Good News: The USS Harry S. Truman Is Back In Service
The Truman underwent emergency repairs in Greece following its collision with a Panamanian cargo ship in the Red Sea on February 12.
The United States Navy confirmed on Monday that the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) completed a weeklong repair at Naval Support Souda Bay, Greece, and was back in service and en route to the Red Sea. The warship required the emergent repair availability (ERAV) following a collision with a cargo ship near Port Said, Egypt, earlier this month.
The U.S. Navy carrier was preparing to enter the Suez Canal on February 12 when it had the all-too-close encounter with the Panama-flagged Besiktas-M. CVN-75 was able to depart Souda Bay on Sunday, and conducted “routine flight operations in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations” on Monday, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet announced.
CVN-75 resumed operations with a new commanding officer on the bridge.
“Our ship remains operationally ready to complete deployment with mission and purpose on full display by the entire crew,” said Captain Chris Hill, interim CO of USS Harry S. Truman.
“We are out here launching and recovering aircraft, ready to ‘Give ’em Hell’ with combat credible power,” Hill added, referencing the phrase seen on the battle flag of USS Harry S. Truman—borrowed from Truman’s 1948 presidential election slogan.
Hill, who replaced Captain David Snowden as CO of the carrier’s warship, should be quite familiar with the waters of the region, as well as the political situation in the Middle East. The interim CO previously commanded the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), which spent much of her nearly nine-month deployment protecting commercial shipping from the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. The deployment has been described as the most intense combat operation for the U.S. Navy since the Second World War. CVN-69 is now undergoing scheduled maintenance at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
Snowden, who previously served as executive officer on CVN-75 and completed a tour as captain of the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD-17), was relieved of command of the nuclear-powered supercarrier due to a loss of confidence.
Fender Bender at Sea – Quick Repairs Made
As previously reported, the U.S. carrier took only minor damage, and the warship’s propulsion systems were unaffected. According to Maritime Executive, “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.”
While there was also a small hull breach above the waterline, it did not impact the carrier’s seaworthiness. Following the collision, the carrier returned to Souda Bay, where it had recently made a port visit, and underwent the repairs.
“The U.S. Navy’s ability to rapidly repair its warships anywhere in the world is a testament to our lethality and the warfighting advantage of relationships with Allies and partners,” the Sixth Fleet added.
The ERAV was described as an “all-hands effort,” which included personnel from the Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC), sailors flown in from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and workers from the Greek-based Theodoropoulos Group. Together they assessed the damage to the Truman, quickly developed a repair plan, and restored the “weathertight integrity” of the ship in just five days.
“FDRMC is focused on keeping our forward-deployed naval forces mission-ready across 5th and 6th Fleets, maintaining critical combat readiness for the ships and their Sailors,” explained Capt. Mollie Bily, FDRMC commanding officer. “The rapid repair effort on Truman was a testament to our expeditionary maintenance expertise and the exceptional collaboration with our Norfolk Naval Shipyard teammates and industry partners.”
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
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