February 14th 2025.
In a shocking turn of events, a colossal $4.9 billion US aircraft carrier collided with a merchant ship in the Suez Canal. The USS Harry S. Truman, a massive nuclear-powered carrier, crashed into a merchant vessel in the bustling waterway, which is known as one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The collision occurred late on Wednesday night between the 1,092-foot Nimitz-class carrier and a smaller 617-foot Panamanian-flagged ship called Besiktas-M. According to a Navy official, the merchant ship sustained some damage as a result of the crash, as reported by CNN.
The crash took place near Port Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea. However, the US Navy has not disclosed the cause of the incident, which is currently under investigation. The USS Harry S. Truman is equipped with two nuclear reactors and four propulsion systems, all of which are reported to be in a safe and stable condition, according to a spokesperson for the US naval forces. Luckily, there were no reports of flooding or injuries, and the warship remains unharmed.
The merchant ship, on the other hand, was en route to Romania after passing through the Suez Canal, while the USS Harry S. Truman was heading towards the canal when the two vessels collided. Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, explained the challenging conditions of navigating through the narrow canal, leaving very little room for error. "There is not a lot of room for maneuvering in a restricted seaway, and both ships require about one nautical mile to stop," he told the outlet.
At the time of the crash, there were approximately 100 ships near the anchorage area of Port Said. The Suez Canal gained international attention in March 2021 when the container ship Ever Given became stuck, blocking the entire waterway and causing disruption in global trade. In another incident on the same day, a US military fighter jet crashed into the sea during a routine exercise in San Diego Bay, but both pilots were able to eject themselves before the £54 million aircraft hit the waves.
In a separate incident, an F-35 fighter jet had a close call during a training exercise in Alaska when the pilot lost control of the aircraft. The pilot managed to escape just moments before the jet spiraled down and exploded into a fireball. These incidents serve as a reminder of the potential dangers that come with operating such powerful and expensive equipment.
Unfortunately, fatal accidents have occurred in the past when US Navy warships collided with cargo vessels. In June 2017, seven sailors lost their lives when the USS Fitzgerald crashed with a cargo vessel in Japan, and just two months later, ten people died when the USS John S McCain collided with a tanker near Singapore and Malaysia. These tragic incidents highlight the importance of thorough investigations and safety measures to prevent such accidents from happening in the future.
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