The USS Harry S. Truman, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, docked at a U.S. naval facility in Souda Bay, Greece, over the weekend for repairs following a collision near the entrance to the Suez Canal.
Newly released photos from the U.S. Navy show damage to the ship’s starboard quarter, affecting the exterior walls of storage rooms, a maintenance space, a line-handling area, the fantail, and an elevated platform above one of the storage spaces.
Despite the damage, the Navy confirmed that the incident has not impacted the carrier’s combat capabilities. The ship has continued flight operations since the accident, which occurred last Wednesday night.
A team of naval architects and structural engineers is currently conducting a thorough assessment of the damage and working on a repair plan. However, the Navy has not provided a specific timeline for the repairs.
The Truman collided with the Besiktas-M, a Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier measuring 617 feet (188 meters) in length. The accident occurred in the congested waters near Port Said, Egypt, a key transit point for ships passing through the Suez Canal.
According to former U.S. Navy Captain Carl Schuster, restricted waterways like the Suez Canal leave little margin for error. He noted that both ships require approximately one nautical mile to come to a complete stop, making small navigational mistakes potentially dangerous. Misjudging the other vessel’s movements or delays in decision-making could have quickly led to a collision.
Before the incident, the USS Harry S. Truman had completed a “working port visit” in Souda Bay following two months of combat operations in the U.S. Central Command region. During this period, the carrier launched multiple strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen and conducted airstrikes against ISIS targets in Somalia.
Rear Adm. Sean Bailey, commander of the Truman’s carrier strike group, emphasized that the vessel remains operational despite the damage.
“Our mission has not changed, and we remain committed to responding to any challenge in this dynamic and global security environment,” Bailey said in a statement.
While the extent of the damage is still under evaluation, the USS Harry S. Truman remains a key asset in ongoing U.S. military operations in the region.
