The USS Harry S. Truman suffered severe damage after a collision with a merchant ship near the entrance to the Suez Canal last week. Following the incident, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has docked at the US naval base in Souda Bay, Greece, for repairs.
Photos released by the US Navy show damage to the starboard side of the ship, including storage areas, a maintenance room, the rope maneuvering area, and several auxiliary platforms. However, according to an official statement, the damage did not affect the combat capability of the ship, which continued flight operations even after the accident.
The collision occurred on Wednesday evening when the USS Harry S. Truman collided with the Besiktas-M, a 188-meter-long Panamanian-flagged cargo ship. The incident occurred in the narrow waters near Port Said, an area crowded with ships waiting to pass through the Suez Canal. According to experts, the limited room for maneuver in this area makes any small navigational error dangerous.
Before the accident, the Truman had completed two months of combat operations, conducting airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen and ISIS targets in Somalia. Despite the incident, the carrier strike group, consisting of a cruiser and three destroyers, remains operational in the region.
Admiral Sean Bailey, commander of the strike group, stressed that their mission remains unchanged. “We are committed to responding to any challenge in this uncertain global environment,” he said.
The US Navy has dispatched a team of engineers to assess the damage and develop a repair plan, but has not given a precise deadline for completion of the work. (A2 Televizion)
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