which became an icon of the waterfront. The Silvertips mascot, Lincoln the bear, will continue to wear the number 72, the same as the vessel number.

The Navy announced a year ago that the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) would replace the Lincoln as the centerpiece of the Everett-based fleet, though the Nimitz will remain part of the California-based Strike Group 11. The USS Momsen and other Everett-based Navy ships will stay here as part of Strike Group 9.

Most likely the Nimitz won’t pull into port here until March, following more than a year of maintenance work in the Bremerton shipyards.

Many of the Lincoln sailors are not sure what their next orders will be after the carrier is docked for the four-year overhaul and refueling of its onboard nuclear reactors. Chief Petty Officer Larry Cessna, 35, of Bothell, will be coming back after the deployment. Still, this is the second Christmas in a row he will be away from his family. His wife, Suzanne, and their children, Josephine, 10, Clara, 8, and Brent, 3, waved goodbye on base from the end of the wharf.

“We had our Christmas last weekend,” Josephine said, as she hugged her mom.

Only about a dozen other families showed up to watch the Lincoln leave. Among them were two sets of parents there to see their kids ship out, one for the first time.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Shane Butterfield, a machine engineer on his second deployment, said goodbye to his folks, Don and Judi Butterfield, who drove in the dark from their home in Tukwila for the deployment.

“We’re very proud of Shane and so excited for him and his Navy career,” Judi Butterfield said. “But today I am sad, too.”

Those mixed feelings were shared by Don and Sue Durnford of Portland, Ore. Their daughter, Seaman Apprentice Katrina Wright, 19, stood on a deck at the stern of the Lincoln to wave to her parents. Wright, married just two weeks ago, joined the Navy last December and is headed out for her first deployment. During the last weeks of November, she and her family celebrated her wedding, several birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“We’ve shed a lot of tears this week,” Don Wright said.

Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson attended the Pearl Harbor remembrance event Wednesday morning at the naval station and didn’t get out in time to see the Lincoln pulling away.

“The Lincoln gave Everett a sense of pride and identity,” Stephanson said. “We will miss her.”

Until the Nimitz arrives, the Everett waterfront will seem as empty as it did Wednesday morning when tugboats pushed the Lincoln out into Port Gardner for the last time.

No fanfare. No ceremony.

The barking of the sea lions near the pier created a cacophony when paired with the low blast of the Lincoln fog horn.

The uniformed crew on the flight deck remained at attention as the Lincoln slipped into the mist and was gone.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Aaron Kennedy / The Herald
The Joann Fabric and Crafts store at 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett, is one of three stores in Snohomish County that will close as part of the retailer’s larger plan to shutter more than half of its stores nationwide.
Joann store closure plan includes Everett, Arlington, Lynnwood locations

The retail giant filed a motion in court to close approximately 500 stores in the U.S.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.