The U.S. Navy has released summaries of four separate investigations involving incidents on the USS Harry S. Truman between December 2024 and May 2025.
The investigation looked into the Truman’s collision with a merchant ship and the loss of three F/A-18 Super Hornets.
“These investigations assess basic procedural compliance and standards and examine how the carrier strike group prepares for and responds to adversity during combat operations,” the summary of the investigation reads.
Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby vowed that the Navy would learn from these incidents, especially based on the findings.
Kilby added that the Navy will continue to invest in its service members to ensure they are prepared for the challenges ahead.
On February 12, the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier collided with the merchant ship Besiktas-M near Port Said, Egypt. There were no reports of injuries or flooding.
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Soon after, the U.S. Navy relieved Capt. Dave Snowden, commanding officer of the USS Harry S. Truman, from his command after losing confidence in his ability to command the aircraft carrier.
The investigation found that the collision was avoidable and that “the carrier’s bridge team failed to maneuver safely past the commercial vessel.”
Regarding the collision, the incident “could have had catastrophic consequences,” the report concluded.
The USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier strike group was plagued by errors involving jets between December 2024 and May 2025, costing about $60 million each.
In December 2024, the USS Gettysburg shot down an F/A-18F Super Hornet with friendly fire; in May, an F/A-18F Super Hornet rolled over while trying to land on the USS Truman; in April, an F/A-18E Super Hornet fell from the hangar deck of the USS Truman.
The investigation found that the friendly fire incident was a miscalculation caused by “the lack of comprehensive training opportunities between Gettysburg and the aircraft carrier strike group, the lack of strong support from the cruiser, and the lack of cohesion of the aircraft carrier strike group.”
The April incident in which a jet and a tractor fell from a Truman hangar occurred as a result of evasive maneuvers by an incoming ballistic missile in the Red Sea, the summary said. The investigation attributed the loss of the aircraft to a failure of the aircraft’s braking system, as well as poor communications between the bridge, flight deck control and hangar control.
The investigation further found that the failure of an F/A-18’s forced landing in May, which forced both pilots to eject, was due to a failure of the No. 4 arresting wire on the Truman due to a “failure in the No. 4 starboard pulley damper.”
The report also cited inadequate maintenance practices, low manning levels, limited knowledge, inadequate training, high operational tempo and poor combat conditions as catalysts for the incident.
