After an intense deployment involving combat against Houthis and NATO exercises, USS Harry S Truman returned to Norfolk, facing aircraft losses, command changes, and heading into a major overhaul phase.
Every United States Navy warship should expect a hero’s welcome when returning to port, but for the crew of USS Harry S Truman, they truly earned it. On Sunday, the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, concluding a deployment that the service has described as one of the “most combat-intensive missions” carried out in decades.
Joined by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stout, the carrier concluded its eight-month deployment, including combat operations against the Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen. The Harry S Truman departed Norfolk in September and arrived in the Red Sea in late December. It saw its deployment extended as the Houthis continued to target commercial shipping in the region.
“It was certainly a long, challenging deployment across the board, and pretty, pretty unique for my entire career as well,” the Truman strike group commander, Rear Adm. Sean Bailey, told reporters on Sunday, per USNI News.
“There’s nothing in comparison because of the tempo of operations and the continuous combat that these warriors saw. Bringing them all home safely to their families brings an immeasurable sense of relief and pride.”
What Is Operation Rough Rider?
The supercarrier strike group (CSG) was a critical component of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Operation Rough Rider, which began on March 15. During a 52-day bombing campaign, the US Navy struck more than 1,000 Houthi targets.
That led to a ceasefire in mid-May, which allowed USS Harry S Truman to complete her deployment, while USS Carl Vinson remains in the region. The USS Carl Vinson arrived in the Middle East in April, the latest US Navy aircraft carrier to be rotated to the Red Sea since the fall of 2023.
Before its deployment to the Middle East, the USS Harry S Truman participated in the NATO Neptune Strike 24-2 joint exercises and made port calls in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Spain, France, Croatia, and Greece. It was eventful but still largely routine for the crew. Then, it was sent to the Middle East, where their training was tested in a very real situation.
The strike group carried out more than 13,000 sorties with aircraft from the USS Harry S Truman, logged approximately 25,000 flight hours, and dropped 1.1 million pounds of ordnance on the enemy.
“For more than 50 days, the crew operated on the front lines, thwarting numerous attacks, and never gave up the fight,” added Captain Chris Hill, commanding officer of USS Harry S Truman.
Hill was also not the carrier’s CO when it departed Norfolk.
In February, the 100,000-ton supercarrier underwent emergency repairs in Greece following a collision with a Panamanian cargo ship while operating in the Mediterranean Sea near Port Said, Egypt. USS Harry S Truman was preparing to enter the Suez Canal on February 12 when it had the all-too-close encounter with the Panama-flagged Besiktas-M. Captain David Snowden was relieved of command and replaced by Captain. Hill for the duration of the deployment.
However, Hill also returned the carrier to port with three fewer F/A-18 Super Hornets. One was shot down in a friendly fire incident in late December before he took command, while two more were lost just before the end of the deployment. A Super Hornet fell off the carrier in April while being towed in the hangar bay when the flattop was forced to make an evasive maneuver during a Houthi attack, and a third F/A-18 was also lost following a failed landing, which necessitated the pilot and weapons station officer to eject.
The USS Harry S Truman Will Stay in Virginia
This most recent deployment lasted 251 days, short of the 285 days spent at sea in 2022. The US Navy is considering whether the lengthy deployments are too long, which take a heavy toll on the crew and impact the effectiveness of its carrier operations.
However, USS Harry S Truman won’t be heading out on another deployment for a while. The warship will begin its multi-year midlife refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding. The service has also sought to address issues to improve the length of the RCOH, which took far longer than expected for USS George Washington and USS John C. Stennis.
In addition to the fact that the US Navy can’t afford to have its carriers sidelined for years on end, the USS George Washington’s RCOH took a serious toll on the crew, with multiple sailors committing suicide.
During an RCOH, the crew often remains onboard the ship while it is in port; however, it is essentially a construction site, which limits the amenities and downtime for the sailors.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Mass Communication Specialist Troy Davis.
