APRIL 30, 2025 – USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) lost an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136 and a tow tractor as the aircraft carrier operated in the Red Sea, April 28.
All personnel are accounted for, with one Sailor sustaining a minor injury.
The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard.
Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.
The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and embarked air wing remain fully mission capable.
The strike group consists of flagship Harry S. Truman, the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 1, three guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 28, and the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64).
US Navy carriers – the world’s largest warships at nearly 1,100 feet long and with a displacement of almost 100,000 tons – are surprisingly maneuverable for their size.
Powered by two nuclear reactors driving four propeller shafts, Nimitz-class carriers like the Truman can reach speeds in excess of 34 mph.
The exact details of the turn the Truman made to avoid the Houthi fire have not been released, but photos and videos of the ship and other Nimitz-class carriers on the Defense Department’s website show the massive vessels can take on a substantial list in a high-speed turn.