An F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136, launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75). US Navy Photo
This post has been updated with additional details on the incident
An F/-18E Super Hornet assigned to the carrier air wing embarked aboard aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) was lost at sea during a towing incident in the hangar bay Monday, according to a Navy announcement.
The single-seat Super Hornet assigned to the “Knighthawks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136, “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,” reads the statement.
“Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.”
No personnel were lost and one sailor sustained minor injuries, according to the service.
Truman was conducting an “evasive maneuver” during the incident, a U.S. defense official confirmed to USNI News on Monday. A second defense official told USNI News the Super Hornet was being loaded onto the aircraft elevator on Truman when the strike fighter slid over the edge.
U.S. ships in the Red Sea are daily targets of Houthi one-way attack drones and cruise and ballistic missiles since U.S. strikes against targets in Yemen resumed on March 15.
Since March 15, Carrier Air Wing 1 flying from Truman has been engaged in ongoing strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen as part of Operation Rough Rider, according to U.S. Central Command. The carrier has been operating in the Red Sea since late February after emergency repairs following a collision with a merchant vessel. The collision resulted in the removal of Truman’s then-commander. Late last year, Truman escort USS Gettysburg (CG-64) shot down an F/A-18F assigned to Carrier Air Wing 1 during an attempted landing on the carrier.
USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) on April 15, 2025. US Navy Photo
The following is the complete April 28, 2025, statement from the Navy.
MANAMA, Bahrain – USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) lost an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136 and a tow tractor as the aircraft carrier operated in the Red Sea, April 28. All personnel are accounted for, with one Sailor sustaining a minor injury.
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.
The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and embarked air wing remain fully mission capable.
The strike group consists of flagship Harry S. Truman, the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 1, three guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 28, and the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64).
