Navy fires skipper of the USS Harry S. Truman, following collision near Suez Canal

The Navy announced Thursday that Capt. Dave Snowden, who was in charge of the USS Harry S. Truman when the aircraft carrier collided with a merchant ship, has been fired. 

The carrier collided with the ship near the entrance of the Suez Canal last week, and Snowden was relieved of his command afterward, the Navy said in a statement.  

Snowden has been the skipper of the Truman since December 2023. 

The aircraft carrier was in transit from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea when the collision occurred. There were no injuries or flooding, according to a Navy spokesperson, but a photo released by the Navy showed extensive damage to the side of the carrier. 

The areas affected included the “exterior wall of two storage rooms and a maintenance space,” according to a statement from the Navy’s 6th Fleet. And outside the ship, there was damage to a “line handling space, the fantail, and the platform above one of the storage spaces.” 

Since Sunday, the Truman has been in Souda Bay, off the Greek island of Crete, for repairs. 

The commander of the Truman’s strike group, Rear Adm. Sean Bailey, said that the components of the carrier group remain operational. The strike group includes the carrier, three destroyers and one cruiser. 

“Our mission has not changed and we remain committed to responding to any challenge in this dynamic and global security environment,” Bailey said.

The carrier strike group has been deployed since September to both European waters as well as waters in the Middle East. Fighter jets from the carrier have participated in airstrikes, notably against the Houthis in December and then against an al Qaeda operative in Somalia earlier this month.