A bigger than average boat arrives in Split.
The US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, which carries 85 aircraft and 20 helicopters, entered the Brač Channel on Saturday morning and stopped about two kilometres from the Split City Port. It will stay in Split until 9 December. During the afternoon, journalists will be able to visit the aircraft carrier itself, reports Poslovni.hr on December 5, 2015.
Croatian Defence Ministry announced that the visit of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is confirmation of close relationship between Croatia and the United States of America as reliable partners who work together in establishing and maintaining security and prosperity in the region and an indication of the intensive cooperation between two countries.
The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is part of the US 6th Fleet based in Naples, Italy, which participates in a series of joint naval operations, usually with allies and partners, in order to create security and stability in Europe and Africa.
“Harry S. Truman” is a Nimitz class aircraft carrier. Its total length is 333 metres, width 41 metres, and draft 12 meters. Its crew consists of 4,922 members, including 487 officers, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. USS Harry S. Truman has been in service since 1996 and is one of the largest aircraft carriers in the world, with the size of three football fields. It uses two Westinghouse nuclear reactors which enable it to reach speeds of over 30 knots (about 56 kilometres per hour), while nuclear fuel is changed approximately every 20 years.
The carrier has 85 F/A-18 Hornet and Superhornet aircraft and SH-60 Seahawk helicopters, and aircraft for electronic reconnaissance E-2 Hawkeye. Aircraft carriers are usually at the forefront of a battle group of ships which typically includes cruisers, destroyers, submarines and auxiliary vessels.
This is not the first time that a US aircraft carrier has visited Croatia. Split was previously visited by USS Saratoga in April 1976, USS America in May 1979, and USS Enterprise in 2006.
