USS Truman Swaps Paint With Merchant
USS Truman (CVN-75)
UPDATED: USS Harry S. Truman Collides with Merchant Vessel in Mediterranean Sea
Heather Mongilio
USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), the flagship of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, collided with M/V Besiktas-M around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday near Port Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea, the Navy said Thursday.
The carrier did not experience flooding and the crew did not report injuries, Cmdr. Tim Gorman, spokesperson for U.S. 6th Fleet said in a statement.
Truman‘s propulsion plants are unaffected. The collision is under investigation with no more information immediately available.
The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group deployed in September 2024 from Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. After exercising in the North Sea, the strike group entered U.S. Central Command in December.
USNI
Get the SDB’s back from the cleaner, a Change of Command is on the way. Thanks to Mick for the head’s up.
Category: Big Navy, Guest Link
So was it the mistake of someone on the Carrier Crew, or was the other ship being piloted by a drunk Skipper?
I think they need a big o-horn. Maybe turn that radar on and see what’s coming. Was the freighter weaving in his lane? DUI, do they make them walk the plank if your over .08 BAC?
A merchant losing power is nothing new, see FS Key Bridge in Baltimore, so my guess is the merchant bumped the carrier because they about the size of a city block and not easy to see. Harry T’s skipper, and maybe OOD, have effectively had their careers ended.
Boats and sh!t…
Boats n ho’s
Somebody didn’t stay in their lane. “The carrier is the most protected ship in the fleet…” Until it’s not. Ain’t even gonna asked howdahell a merchie got that close to a carrier. Yeah, I know, merchies have been known to give our Sailors fits on the lane staying, but….DAAAYYUUUM! Where were the escort ships? DaHell was the lookout seeing? OOD? SMDH!
No doubt.. what if that Merchie had been a bad actor and packed with semtex????
Eggsxactly…or even some doods on the deck of the merchie with heavy weapons? Ma Deuces, RPGs or whatevers? Some aerial artillery platforms parked on the deck of the carrier would make some fine targets. Now…with a nod toward Deckie’s comment below (him being in the merchie bidness) I understand these ships are in tight quarters, big ships in a semi small pond, crowded and so on, but again…DAAYYUUUM! One would think that NO vessels should be getting even a mile or so within reach of a carrier, much less close enough to swap paint. And no, you can’t turn either one of them on a dime and there are no anti lock brakes on them either. I’m not a Sailor, nor have I played one on TeeVee, but I would like to think that the radar gang AND a deck lookout could see the merchie was too close, and gave a shout out.
I’m with ya King, my sailing experience starts and ends with a 13 ft sunfish..
I was the designated driver of a Pontoon Party boat full of drunk Ms. Thangs a time or twelve. Does that count?
“MV Higgaboom”
When I was in Halifax, I visited the Mont-Blanc’s anchor on a self guided Halifax Explosion tour.
The blast launched the anchor 4km !
They said it was off Port Said, vessel’s destination was set as Romania in AIS. Lotta ships funneling into and out of the Canal Zone jockeying for position and pilot pickup points. Who knows what this dude was doing (the merchant) and if he was weaving to avoid other smaller traffic and edged in too close to the Truman.
Port Said is the northern end of the Suez – the merchie had just exited to head north to Romania and the carrier group was in single file to enter the Suez headed south.
Very, very busy place. Traffic inbound, traffic outbound, ships at anchor. You have to bring your “A” game to the Suez. Someone screwed the pooch. Word is a sponson got clipped pretty good. Just missed a berthing area.
Ship they swapped paint with is a bulk carrier… big girl too.
She thick.
USS Harry Truman sez…”I’d hit that!” (ht2 IDC SARC)
Speaking of IDC SARC, I miss seeing his posts.
So which of these fat chicks is the biggest? That should be the one who has right of way
So I guess that someone is about to be relieved from command?
It might help to know what specific part of the vessels made contact and their positional situations were.
I’ll check out the story when I get my online Navy times tonight
Got online Navy times and they had the collision listed but no info until investigation gets underway or they learn a little more about it.
I just saw on my home screen that alphabet abc news had more info that Navy Times.
Not that ABC is all that reliable.
Now, the way I see it, the Mediteranian ocean is not much bigger than Lake Superior, and ships like the Harry S, and those super-dooper sized cargo boats are just plain too fucking big to be scooting around in a lake that small. So I think they ought to start limiting the size of ships what can navigate those watters.
Genius…
Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake in the world at over 31,000 sq miles (350 miles x160 miles . Plenty of room to turn around. That doesn’t mean your not going to run into another ship.
My son sails the Lakes on a 1000 ft merchie. There’s some big ships on the Great Lakes.
I have cruised across Lake Michigan on the Badger many times.
How much does a cruise like that cost?
/ssbadger.com/fares/ Not sure, looks like about $156/person, adult, military. There’s a rate for cars, pickups, etc. Not sure if that’s including passengers.
My last trip was around $250. Two adults and vehicle one way. I think they charge extra for bicycles on your vehicle too. 4-5 hours, 60+ miles, depending on weather/winds. Water can get pretty rough at times. I usually hang out on deck as the sitting room is where the sea sick people go to moan. There is a little lounge and shop for drinks & souvenirs too. From Green Bay I go up around upper Michigan across the Mackinac Bridge then head down eastern thumb stopping at Moomer’s Ice Cream near Traverse city. Nice road trip, then head to Ludington to catch the Badger to Manitowoc.
( I did not mention the various places I stay overnight and the kayaking and parks I visit along the way. The Great Circle Tour. Great summer tour to do over a week of travel and fun.)
Thanks for the travel tip. We have been looking for a nice little adventure once the weather warms up. And by warm, I mean convertible, top down warm.
Looks like we just saw a preview, though likely unintentionally, of the first strike of the next war. Except the next time, it’s a Chinese flagged hip and loaded with non-standard “cargo.”
Possibly.
Why not just put a bunch of torpedoes on a fast yacht or sportfisher? Friendly flag and some girls sunning topside for camouflage. Pass alongside politely, full commo and courtesy, then an abrupt turn, the covers blow off, and “fish away!”…..
Container ship packed with containerized MLRS systems. Mix of rounds. Launch the whole freaking mass salvo while the target is in a constrained area.
I had a similar plan to go hunt for Somali pirates. Still waiting for the Letter of Marque to be approved. Nice yacht, a few Hooters girls for bait, miniguns fore, aft, and amidships…
Good luck to the skipper, CAPT Dave Snowden. Talk about being on the hotseat. Got lots of ‘splainin to do.
DVIDS – Images – The change of command was presided by Rear Adm. Sean R. Bailey, commander Carrier Strike Group EIGHT, where Capt. Dave Snowden relieved Capt. Gavin Duff as Truman’s commanding officer. [Image 11 of 15]
Looks like the bulker struck along its starboard side causing damage to the mooring winches. One photo was taken and posted by a crewmember showing said damage.
https://maritime-executive.com/article/breaking-u-s-navy-carrier-collides-with-bulker
Looks like they struck the stbd side of Truman just aft of the island.
That sponson damage may effect the elevator. Good it was up on the flight next and not down on the hanger deck.
The collision happened at 2345, so imaging being all snug in your rack and hearing the collision alarm?
“What the f_ck? Am I dreaming?”
“Brace for relief”
I wonder if their was a copy of the USCG Navigation Rules and Regulations handbook was up on the Bridge.
Looks like relatively minor damage
That should buff out.
Maybe a little Bondo
That could be pulled out with a toiles plunger