The U.S. Navy has confirmed that an F/A-18E Tremendous Hornet — one in every of America’s premier fighter jets — fell off the usHarry S. Truman (CVN 75) and sank into the Crimson Sea on Monday, April 28.
In response to the official report, the $70 million plane from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136, together with the tow tractor shifting it, plunged overboard whereas the provider operated in one of many world’s most strategically essential waterways.
Each personnel managed to leap clear in time, with just one sustaining a minor damage, in accordance with officers.
“The F/A-18E was actively below tow within the hangar bay when the transfer crew misplaced management of the plane. The plane and tow tractor had been misplaced overboard,” the Navy mentioned in an announcement.
It continued, “Sailors towing the plane took fast motion to maneuver away from the plane earlier than it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.”
Extra from ABC:
Officers mentioned current Houthi assaults directed on the ship had nothing to do with the jet mistakenly rolling off the ship
The Truman provider was concerned in one other incident earlier this 12 months when it collided with a service provider ship close to the Suez Canal. Its commanding officer was subsequently fired.
The provider was slated to return residence final month, however Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth prolonged its deployment whereas ordering one other provider — the usCarl Vinson — to the area to bolster navy energy.
