US Navy aircraft carrier collides with vessel

14/2/2025 6:17

A U.S. Navy aircraft

carrier collided with a merchant vessel near Egypt, the U.S.

military said on Thursday, though 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 U.S. 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 propulsion plants

are unaffected and in a safe and stable condition," the Navy

added.



While collisions involving U.S. 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 Navy training and the pace of operations,

prompted a Congressional hearing and the removal of a number of

officers.



At 1,096-feet (333 metres), 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.