The mobile ATMs and money changers did brisk business when the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser Cape St. George (CG 71), arrived in Laem Chabang for a port visit Jan. 6. Nearly 6,000 U.S. sailors invaded Pattaya for a five-day holiday.

Nearly 6,000 U.S. sailors invaded Pattaya when the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group pulled into Laem Chabang for a five-day holiday.

“There isn’t a place better that the sailors love to come than Pattaya,” carrier Capt. John Alexander told the media Jan. 6. “They get good value for their money, there’s a lot to do, and they can stay at hotels without breaking the bank.”

The mobile ATMs and money changers did brisk business when the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser Cape St. George (CG 71), arrived in Laem Chabang for a port visit Jan. 6. Nearly 6,000 U.S. sailors invaded Pattaya for a five-day holiday.

The visit is the fourth by the Lincoln and the second for accompanying Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Cape St. George. The carrier boasts a complement of 5,500 navy and marine personnel and the cruiser about 390.

Captain John D. Alexander (left), Commanding Officer USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), and Troy M. Shoemaker (right), Commander of Aircraft Carrier 9, give an interview to the media.

The U.S. embassy gave local media a tour of the giant ship, hosting a reception in a hanger for jet planes and petrol tanks. Public Affairs Officer Lt. Marissa Myatt gave reporters a history of America’s fifth Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier commissioned in 1989.

The Lincoln is in the last stages of a worldwide tour taking it from its former home port in Washington to Newport News, Virginia where it will undergo a $3 billion refueling and complex overhaul that will take the ship out of service for up to four years beginning in 2013.

Its next stop will be an exercise in Southern Asia where it will lend its expertise to Thai and other regional naval forces.

Keeping an eye on things at the entrances and exits from the ships.

USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier tied up at Laem Chabang Port.

A naval officer goes about his business in the USS Abraham Lincoln control room.

Aircraft lined up on the USS Abraham Lincoln flight deck.

Souvenirs such as glasses, shirts, pants, USS Abraham Lincoln brooches and Marine jackets are on sale inside the ship.

Our tour guides are a friendly bunch of officers.