How does this even happen with today’s navigational equipment? How was the ship allowed to get so close??
The nuclear-powered USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Egypt, Navy officials said Thursday.
The US Navy said the carrier collided with the Besiktas-M ship at 11:46 p.m. Wednesday while operating near Port Said in the Mediterranean Sea.
The 618-foot (188.5-meter) long Besiktas-M had been heading north after leaving the port of Aqaba in Jordan,
“The other ship sustained damage above the waterline, but it continued on its own power,” a U.S. Navy official told TWZ. “The Truman was preparing to transit south into the Suez Canal. No damage to the nuclear power plant.”
So far, no cause of the crash has been reported. Here is a picture of the damage to the carrier.
The incident occurred at 11:46 p.m. local time on February 12th near Port Said, Egypt, at the northern end of the Suez Canal. The bulk of visible damage occurred on the starboard side aft of elevator 3, damaging the underside of a sponson with a .50 caliber machine gun.
The aircraft elevator adjacent to the damaged portion appears undamaged. According to the U.S. Navy, the incident did not cause any flooding or injuries onboard the Truman.
By all accounts this is pretty embarrassing for the US Navy, also given that the merchant bulk carrier is a huge ship. Again, how does this happen?
The USS cole let a small skiff in close and they got a blowen in their side Could you imagine if this was a failed attack and the bulk carrier was filled with anfo?
This isnt the first time this merchant ship has been involved with a collision.
Hope the Commander did everything within Naval guidelines for safe passage and the Merchant ship was reckless.
Commanding officer of nuclear-powered US Navy aircraft carrier relieved of duty after crash with merchant ship
The captain of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that slammed into a ship near Egypt last week was yanked from the position “due to a loss of confidence in his ability,” the US Navy said Thursday.
Capt. Dave Snowden was “relieved” of his job at the helm of the USS Harry S. Truman and temporarily reassigned following the wild Feb. 12 crash in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the military branch.
“The U.S. Navy holds commanding officers to the highest standard and takes action to hold them accountable when those standards are not met,” the Navy said in a statement.
