No internet? Why using phones is not allowed on the USS Abraham Lincoln

Smartphones constantly search for signals, acting like digital beacons for enemy sensors. To prevent adversaries from tracking these emissions and targeting the ship, personal devices are strictly banned during combat operations.

During sensitive missions, the ship activates a condition known as 'River City'. This protocol cuts off all personal internet and phone lines to ensure no secret information leaks out to the public or the enemy.

Satellite internet bandwidth is limited and incredibly expensive at sea. The ship must prioritise critical data for aircraft and weapons systems over personal emails, video streaming, or social media usage.

Photos and social media posts often contain hidden location data called metadata. A single innocent post by a sailor could accidentally reveal the carrier's exact coordinates to an adversary, putting the entire crew at risk.

Personal phones are vulnerable entry points for hackers and malware. Restricting them prevents cyber spies from using a sailor's device as a 'backdoor' to infect the ship's secure networks with viruses.

Operating a nuclear aircraft carrier is dangerous work that requires absolute mental focus. Banning phones ensures sailors are not distracted by news from home or social media drama during high-stakes manoeuvres.

Even with modern satellite internet like Starlink, the Captain retains a 'kill switch'. As the Lincoln's Captain Pete Riebe stated, when the ship enters a 'weapons engagement zone', they turn it all off to remain undetectable.