Key Points and Summary – Ten months after its “embarrassing” February 2025 collision with a cargo ship, the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) has not been fully repaired because the Navy has deferred the work.
-A Navy official stated the “exterior cosmetic damage” will be fixed during the ship’s upcoming Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH), which is expected within the next 11 months.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Feb. 13, 2025) Exterior damage of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) viewed from a ship’s rigid-hull inflatable boat following a collision with merchant vessel Besiktas-M, Feb. 12, while operating in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt. USS Harry S. Truman, the flagship of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG), is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations supporting U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa to defend U.S., Allied and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Cody Beam)
ATLANTIC OCEAN (June 4, 2020) The Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transit the Atlantic Ocean, June 4, 2020.
-This decision highlights a massive “maintenance bottleneck” in the U.S. Navy, which has only four shipyards capable of carrier repairs.
-This same systemic crisis previously left the USS George Washington out of action for nearly six years (2,100 days).
Why Hasn’t USS Harry S. Truman Been Repaired Yet?
Interservice rivalries aside, the United States Navy has had no qualms about naming several of its aircraft carriers (AKA “flattops”) after U.S. Presidents who had previously served as Army officers.
Among the former commanders-in-chief thusly honored was Harry S. Truman, who had served as an artillery officer during the First World War before eventually becoming the 33rd POTUS; the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75; nicknamed “HST”) was named for him in February 1995 at the direction of then-Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) John H. Dalton, and the mighty warship was commissioned on July 25, 1988.
Also, ol’ “Give ‘Em H*** Harry” is probably rolling in his grave at the present status of his namesake vessel.
CVN-75 suffered damage in an unfortunate incident ten months ago, and to add insult to injury, the damage has still not been repaired.
The Backstory
At 2346 Local Time (2146 UTC AKA “Zulu Time”) on February 12, 2025, whilst transiting near Port Said, Egypt, at the northern end of the Suez Canal, “HST” collided with the Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier M/V Besiktas-M.
The bulk of visible damage was inflicted on the starboard side aft of elevator 3, damaging the underside of a sponson with one of the carrier’s .50-caliber machine guns.
External damage was also observed at the line handling space, the fantail, and the platform above one of the storage spaces.
Further damage was sustained by the exterior wall of two storage rooms and a maintenance space.
Fortunately, there were no physical casualties or reports of flooding. However, the incident did cause at least one administrative casualty, namely HST’s skipper, Captain Dave Snowden, who was relieved of command eight days later due to loss of confidence in his ability to command.
Channeling both the former President’s and the flattop’s famous motto, a senior Navy official told Fox News that “Something didn’t happen that should have happened. If a ship hasn’t taken measures to avoid a collision, it is the captain’s responsibility. The buck stops with him.”
(NOTE: The Truman is currently skippered by Capt. Daniel “Prozac” Prochazka, a seasoned E-2 Hawkeye aircraft naval aviator with over 4,250 flight hours and 183 combat missions under his belt.)
Additional Woes
Four days after the incident, “HST” entered Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay in Greece for an Emergent Repair Availability (ERAV) assessment.
The following three months, she still managed to carry out airstrikes against the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen; alas, in the process, the ship suffered additional reputational blows by losing two of her F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets.
One of the warbirds fell overboard whilst the warship was executing a hard turn to avoid a Houthi missile strike, whilst the other plane was lost when the arresting gear failed to stop its further movement during landing.
Damage Repair Delays Drag On
So then, why are repairs for this proud warship taking so long? The answers come to us in part from the anonymous author of an October 2025 article for the Not What You Think Official website, titled “Why the United States Navy is Facing a Carrier Shortage.” To wit:
-Maintenance bottlenecks caused by high costs, staff shortages, supply chain issues, and lengthy construction and repair times.
-The USN has a mere four national shipyards capable of carrying out carrier repairs. Many experienced workers have retired, and new hires lack hands-on expertise. The nightmarish COVID-19 lockdowns disrupted production and maintenance even further, creating multi-year delays that continue to affect readiness throughout the fleet.
And Then There’s RCOH
According to Howard Altman of The War Zone (TWZ) in a October 10, 2025 piece titled “Carrier USS Truman’s Collision Damage Won’t Be Repaired Until It Goes Through Complex Overhaul.” To wit: “’ The exterior cosmetic damage to USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) sustained from the collision will get repaired during the ship’s upcoming Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipbuilding as planned,’ a Navy official said. ‘Immediately following the collision, while in Souda Bay, Greece, new bulkheads were installed inside each of the damaged spaces to establish weathertight integrity.’”
USS Harry S. Truman. Image Credit: U.S. Navy.
The RCOH procedure is expected in the next eleven months, with the exact date yet to be announced.
CVNs are required to undergo this complex process every 25 years.
It involves cutting a massive hole in the hull and replacing everything from catapult systems to water purifiers.
Delays in the RCOH process have extended repair times for at least one other carrier named for an Army officer-turned-POTUS, namely the USS George Washington (CVN-73), which was out of action for a whopping 2,100 days.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the newly published book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series.”
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