Carrier USS Harry S. Truman Underway After Five Days of Emergency Repairs
The U.S. Navy reported tonight, February 24, that the carrier USS Harry S. Truman has returned to sea after emergency repairs in Crete. The carrier group was underway today and conducting routine flight operations.
The carrier arrived back at the Naval Support Base in Souda Bay, Greece on February 16 just four days after it collided with a bulker north of the Suez Canal. The report indicated that an assessment team would conduct a full survey of damaged areas and develop a repair plan to be executed immediately.
The Navy quickly assembled an emergency team that included engineers, naval architects, and other personnel from the Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center and Norfolk Naval Shipyard. In an “all-hands” effort, the sailors worked together with a local industry partner, Theodoropoulos Group, to assess the damage, develop the plan, and complete repairs to restore weathertight integrity to the carrier.
The initial damage assessment reported the exterior wall of two storage rooms and a maintenance space had sustained breaches as well as external damage including a line handling space, the fantail, and the platform above one of the storage spaces. The aircraft elevator however was not damaged and remained fully operational.
The work was completed in just five days with the carrier group underway on February 23. A Navy spokesperson told Stars & Stripes the repairs included removing damaged pieces of metal and installing weatherproofing bulkheads.
“Our ship remains operationally ready to complete deployment with mission and purpose on full display by the entire crew,” said Capt. Chris Hill, commanding officer of Harry S. Truman. “We are out here launching and recovering aircraft.”
Hill took over command of the carrier as interim commanding officer the Navy reported on February 20. Hill transferred from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower which is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance at Norfolk Naval Shipyard after completing its nine-month deployment in July 2024. The captain had led the first phase of the U.S. mission in the Red Sea region to combat the Houthis after they started attacking merchant ships. Hill replaced Capt. Dave Snowden, commanding officer of USS Harry S. Truman who was relieved due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command after the collision.
The Navy emphasized that there was no impact on Harry S. Truman’s mission or schedule due to emergency repairs. Since deploying, they report the carrier's eight embarked aviation squadrons have flown over 5,500 stories. This includes two strikes into Houthi-controlled Yemen and a strike on ISIS-Somalia. The Houthis had been aggressively targeting the Truman in January before suspending their strikes after the Gaza ceasefire.
The Harry S. Truman is deployed with the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg. The strike group also consists of three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, USS Stout, USS The Sullivans, and USS Jason Dunham. The group deployed on September 23, first traveling to Northern Europe and then into the Mediterranean and Red Sea.