The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman has resumed operations in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations after departing Souda Bay, Greece, on February 23.
The carrier is conducting routine flight operations following an emergent repair availability (ERAV) period.
Captain Chris Hill, commanding officer of USS Harry S. Truman, emphasised the ship’s readiness, stating, “Our ship remains operationally ready to complete deployment with mission and purpose on full display by the entire crew. We are out here launching and recovering aircraft, ready to ‘Give ‘em Hell’ with combat-credible power.”
The five-day ERAV maintenance was carried out at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay under the direction of Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC). The repair effort followed damage sustained in a collision on February 12.
The expedited all-hands effort involved collaboration between FDRMC personnel, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and Greek industry partner Theodoropoulos Group, ensuring that the carrier’s weathertight integrity was restored.
Captain Mollie Bily, commanding officer of FDRMC, highlighted the importance of the rapid repair work, stating, “FDRMC is focused on keeping our forward-deployed naval forces mission-ready across 5th and 6th Fleets, maintaining critical combat readiness for the ships and their Sailors. The rapid repair effort on Truman was a testament to our expeditionary maintenance expertise and the exceptional collaboration with our Norfolk Naval Shipyard teammates and industry partners.”
Since deploying, Carrier Air Wing 1 has flown over 5,500 sorties, including two self-defense strikes into Houthi-controlled Yemen and a large force strike against ISIS targets in Somalia in coordination with U.S. Africa Command. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group remains engaged in maritime security operations and regional stability efforts.
The carrier strike group includes USS Harry S. Truman as the flagship, along with Carrier Air Wing 1, the command staffs of Carrier Strike Group 8 and Destroyer Squadron 28, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, and three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers: USS Stout, USS The Sullivans, and USS Jason Dunham.
HSTCSG’s mission is to conduct sustained combat operations at sea while maintaining a forward presence through sea control and power projection.
