U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is now in port in Greece for repairs following a collision with the cargo ship M/V Besiktas-M this past week. The service is continuing to assess the full extent of damage to the flattop, which is in the middle of a deployment that has already included combat operations in and around the Red Sea.
The Navy announced yesterday that Truman had arrived at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay in Greece for what it has described as an Emergent Repair Availability (ERAV). The carrier had made a port stop in Souda Bay just days before the collision, which occurred on Feb. 12 in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Egypt as it was about to enter the Suez Canal. The incident remains under investigation.
“An assessment team will conduct a full survey of damaged areas and develop a repair plan to be executed immediately following completion of the assessment,” according to an official press release. “The assessment team includes structural engineers, naval architects, and other personnel from FDRMC [the Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center] and Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY). They will be supported by ship’s force personnel and local industry partners for the repair effort.”
On Friday, the Navy released a picture showing damage to a sponson on the starboard side of the stern end of the ship’s number three aircraft elevator. The service subsequently released additional images, seen at the top of this story and below, showing further damage to the aft end of the starboard side of the hull.
“Damage [already] assessed includes the exterior wall of two storage rooms and a maintenance space. External to the ship, damage assessed includes a line handling space, the fantail, and the platform above one of the storage spaces,” according to the new Navy release. “Aircraft elevator number three sustained no damage and is fully operational. Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC) will lead the pier side ERAV, including an assessment and follow-on repairs to damages sustained.”
The Navy has previously said Truman did not experience any flooding and that its nuclear reactors were safe and sound as a result of the collision. None of the aircraft onboard were damaged and none of the crew were injured.
Details about the full extent of the damage to Besiktas-M remain unclear. There have been no reported injuries among its crew. The Panamanian-flagged cargo ship appears to be continuing on its planned voyage to the port of Constanta in Romania on the Black Sea, according to online ship tracking site Vessel Tracker.
“Deployed U.S. Navy ships routinely undergo planned and emergent maintenance periods such as mid-deployment voyage repairs and ERAVs, allowing forward-deployed ships to sustain maximal operational readiness,” the service has stressed in its latest release about Truman. “The United States’ relationships with Allies and partners provides access to ports around the world, granting the U.S. Navy strategic pier availability and resources critical for operational flexibility.”
“While the ship is fully mission capable and the ship conducted flight operations following the collision, pulling into port for emergent repairs will enable the ship to continue deployment as scheduled,” Navy Capt. Dave Snowden, the carrier’s commanding officer, also said in a statement.
At the same time, it remains to be seen how long Truman might be sidelined following the collision. As noted, the ship is in the middle of a deployment that has already included supporting ongoing operations against Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen and ISIS-affiliated terrorists in Somalia. There are no other U.S. carriers in the region currently, and the time Truman spends in port now for repairs could still have significant operational impacts.
“The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) units remain operational across geographic regions in support of their component commanders,” Rear Adm. Sean Bailey, commander of the strike group, said in a separate statement. “Our mission has not changed and we remain committed to responding to any challenge in this dynamic and global security environment.”
In addition to the Truman and its embarked air wing, the strike group includes the Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Gettysburg and the Arleigh Burke class destroyers USS Stout, USS The Sullivans, and USS Jason Dunham. In December, Gettysburg shot down an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter assigned to Truman in a separate friendly fire incident that is also still under investigation.
Whatever happens, Truman will now be in port in Souda Bay for at least some amount of time as Navy personnel get a full picture of the damage and determine what repairs are necessary to get the flattop back on station.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com