Imagine towing a $60 million fighter jet… and then losing it overboard.
That’s exactly what happened aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier cruising the Red Sea.
While under attack by Houthi rebels, the ship pulled a hard evasive turn.
It was sharp enough to send an F/A-18 Super Hornet sliding right off the deck and into the sea.
No one was seriously hurt, but the jet? Gone. Sunk.
The Navy confirmed the aircraft was under tow in the hangar bay when the crew “lost control.”
One sailor had a minor injury, and the rest scrambled clear before the jet and tow tractor plunged into the ocean.
Was It Avoidable?
Former Navy captain Carl Schuster explained that ships use a “zig-zag” maneuver to dodge missiles—think of a car swerving wildly to avoid a crash.
That kind of sharp banking can be brutal, even for a 100,000-ton warship.
The Truman has been a frequent target in recent months.
Collisions, mistaken missile strikes, and now a very expensive splash.
Still, the Navy insists the carrier remains “fully mission capable.”
Let’s just say—when you’re dodging missiles and riding 30-degree turns.
Even the world’s largest warships can have clumsy moments.
