Crew Lost Control While Carrier Performed High-Speed Turn

The U.S. Navy lost an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet into the Red Sea when it rolled off the carrier USS Harry S. Truman while it was being towed. An official said reports from the scene indicated a factor in the incident was that the Truman was making hard turns to avoid Houthi fire.

All personnel involved in towing the aircraft were able to avoid being dragged along with the tow tractor or aircraft and are safely accounted for.

The statement continued, “The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard. Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.”

Although U.S. Navy carriers are the largest warships at about 1,100 feet long and displacing nearly 100,000 tons, they are surprisingly maneuverable.

Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, told reporters that carriers trying to avoid a missile attack use a zig-zag tactic, noting “You typically do a series of alternating 30- to 40-degree turns. Each takes about 30 seconds each way, but the turn starts sharply. It is like riding in a zig-zagging car.

“The ship leans about 10 to 15 degrees into the turn, but it displaces the ship about 100 to 200 yards from any likely aim point” if the ship is moving at maximum speed, he said.

FMI:  www.navy.mil