USN carrier hull pierced in collision
USNI News
Carrier USS Harry S. Truman hull pierced in collision, heading to port for repairs
By Sam LaGrone
14 February 2025
Exterior damage of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) viewed from a ship’s rigid-hull inflatable boat following a collision with merchant vessel Besiktas-M, Feb. 12, while operating in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt on Feb. 13, 2025. US Navy Photo
The hull of aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) was pierced above the waterline during a Wednesday collision with a merchant tanker just north of the entrance to the Suez Canal, USNI News has learned.
The bow of bulker MV Besiktas-M collided with the starboard quarter of Truman, leaving a small gash in the side of the carrier above the waterline and piercing the hull, according to two Navy officials.
Additionally, the Navy released a photo on Friday showing damage to a sponson to the rear of the starboard aircraft elevator that USNI News understands is in addition to damage to the ship further aft.
As of Friday, the aircraft carrier was underway in the Eastern Mediterranean and planning to pull into port so an inspection team can assess the repairs needed for the ship.
A view of the starboard quarter of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in 2013. Bulker MV Besiktas-M struck this section of the carrier. US Navy Photo
It’s unclear how long the repairs will take, but officials said the goal is to have Truman resume its deployment. The carrier and escort USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109) were operating in the Red Sea with the rest of the escorts assigned to the Truman Carrier Strike Group before traveling to the Eastern Mediterranean for a port visit at U.S. Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Greece.
The carrier was waiting to transit the Suez Canal back to the Red Sea off the coast of Port Said, Egypt, when the incident occurred late Wednesday evening.
Besiktas-M, a bulker that had transited the Suez Canal, was heading to the Black Sea port of Constanta, Romania, according to the bulker’s AIS track ahead of the collision. Besiktas-M is more than 550 feet long with a deadweight of 53,000 tons.
Sal Mercogliano, a former Military Sealift Command mariner and associate professor of history at Campbell University, told USNI News on Friday that the location of the damage indicated the ships were “maneuvering to avoid each other in the busy anchorage north of Port Said.”
“The damage to Truman and images from Besiktas support a collision between the two ships with the bulker’s starboard bow coming into contact with Truman‘s starboard quarter,” he said.
“What we don’t know is if the bow of the bulker [struck] the hull of Truman and the extent of damage to Truman’s … elevator and its hull.”
Truman deployed in September for what’s likely the carrier’s last deployment before it moves to HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding for its mid-life refueling overhaul.
The damage and repairs to Truman come as tensions remain between Houthi forces in Yemen and the ongoing effort to protect merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis have stopped attacks following the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. However, Houthi leadership has hinted at resuming attacks in protest of President Donald Trump’s comments on removing Palestinians from Gaza, according to comments from Houthi officials this week.