USS Harry S. Truman Commanding Officer Dismissed in Stunning Turn of Events

In a developing situation at the U.S. Navy, Rear Admiral Sean Bailey has relieved Captain Snowden from his role as commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. Snowden had been at the helm since December 2023 but will now temporarily serve at Naval Air Forces Atlantic.

This leadership change follows an incident on February 12, when the Truman was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M. The mishap occurred in the Mediterranean Sea, near Port Said, Egypt.

The U.S. Navy emphasizes that commanding officers are held to exceptionally high standards. Should those standards be unmet, accountability measures are promptly enacted. Officers carry immense responsibility for their teams and their ships.

In the interim, Captain Christopher Hill from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower will step in as the Truman’s commanding officer. The Eisenhower is presently at Norfolk Naval Shipyard for scheduled maintenance after a significant deployment that concluded in July 2024.

Despite the change in command, the incident has not disrupted the Truman’s mission or schedule. The carrier continues its deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.

For further inquiries, U.S. Sixth Fleet / Task Force SIX Public Affairs can be reached at cne_cna_c6fpao@us.navy.mil.