Navy finds ‘substandard’ practices, knowledge and other failures caused carrier incidents at sea
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy on Thursday released the results of its investigation into four incidents involving the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group during its deployment to the Middle East between late 2024 and early this year.
The incidents, which occurred between December 2024 and May 2025, involved the loss of three F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets in the Red Sea and a collision between the aircraft carrier and a merchant ship near Port Said, Egypt.
The investigation found that a tripwire failure, poor computer signage, “substandard maintenance practices” and “overall poor knowledge” among some of the carrier group’s staff contributed to the incidents, according to the investigation report. In December 2024, an accidental “friendly fire” incident involving two F/A-18s, one of which was shot down and the other almost missed, appears to have occurred in part due to faulty combat systems, according to the report.
In April 2024, a fighter jet and a tow tractor were lost due to a maneuver made by the carrier in an attempt to avoid fire from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to the report.
As a result of these findings, the Navy is reviewing certain systems and operations and will conduct more personnel training to try to prevent such incidents, consistent with recommendations made in the investigation findings.
“The Navy is committed to being a learning organization,” Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby said in a written statement provided by the Navy.
The Navy said there were no casualties or serious injuries related to the incidents.
The Navy report said its investigation found that a December 2024 “friendly fire” incident involving the shooting down of an F/A-18F Super Hornet by the USS Gettysburg, a guided-missile cruiser, was caused by a “lack of integrated training opportunities between the USS Gettysburg and the Carrier Strike Group, lack of strong reinforcements on the cruiser, and lack of cohesion within the Carrier Strike Group.”
This lack of cohesion “contributed to the misidentification, then engagement, of the friendly aircraft and the near-miss of another,” the report said.
“The investigation into the loss of the F-18 in December 2024 determined that the lack of reintegrated training opportunities between the USS Gettysburg and the Carrier Strike Group contributed to the misidentification and subsequent engagement of the U.S. Navy aircraft,” Kilby said. “This manifested itself in non-compliance with procedures, lack of powerful reinforcements on the cruiser and lack of cohesion between the units of the carrier strike group.”
Before the incident, the Truman had spent “several hours” defending itself against anti-ship cruise missiles and one-way attack drones launched by the Houthis, according to the report.
The investigation also found that the USS Truman’s collision with a merchant ship in February 2025 was “preventable,” according to the report. The team aboard the Truman failed to safely pass the ship.
Additionally, an April 2025 incident involving the loss of an F/A-18E Super Hornet and a tow tractor was due to evasive maneuvers made by the Truman while responding to an incoming ballistic missile in the Red Sea, the report said. The investigation determined that the plane’s braking system failed, in addition to “insufficient communication between the bridge, cockpit controls and hangar controls.”
The investigation also found that a May 2025 incident involving another F/A-18 was caused by a tripwire failure aboard the USS Truman. Among the reasons, the report said, were “substandard maintenance practices, substandard shutdown equipment, and overall low leadership and knowledge” among personnel operating the tripwire.
