The commanding officer of USS Truman aircraft carrier was fired after the collision with a merchant vessel off Egypt.
Capt. Dave Snowden, commanding officer of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), the aircraft carrier involved in a collision with a merchant vessel in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt, was relieved on Feb. 20, 2025, “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the U.S. Navy 6th Fleet Public Affair announced.
Here’s the statement released by the Navy:
Snowden was relieved by Rear Adm. Sean Bailey, commander of Carrier Strike Group 8, after serving as the aircraft carrier’s commanding officer since December 2023. Snowden will be temporarily assigned to Naval Air Forces Atlantic.
The relief occurred after Truman was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M on Feb. 12, while operating in the Mediterranean Sea in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt.
The U.S. Navy holds commanding officers to the highest standard and takes action to hold them accountable when those standards are not met. Naval leaders are entrusted with significant responsibilities to their Sailors and their ships.
Capt. Christopher Hill, commanding officer of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), will temporarily serve as Harry S. Truman’s interim commanding officer.
Dwight D. Eisenhower is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance at Norfolk Naval Shipyard after completing a nine-month deployment to U.S. Central Command and U.S. European Command in July 2024.
There is no impact to Harry S. Truman’s mission or schedule due to the relief. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is currently deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.
Capt. Dave Snowden had relieved Capt. Gavin Duff as commanding officer of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman during a change of command ceremony on the ship, on Dec. 19, 2023. According to the naval service, Snowden, a former Truman executive officer, returned home to take the helm as the 14th commanding officer after completing a successful tour as the commanding officer of the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17).
Following the collision of Feb. 13, the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa / U.S. Sixth Fleet released an official statement:
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M at approximately 11:46 p.m. local time, Feb. 12, while operating in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea.
The collision did not endanger the Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) as there are no reports of flooding or injuries. The propulsion plants are unaffected and in a safe and stable condition. The incident is under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available.
The position of the aircraft carrier and merchant vessel off Port Said was determined by means of AIS on ship tracking website Marine Traffic. AIS data shows the vessel, a bulk carrier registered under the flag of Panama and managed by Synergy Ship Management Turkey, transited through the Suez Channel on Feb. 12, 2025.
On the other hand, the USS Truman and the USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109), with the latter sailing nearby but not involved in the collision, were reportedly not transmitting their position. However, the 6th Fleet is investigating and did not discuss whether AIS was deactivated, mentioning it’s too early to comment about the circumstances of the collision.
You can find further details in our first report on the collision here at The Aviationist.
The U.S. Navy also released some images captured in the aftermath of the collision, showing the damage sustained by the aircraft carrier.
As explained in a previous post, judging from what can be seen in the photos, the damage appears to involve the observation platform after the starboard (right side) elevator, just behind the carrier’s island. According to Stars and Stripes, the 6th Fleet confirmed that the elevator has not been damaged in the collision.
The Truman’s damage shown in the photos and the reported damage to the Besiktas-M’s starboard bow appear to be consistent with the reports of the merchant vessel striking the aircraft carrier with its bow. Some reports also mention that the Besiktas-M might have turned sharply to port (left) and then immediately to starboard, and this would explain why the damage is localized only in those two relatively small areas.
