Captain Dave Snowden, commanding officer of the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, has been relieved due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command, the navy said in a press release on Thursday, February 20.
Snowden was relieved by Rear Admiral Sean Bailey, commander of Carrier Strike Group 8, after serving as the aircraft carrier’s commanding officer since December 2023. Snowden will be temporarily assigned to Naval Air Forces Atlantic.
The relief occurred after Truman was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M on February 12, while operating in the Mediterranean Sea in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt.
Captain Christopher Hill, commanding officer of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, will temporarily serve as Truman’s interim commanding officer.
Eisenhower is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance at Norfolk Naval Shipyard after completing a nine-month deployment to US Central Command and US European Command in July 2024.
The navy said there is no impact to Truman’s mission or schedule due to the relief.
Truman is at US Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay, Greece, to conduct an emergent repair availability (ERAV) on the ship’s starboard quarter following the collision.
Damage 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.
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.
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.
The assessment team includes structural engineers, naval architects, and other personnel from FDRMC and Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY). They will be supported by ship’s force personnel and local industry partners for the repair effort.