Aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman resumes operations following repairs

The US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is underway conducting routine flight operations in the US Sixth Fleet area of operations after departing Souda Bay, Greece, on Sunday, February 23, following completion of an emergent repair availability (ERAV).

Led by Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC), Truman completed the five-day ERAV at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay, Greece.

Sailors worked with FDRMC personnel, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and local industry partner the Theodoropoulos Group to assess damage, develop a repair plan, and restore weathertight integrity to the ship following the collision with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M on February 12.

Captain Dave Snowden, who was commanding officer of Truman at the time of the incident, had been relieved due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command, the navy said in a press release on Thursday, February 20.

Captain Christopher Hill, who succeeded Snowden as commanding officer, confirmed that the carrier has rejoined the Sixth Fleet, "launching and recovering aircraft, ready to [respond to crises] with combat credible power."

Since deploying, Carrier Air Wing 1 aboard Truman has flown over 5,500 sorties, including two self-defence strikes into Houthi-controlled Yemen territory and a large force strike against ISIS-Somalia targets in Northeast Somalia in coordination with US Africa Command.