American aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman that trained with HMS Prince of Wales crashes into merchant ship

USS Harry S Truman, a nuclear powered warship which is 1,092 ft long, was involved in a collision on Wednesday night (February 12). It took place near Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea.

The carrier came together with the Panamanian-flagged vessel Besiktas-M close to Port Said. A spokesperson for the US Navy told CNN that no injuries were reported to crew members.

They added that no flooding took place on board, with the nuclear propulsion plants being untouched. Despite key components of the ship being unaffected, damage was caused to both vessels, the navy official added.

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash. The official told CNN that the area where the collision occurred, close to the Suez Canal, is very densely populated with vessels on busy shipping routes.

Besiktas-M, a 617ft long bulk carrier, exited the Suez Canal and was heading to Romania. USS Harry S Truman, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, was sailing towards the canal. Former US Navy captain Carl Schuster told CNN that busy shipping areas leave little room for error. He added: “There is not a lot of room for manoeuvring in a restricted seaway and both ships require about one nautical mile to stop.”

USS Harry S Truman trained alongside the Royal Navy flagship, HMS Prince of Wales, alongside the UK Carrier Strike Group as part of Exercise Steadfast Defender in October last year. British sailors were preparing for their deployment to the Indo-Pacific region this Spring.

The US Navy reported on Facebook that their carrier was involved to enhance its combined force interoperability with Nato allies. The carrier, which weighs over 100,000 tonnes, also visited Portsmouth in 2018 and was spotted on the south coast near Gosport. Her crew spent five days indulging in British culture, with the ship’s then Commanding Officer, Captain Nick Dienna, praising the city for its hospitality.