National Security & Defense

C0RI0LANUS

(3,015 posts) Fri Feb 21, 2025, 05:18 AM Feb 21

US Navy Relieves Captain of USS Harry S Truman Following Collision with Cargo Ship

CAPT Dave Snowden, who had served as the USS Harry S Truman’s commanding officer since Dec 2023 will be temporarily assigned to Naval Air Forces Atlantic. (Photo: US Navy)

The commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman has been fired following a collision with a cargo ship near the Suez Canal, the Navy announced Thursday.

CAPT Dave Snowden was relieved of duty on Thursday due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command. Snowden’s dismissal comes after Truman was involved in a late-night collision on 12 Feb with Panama-flagged Besiktas-M in a congested area near the Suez Canal.

The mishap left the carrier with scrapes and gashes along its right back end, including a small slash that penetrated its hull well above the waterline.

There were no injuries, and there was no flooding. Truman’s propulsion system was not damaged and the collision remains under investigation.

Exterior damage on the USS Harry S Truman following the collision with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M while operating in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt, on 12 Feb 2025. (Photo: Cody Beam/US Navy)

CAPT Snowden's relief is no surprise and if he had visions of becoming an admiral, they've been sadly destroyed. From an Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) perspective, this collision raises eyebrows. In Oct 2000, two al-Qaida suicide bombers rammed an explosives-laden boat into the USS Cole while it was refueling in Aden, Yemen, killing 17 sailors and wounding 37.