Latest news with #HarryS.Truman
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bittersweet homecoming for USS Harry S. Truman
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — On Sunday, thousands of people were excited to greet their USS Harry S. Truman sailors pier side. Families reunite with sailors as USS Harry S. Truman returns in Norfolk It was a bittersweet homecoming after an extended deployment that made headlines several times for not just missions, but million-dollar mishaps. Norfolk-based USS Harry S. Truman loses aircraft, tow tractor Carrier Strike Group 8 lost 3 F/A-18 Super Hornets while at sea, totaling $180 million. in what the Navy called a 'friendly-fire' accident. Retired naval aviator shares insight on 'friendly fire' incident in the Red Sea The aircraft carrier was also involved in a collision with a merchant ship near the entrance of the Suez Canal in the beginning of the group's deployment. US aircraft carrier collides with merchant ship near Egypt, but no injuries reported The strike group conducted missions ranging from exercises with NATO allies in Europe to combat operations in the Middle East, with no loss of life. 'Today is not just a homecoming,' said Rear Admiral Sean Bailey, Commander of Carrier Strike Group 8. 'It's the return of every sailor back to their family.' Bailey described the deployment as 'up-tempo', and its homecoming reflected that. The Truman was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon, which was displayed on the ship when it pulled into view Sunday. Also on display was metal carnage on the side from the collision with the merchant ship. Issues like the collision and the lost jets left questions of where some issues may lie. Commanding Officer Capt. Christopher Hill said he couldn't be prouder of the group of sailors. Particularly, his praised their ability to change what people may perceive to be the shortcoming of Generation X in the military. He said he saw no cowering or fallback, but instead, he said the sailors just kept fighting and fighting. Some may say U.S. Navy ships haven't seen this kind of engagement since the Persian Gulf War of 1990. Truman was in a 50-day streak of continuous strikes, launching Tomahawk missiles and precision airstrikes aimed at degrading the Iranian backed Houthi rebels' capabilities to disrupt commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Truman also accomplished the largest airstrike in history launched from an aircraft carrier when 125,000 pounds of ordinance was launched against Islamic State terrorists in northeast Somalia. Stay with for more local news, weather and traffic. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Truman air wing returns home after long, eventful trip to Red Sea
VIRGINIA BEACH — A long, eventful deployment reached the finish line Friday as the F/A-18s from the carrier Harry S. Truman flew in formation over Virginia Beach, as the crews' loved ones waited eagerly near the runway. After 8 1/2 months, Carrier Air Wing returned to Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach on Friday. 'I'm just so happy to be home,' said Capt. Leslie Mintz. 'I'm so happy everyone is home and reunited with their families.' The aircraft carrier and its strike group spent more than five months defending merchant mariners and military vessels from Houthi drones and missiles in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It lost three F/A-18s during that time, but no crew members. One of the fighter jets was shot down accidentally by friendly fire. A second fell overboard as the carrier made an abrupt turn while the jet was being towed. A third crashed into the Red Sea after the aircraft failed to land on the carrier. .'] Even after the incidents encountered while deployed, Mintz said one word she would use to describe the air wing would be perseverance. 'It is a bond that will never be broken, what we have done together,' Mintz said. Kendall Warner,
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Navy attack: Did you know history's largest airstrike from a carrier happened this year?
The U.S. Navy has been party to some of history's largest maritime military operations — including, in modern times, World War II's Battle of Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Midway. But the largest airstrike from an aircraft carrier in naval history belongs to 2025. On Feb. 1, the USS Harry S. Truman and its strike group launched the 'largest airstrike in the history of the world' from an aircraft carrier during recent operations near Somalia, Stars and Stripes reported. About 125,000 pounds of munitions were fired into the African country, U.S. Navy Adm. James Kilby, the acting chief of naval operations, said earlier this month while speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations' Robert B. McKeon Endowed Series on Military Strategy and Leadership. Navy Times reported that the USS Harry S. Truman — a Nimitz class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier — launched 27 F/A-18 Super Hornets as part of a coordinated airstrike against Islamic State operatives in Somalia in collaboration with the federal government of Somalia. The joint airstrikes targeted senior IS leadership in Somalia in a series of cave complexes approximately 50 miles southeast of Bosaso. The command reported that 'approximately 14 ISIS-Somalia operatives were killed and no civilians were harmed.' Among those killed was Ahmed Maeleninine, a key IS recruiter, financier, and external operations leader responsible for the deployment of jihadists into the United States and across Europe. 'Degrading ISIS and other terrorist organizations' ability to plot and conduct attacks that threaten the U.S. homeland, our partners, and civilians remains central to U.S. Africa Command's mission,' the report added. Over the years, U.S. Navy airstrikes against IS militants in Somalia have been relatively rare compared with those against the al-Shabab group, the largest terrorist organization in the country. However, there are indications that IS in Somalia is expanding, according to Stars and Stripes. Analysts estimate the IS ranks in Somalia at 1,000 members. During a visit earlier this year to U.S. Africa Command headquarters, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the massive Somalia airstrikes were an example of commanders' now having more decision-making authority on such matters, Stars and Stripes reported. 'That's a reflection … of pushing authority down (and) untying the hands of warfighters,' Hegseth said. '(Such decisions) should be made at the four-star level or at the Secretary of Defense level more quickly based on the ability to degrade the enemy.' Past large-scale U.S. airstrikes, like those conducted during Operation Desert Storm, involved multiple aircraft carriers and air wings, which would fly joint missions. But the Feb. 1 strike was unique in that it was conducted by a single air wing, according to Navy Times. The USS Truman arrived in the Red Sea on Dec. 14, 2024, to provide combat support against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who've conducted missile and drone strikes against shipping and military vessels in the region since November 2023. While there, Carrier Air Wing 1, composed of eight embarked squadrons aboard the Truman, reportedly took part in operations striking over 1,100 targets. The strikes killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and multiple senior Houthi officials, Navy Times reported. Beyond its sizable combat activities, the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group's eight-month deployment, which is arriving home this week at various homeports, encountered several challenges. In February, the Truman collided with a merchant ship in the Mediterranean Sea. The aircraft carrier suffered structural damage, and its commanding officer was relieved of duty, Virginia's WVEC-TV reported. The strike group also saw the loss of three F/A-18 Super Hornets during this deployment. The first happened in December, when one of the fighter jets was shot down in a friendly fire incident. Both Naval aviators were able to eject from the jet and were recovered safely. One of them sustained minor injuries, according to U.S. Central Command. On April 28, another F/A-18 fell into the Red Sea as it was being towed by a tow craft. Then, just over a week later, an F/A-18 was coming in for landing on the aircraft carrier when the Navy said a 'failed arrestment' occurred, leading to the fighter jet falling off the deck of the carrier and into the water, according to the WVEC-TV report. Both pilots in the jet ejected safely and suffered minor injuries. No one on the flight deck was hurt. The aircraft cost around $60 million each.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group to return after 9-month deployment
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group will begin returning to their respective homeports following a nine-month deployment. The strike group includes USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64), Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Stout (DDG 55) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28, and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 with nine embarked squadrons. The USS Stout and the Truman will return Sunday, per a news release issued Thursday. During the deployment, the USS Harry Truman collided with another vessel near Egypt, a F-18 Super Hornet fell overboard during an attack by the Houthis and the USS Gettysburg mistakenly fired another Super Hornet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
USS Truman conducted largest airstrike in Navy history, official says
The U.S. Navy's Carrier Air Wing 1 engaged in the largest maritime strike in Navy aviation history in terms of bomb tonnage earlier this year, a defense official confirmed to Military Times. On Feb. 1, the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman launched 27 F/A-18 Super Hornets as part of a coordinated airstrike against Islamic State operatives in Somalia in collaboration with the federal government of Somalia, a defense official with knowledge of the strike said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. Sixteen aircraft dropped 124,000 pounds of ordnance on targets in less than two minutes. 'The joint airstrikes targeted senior ISIS-Somalia leadership in a series of cave complexes approximately 50 miles southeast of Bosaso,' U.S. Africa Command said in a Feb. 11 statement. 'The command's current assessment is that approximately 14 ISIS-Somalia operatives were killed and no civilians were harmed.' Navy relieves CO of USS Harry S. Truman following collision Among those killed was Ahmed Maeleninine, an ISIS recruiter and operations leader who led efforts to deploy jihadists into the U.S. and Europe, according to the statement. Past large-scale U.S. airstrikes, like those conducted during Operation Desert Storm, involved multiple aircraft carriers and air wings, which would fly joint missions, said the defense official. But the Feb. 1 strike was unique in that it was conducted by a single air wing. The Truman arrived in the Red Sea on Dec. 14, 2024, to provide combat support against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who've conducted missile and drone strikes against shipping and military vessels in the region since November 2023. While there, Carrier Air Wing 1, composed of eight embarked squadrons aboard the Truman, took part in operations striking over 1,100 targets, the defense official said. The strikes killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and multiple senior Houthi officials, according to the official. Specifically, Carrier Air Wing 1 flew over 13,000 sorties and used over 770 weapons and 1.1 million pounds of ordnance. The Truman left the Red Sea earlier this month for its homeport of Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, according to reports, several weeks after President Donald Trump called off a nearly two-month-long airstrike campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels. Still, the carrier was marred by several mishaps during its deployment in the Red Sea, including the loss of three F/A-18 Super Hornets, which cost at least $67.4 million each, according to Naval Air Systems Command. One jet was shot down by friendly fire from the guided missile cruiser Gettysburg in December. Two jets fell overboard, one in April while being towed in the carrier's hangar bay and the other less than two weeks later after a failed landing. The carrier also collided Feb. 13 with a civilian merchant vessel in the Mediterranean Sea near Port Said, Egypt. The Navy, as a result, relieved the commanding officer of his duties.
