Home Americas Harry S. Truman replaces Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East

Harry S. Truman replaces Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East

Super Hornet, takes off from the flight deck of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75)
An F/A-18E Super Hornet, takes off from the flight deck of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the Arabian Sea. Photo: US Navy

The eighth US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), has started operations in the Middle East, a little over a month after departing its Norfolk homeport.

The ship and its carrier strike group transited the Suez Canal on December 13 and will replace sister ship USS Abraham Lincoln.

Deploying ships and aircraft of the strike group, commanded by Rear Adm. Andrew J. Loiselle, include Truman, commanded by Capt. Kavon Hakimzadeh; the eight squadrons and staff of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, and staffs of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 8 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28.

“The hard work of this crew during recent operations in 6th Fleet have prepared us to be here,” said Capt. Hakimzadeh, Truman’s commanding officer. “I am proud of this team, and we are ready to operate in 5th Fleet.”

Since leaving homeport Nov. 18, Truman accelerated its passage to US Central Command (CENTCOM) to support current and contingency operations.

The carrier started operations after being forced to return to its homeport in August to undergo unexpected repairs to its electrical systems.

The carrier is pioneering a new type of deployment concept for the navy’s carrier force. Called the “dynamic force employment”, it is envisioned to allow the navy to be “operationally unpredictable while remaining strategically predictable.”