The U.S. Navy has relieved Captain Dave Snowden of his command of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) following a loss of confidence in his ability to lead. The decision, made by Rear Admiral Sean Bailey, commander of Carrier Strike Group 8, was announced on 20 February, UK Defence Journal reports.
Captain Snowden had been in command of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier since December 2023. His relief follows an incident on 12 February, when the Harry S. Truman was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M while operating in the Mediterranean Sea near Port Said, Egypt.
In a statement, the U.S. Navy reiterated that it holds commanding officers to the highest standards and takes swift action when those standards are not met. “Naval leaders are entrusted with significant responsibilities to their sailors and their ships,” the statement read.
Captain Christopher Hill, currently commanding officer of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), has been appointed as interim commanding officer of Harry S. Truman until a permanent replacement is designated.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower is presently undergoing scheduled maintenance at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, following a nine-month deployment to U.S. Central Command and U.S. European Command, which concluded in July 2024.
Despite the change in leadership, the U.S. Navy has confirmed that the incident will not impact the operational schedule or mission of the Harry S. Truman, which remains deployed in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.
