It is massive. Floating steel.
When you first see the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) cutting through the water, the scale of the thing almost doesn't register. We’re talking about 100,000 tons of American diplomacy. It’s basically a zip code that moves at 30 knots. For the sailors stationed on "The Lone Warrior," it’s home, a workplace, and a floating city powered by two nuclear reactors that could probably run a medium-sized city for twenty years without a refill.
But honestly, the Truman isn't just about the size. People get obsessed with the length—about 1,092 feet—but the real story is the rhythm of the deck. If you’ve ever stood on a carrier deck during flight ops, you know it’s organized chaos. It’s loud. Smells like JP-5 fuel and salt. You’ve got millions of dollars of aircraft being slung off a catapult every few seconds, and if one person misses a beat, things go south fast.
The Truman has been in the news a lot lately, mostly because the world is, well, complicated. Whether it’s sitting in the Mediterranean to keep a lid on regional tensions or conducting "dual-carrier" ops with the French or Italians, this ship is the primary tool the U.S. uses when it needs to say "we're here" without saying a word.
What People Get Wrong About the Truman’s "Retirement"
A few years back, there was this massive political firestorm. You might remember it. The Pentagon actually proposed mothballing the USS Harry S. Truman decades early to save money for newer Ford-class ships and "future tech" like drones and long-range missiles. It sounded like a mid-life crisis for the Navy.
The idea was to skip the Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH). That’s the massive mid-life surgery where they cut the ship open and swap out the nuclear fuel.
People lost their minds. Congress stepped in, the White House eventually reversed course, and the Truman was saved. Why? Because you can’t just replace a Nimitz-class carrier with a PowerPoint presentation about "hypersonic" tech that isn't ready yet. The Truman is a proven commodity. It’s got a flight deck that works, a crew that knows how to fight, and a presence that a drone swarm just can’t replicate. Currently, the ship is either preparing for or undergoing that massive overhaul process at Newport News Shipbuilding. It’s a multi-year, multi-billion dollar project. It’s grueling work.
The Reality of Life on CVN-75
It’s not Top Gun.
📖 Related: Is there a bank holiday today? Why your local branch might be closed on January 12
Most of the time, life on the USS Harry S. Truman is about sleep deprivation and lukewarm coffee. There are roughly 5,000 people on board when the air wing is embarked. Think about that for a second. That is 5,000 people living in cramped berths, eating in mess decks that never close, and working 12-to-18-hour shifts.
The ship has its own dental office, its own newspaper, and its own jail. It even has its own zip code. You’ve got nineteen-year-olds from small-town America responsible for the maintenance of an F/A-18 Super Hornet worth $60 million. It’s a lot of pressure. If you talk to the "Deckies" or the "Snipes" (the guys in the engine room), they’ll tell you the same thing: the ship is a beast that wants to rust, and their job is to stop it.
Breaking Down the Air Wing
The "pointy end of the spear" is Carrier Air Wing 1 (CVW-1). Usually, you’re looking at:
- Several squadrons of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.
- The EA-18G Growler for electronic warfare (basically melting the enemy's radar).
- E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes (the ones with the giant frisbee on top).
- C-2A Greyhounds for hauling mail and people, though these are being phased out for the CMV-22B Osprey.
- MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters for hunting subs and picking people out of the drink.
It’s a balanced ecosystem. Each piece depends on the others. If the Hawkeye isn't up, the fighters are blind. If the tankers aren't flying, the fighters have no legs.
The "GIVE 'EM HELL" Spirit
The ship’s motto is "Give 'em Hell." It comes from a 1948 campaign stop where a supporter yelled it at Harry Truman, and the president replied, "I don't give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell."
That attitude is baked into the ship's culture. During the 2022 deployment, which got extended because of the war in Ukraine, the Truman stayed in the Med for months on end. They were flying sorties to reassure NATO allies. It was an exhausting stretch. When a carrier deployment gets extended, morale can take a hit, but the Truman’s crew became legendary for just... keeping at it. They spent over 280 days at sea. That’s a long time to go without seeing a tree or a sidewalk.
Technical Specs That Actually Matter
Let’s skip the boring stuff and look at what makes the USS Harry S. Truman actually lethal.
👉 See also: Is Pope Leo Homophobic? What Most People Get Wrong
The catapults. The Nimitz-class uses steam catapults. They take high-pressure steam from the nuclear reactors and use it to sling a 60,000-pound jet from 0 to 150 mph in about two seconds. It’s violent. It shakes the whole ship. On the newer Ford-class, they use magnets (EMALS), but the Truman’s steam cats are the old-school, reliable workhorses of the fleet.
Then there are the arresting wires. Three or four thick steel cables stretched across the deck. A pilot has to slam their jet onto the moving deck and catch one of those wires with a tailhook. It’s called a "controlled crash." If they miss, it’s a "bolt," and they have to floor the engines and take off again before they fall off the edge.
The ship also carries a massive amount of ordnance. We’re talking about magazines filled with JDAMs, Sidewinders, and Harpoons. The logistics of moving those bombs from the belly of the ship to the flight deck is a choreographed dance involving specialized elevators and "ordies" (Aviation Ordnancemen) who live by the motto "IYAOYAS"—If You Ain't Ordnance, You Ain't... well, you get it.
Why We Still Need These Giants
Critics say carriers are "sitting ducks" in the age of long-range Chinese "carrier-killer" missiles like the DF-21D.
Maybe.
But here’s the thing: a carrier is a moving target. It’s surrounded by a Carrier Strike Group (CSG). This usually includes a Ticonderoga-class cruiser and several Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. These ships are packed with Aegis radar systems and SM-3 interceptors specifically designed to knock down incoming threats. Plus, there’s usually a Los Angeles or Virginia-class attack submarine lurking somewhere nearby that nobody talks about.
Trying to hit the USS Harry S. Truman is like trying to punch a pro boxer who is also surrounded by five guys with shields and a sniper in the rafters. It’s not impossible, but it’s the hardest target on the planet.
✨ Don't miss: How to Reach Donald Trump: What Most People Get Wrong
More importantly, the carrier provides "sovereign territory." If the U.S. wants to fly missions in a region where no country will let them use an airbase, they just park the Truman in international waters. Problem solved. It’s four and a half acres of American soil that can go anywhere it wants.
The Future: RCOH and Beyond
Right now, the Truman is entering its second act.
The Refueling and Complex Overhaul is more than just a gas station visit. They will upgrade the electronics, the radar suites, and the hull. When the USS Harry S. Truman comes out of the yard, it will be a significantly more modern ship than when it went in. It’s designed to serve for 50 years. Since it was commissioned in 1998, we’re roughly halfway through its lifespan.
We’re looking at a ship that will likely be operational into the 2040s. By then, the F/A-18s will probably be replaced by Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighters or collaborative combat aircraft (drones). The Truman will have to adapt.
Actionable Insights for Following the Truman
If you’re a naval buff or just curious about where your tax dollars are going, here is how you stay updated on the Truman's status without getting lost in military jargon:
- Check the USNI News Fleet Tracker: The U.S. Naval Institute puts out a weekly map showing exactly where every carrier strike group is. It’s the best way to see if the Truman is "In Port," "Local Ops," or "Deployed."
- Follow the Official Socials: Believe it or not, the Truman has its own Facebook and Instagram pages. They post "Face of the Fleet" profiles and photos of flight ops. It’s surprisingly transparent and gives you a look at the actual sailors, not just the hardware.
- Monitor the "RCOH" Progress: If the ship is in Virginia for its mid-life overhaul, news will be slow. Watch for milestones like the "re-stepping of the mast" or the "propulsion plant testing" to know when it's getting ready to return to the fleet.
- Understand the Strike Group: Don't just look at the carrier. Research the "Carrier Strike Group 8" (CSG-8) to see which destroyers and cruisers are currently protecting the Truman. The composition changes with every deployment.
The USS Harry S. Truman isn't just a relic of the Cold War or a giant target. It’s a massive, living machine that represents the peak of 20th-century engineering being dragged, sometimes kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. It remains the centerpiece of how the U.S. projects power. Whether you think they are too expensive or absolutely vital, you can't ignore them. When the Truman shows up off a coast, everyone notices. That is the whole point.