THE Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) welcomed the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), the fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier which docked at Port Klang Cruise Terminal (PKCT) here on Saturday (Nov 23).
The aircraft carrier is famous for having been featured in the Hollywood blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick”, starring Tom Cruise.
RMN’s brass band KD Pelandok of 25 members led by drum major Bintara Muda Mohamad Alif Rohani in giving a warm welcome serenaded the sailors with several songs.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is the flagship of the US Carrier Strike Group 3, that stretches a notable 332.85m in length with a flight deck spanning 76.8m.
USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier (CVN 72) Strike Group Three, Commander Rear Admiral Adan G. Cruz said the 5,000 crewmembers were excited to call to Port Klang and are looking forward to learning the culture and spending some time in Kuala Lumpur.
“Our visit marks the first US aircraft carrier visit to Malaysia since 2012. The visit demonstrates the continuation of a long-standing deep partnership between the Malaysia and US, in the areas of defense, economic and diplomatic. We see this as a start of something new and routine.
“This relationship is based on mutual trust, respect and common values. Specifically, Malaysia and the US are maritime nations and we both look to the sea for our security and economic prosperity. We both believe in a free and open Indo Pacific Region and will continue to cooperate in the future,” he added.
He said the sailors and marines look forward to learning the local culture and savour the local delights.
Asked on the purpose of the visit, Adan said the aim of this visit to Port Klang is to resupply after a long deployment at sea and to have some meetings with the Foreign and Defence Ministries.
“I will also meet with my counterpart in the RMN”, he said.
When the media asked about the carrier’s recent mission in the Middle East, where it helped prevent tensions between Israel and Iran from escalating, Adan said the mission was successful and they accomplished all the objectives, but stopped short to elaborate.
Meanwhile, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) commanding officer Captain Pete Riebe said it is a pleasure to be in Malaysia as we have been out at sea for over 100 days.
USS Abraham Lincoln's last port of call was in Guam, a US island territory in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific Ocean.
“Our sailors and marines on board are all ecstatic to experience Malaysia. We are excited for the hotels, restaurants and the local delicacies as life at sea can be tough. We have organised several volunteer opportunities, community relation events with local people to visit schools, help out at senior citizens homes, care facilities as well as places of worship,” he said.
Pete added that tours around Kuala Lumpur will also be in the itinerary.
“Our crew is excited to come down from the ship to experience the warm hospitality. I have heard about nasi lemak and I am eager to try it,” he said.
