The U.S. Navy announced yesterday that it had removed the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) following its collision with the merchant vessel MV Besiktas-M in the Mediterranean, near the entrance to the Suez Canal. The decision comes just as the Nimitz-class carrier arrives in Greece for port repairs, temporarily interrupting its deployment in the region, which had already lasted more than 50 days.
Specifically, the officer in question is Captain Dave Snowden, a career fighter pilot and a 1996 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Snowden had previously served as executive officer aboard the USS Harry S. Truman and had commanded the USS San Antonio (LPD-17). The Navy justified its decision by citing a “loss of confidence in his ability to command” following the incident on the 12th of this month. It has also been announced that Captain Christopher Hill will take over the aircraft carrier’s command on an interim basis. Hill was previously in charge of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69).
Regarding the damage sustained by the USS Harry S. Truman in the collision, the U.S. Sixth Fleet officially stated: “The assessed damage includes the outer wall of two storage rooms and a maintenance space. On the ship’s exterior, the assessed damage includes a line-handling area, the stern, and the platform above one of the storage spaces (…) Aircraft Elevator Number Three was not damaged and remains fully operational.” As previously reported, neither the carrier nor the merchant vessel recorded any injuries, and no damage was reported to the carrier’s embarked air wing.
As initially mentioned, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will now undergo repairs at the U.S. Naval Support Activity (NSA) in Souda Bay, with work carried out by Navy technicians and private-sector personnel. The U.S. Navy specified that the repair team will include personnel from the Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC) and the Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), along with the ship’s crew and local Greek contractors.
For now, according to Rear Admiral Sean Bailey, who commands the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, the remaining elements of the group will remain operational to sustain the U.S. Navy’s presence in the region. This force consists of the USS Gettysburg (CG 64), a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, and three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers: USS Stout (DDG 55), USS The Sullivans (DDG 68), and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109).
Images used for illustration purposes
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