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US Navy’s carrier Truman involved in collision with merchant vessel, no flooding or injuries

The collision with Besiktas-M, a bulk carrier, took place in the vicinity of an Egyptian port.

By Justin Katz on February 13, 2025 11:40 am
USS Harry S. Truman
The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits the Atlantic Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class K. H. Anderson/Released)

WASHINGTON — The aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) was involved in a collision with a merchant vessel this week while operating near Egypt, according to a US 6th Fleet spokesman.

“The collision did not endanger the Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) as there are no reports of flooding or injuries. The propulsion plants are unaffected and in a safe and stable condition. The incident is under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available,” Cmdr. Timothy Gorman said in a statement today.

The incident took place on Feb. 12 at 11:46 p.m. local time in the “vicinity” of Port Said. Open source websites tracking global shipping via automatic identification system (AIS) information indicate the merchant vessel, Besiktas-M, is a bulk carrier that sails under the flag of Panama.

USS Harry S. Truman Involved in Collision at Sea
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. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Cody Beam)

Since the October 2023 attack on Israel, the US Navy’s carrier strike groups have been rotating in and out of the Mediterranean and Red Seas, charged both with aiding in the defense of the US ally as well as trying to maintain safe sea lanes for commercial shipping.

Although the Pentagon is reporting there were no injuries or flooding aboard the Truman, any time a US Navy ship is involved in a collision, it immediately stirs up investigations not just within the Defense Department but also among lawmakers.

In 2022, the submarine Connecticut (SSN-22) was involved in an allision — when a ship strikes a stationary object, as opposed to a collision which is between two moving vessels. An investigation later pinned blame for that mishap on an “accumulation of unit-level errors and omissions in navigation planning; watch team execution; and risk management.”

Prior to that in 2017, the Navy came under intense scrutiny from Capitol Hill and the general public when two of its destroyers separately collided with merchant vessels while at sea, killing 17 sailors. Investigations that followed those incidents found the ship’s crews were under trained and sleep deprived.