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Updated: Photos Shows Damage to USS Harry S. Truman After Collision

damage to aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman
US Navy photo showing damage to the observation point below the flight deck on USS Harry S. Truman

Published Feb 15, 2025 8:12 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Updated: Additional photos were released showing more damage to Harry S. Truman


The U.S. Navy released the first official photos showing the acknowledged damage to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. The vessel also posted a statement on social media on Saturday saying that it was fully mission capable and conducting flight operations in the Mediterranean Sea. 

The first picture shows damage below the flight deck near one of the carrier’s elevators and observation points. A spokesperson for the Sixth Fleet told Stars & Stripes that the elevator was not damaged, but the picture shows portions of the underside of the observation point ripped open and large scrapes. The later photos shows additional damage on the starboard quarter of the carrier including a damaged exhaust stack pipe and to hull plates.

 

Exterior damage near stern of USS Harry S. Truman viewed from an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter (note the damaged exhaust pipe near the stern and the damage to the observatyion point (right). (USN released photos)

 

Well-known industry commentator Sal Mercogliano posted pictures of the damage to the bulk carrier Besiktas M (53,000 dwt). Mercogliano highlighted the “mooring line spool which has been sheared off and the damage to the starboard forward hatch combing.” The vessel is registered in Panama and managed by Synergy Ship Management. Built in 2003, she has been operating for Black Hawk Shipping of the Marshall Islands since 2015.

 

 

U.S. Sixth Fleet Public Affairs issued a brief statement acknowledging that the collision took place at approximately 11:46 p.m. local time, on February 12, while operating in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt. Both vessels were reported to be maneuvering in the busy area north of the Suez Canal. The carrier was returning to the Red Sea area after a working port visit to Crete to give the crew some badly needed R&R after two months of intense engagements with the Houthis.

“The collision did not endanger the Harry S. Truman as there are no reports of flooding or injuries. The propulsion plants are unaffected and in a safe and stable condition,” said the Sixth Fleet spokesperson.

Stars & Stripes is reporting that the Harry S. Truman has remained in the Mediterranean with the damage surveys ongoing and while Navy command determines the next steps. She was traveling with the guided-missile destroyer Jason Dunham which was reported to be close by but not involved in the collision.

Earlier reports erroneously said the Besiktas M was continuing on its trip to Constanta, Romania. Her current AIS signal shows her docked in Alexandria, Egypt.