US Navy aircraft carrier collides with merchant ship near Egypt, none injured
5,000-crewmember, nuclear-powered USS Harry Truman, one of US military’s 11 carriers, stable following rare collision with Besiktas-M near Port Said on Wednesday night, says Navy
WASHINGTON — A United States Navy aircraft carrier collided with a merchant vessel near Egypt, the US military said Thursday, adding that the nuclear-powered carrier was stable and there were no injuries.
The United States military currently has 11 aircraft carriers and any damage requiring one of them to be sidelined could strain the Navy.
In a statement, the US Navy said the carrier Harry Truman collided with the Besiktas-M late Wednesday night while operating near Port Said in Egypt.
“The collision did not endanger the Harry S. Truman as there are no reports of flooding or injuries,” the Navy said. “The propulsion plants are unaffected and in a safe and stable condition.”
While collisions involving US Navy vessels are extremely rare, two warships in the Asia-Pacific were involved in crashes in 2017. The accidents in which 17 sailors were killed raised questions about US Navy training and the pace of operations and precipitated a hearing by the US Congress and the removal of several officers.
At 333 meters (1,096-feet), the Truman carrier is almost as long as the Empire State Building is tall – a city on the water for its 5,000-member crew.
The 4.5-acre flight deck can hold 90 aircraft, including F/A-18F Super Hornet striker jets. Missiles are carried onto parked jets and sailors run on treadmills in the hangar.
