The U.S. Navy relieved the commanding officer (CO) of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier from command Thursday, days after she collided with a merchant ship in the Mediterranean Sea and sustained damage.
“Capt. Dave Snowden, commanding officer of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), was relieved Feb. 20 due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the Navy said in a statement.
Rear Adm. Sean Bailey, commander of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) 8, fired Snowden, ending the latter’s stint as captain, according to the Navy’s statement. He had taken command of the ship in December 2o23.
Truman collided 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 Navy revealed on Feb. 13. The Navy began investigating after the incident. (RELATED: ‘Accident Waiting To Happen’: Feds Ignored DC Death Trap For Years Despite Dozens Of Near Misses With Planes, Choppers)
The ship’s starboard quarter — the rear section of her right side — was affected and needed repair, according to a Feb. 16 statement from the Navy.
The ship’s nuclear propulsion plants were not damaged. There were no reports of flooding or injuries.
“While the ship is fully mission capable and the ship conducted flight operations following the collision, pulling into port for emergent repairs will enable the ship to continue deployment as scheduled,” said Capt. Snowden.
“The [HSTCSG] units remain operational across geographic regions in support of their component commanders,” said Rear Adm. Bailey. “Our mission has not changed and we remain committed to responding to any challenge in this dynamic and global security environment.”
The HSTCSG’s flagship went on to conduct flight operations in the Mediterranean Sea on Feb. 15, according to another statement. Thereafter, she sailed to Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete for the repair work.
The repairs were still ongoing as of Monday, according to another statement.
The Carrier Strike Group 8 had been at Souda Bay on a working port visit Feb. 6 for “reset and focus on maintenance” after having launched airstrikes against ISIS-Somalia in the Horn of Africa, Rear Adm. Bailey and U.S. Fleet Command said.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
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