Navy fires aircraft carrier captain after cargo ship collision
The Navy announced the firing barely a week after the massive USS Harry S. Truman struck another ship while at sea.
WASHINGTON – The Navy fired the captain of a U.S. aircraft carrier that struck a cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea on Feb. 12.
Capt. Dave Snowden, who took command of the nuclear-powered USS Harry S. Truman in December 2023, was relieved of command Thursday, according to a Navy release. Rear Adm. Sean Bailey, Snowden's commander, removed him due to a "loss of confidence in [Snowden's] ability to command ... after [the] Truman was involved in a collision."
The Truman collided with the Besiktas-M, a Panama-flagged bulk cargo carrier ship, on the evening of Feb. 12 near Port Said, Egypt. There were no injuries. The merchant vessel sustained minor damage.
However, the carrier, which cost $4.5 billion to build, suffered enough damage to its hull and external structures to require a stop at a Navy facility in Greece for emergency damage assessment and repairs, according to the Navy. Before his removal, Snowden said "the ship is fully mission capable ... [but] pulling into port for emergent repairs will enable the ship to continue deployment as scheduled."
Snowden's swift and public relief contrasts with the Navy's typical treatment of discipline for senior commanders. The service rarely elaborates on its rationale for firings beyond a statement about "loss of confidence," leading to critiques from military-focused news outlets and former officers frustrated by the lack of transparency.
The commander of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, Capt. Christopher Hill, is now the Truman's interim commander, according to the release. Hill and the Eisenhower recently completed a deployment to the Middle East spent in regular combat against drones and missiles launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen.
The Navy said Snowden's firing will not impact the Truman's "mission or schedule."