After it was escorted from Rogoznica, the American aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) sailed in front of the port of Split. Before it, as reported by Slobodna Dalmacija, the Norwegian frigate HNoMS “Fridtjof Nansen” (F310) sailed.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, already in Split at the beginning of December 2015, is anchored in the Brač Channel, where it will remain until February 15.
The vessel is over 330 meters long, 74 meters high, and 40 meters wide, and can develop a speed of 30 knots. It is powered by two nuclear reactors and four steam turbines and is armed with two Mk 57 Mod3 Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapon systems, two RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile, and three Phalanx CIWS for close combat.
The government allowed the USS Harry S. Truman nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to sail into Croatian waters and stay in Split port from 11 to 15 February, with Defence Minister Mario Banožić underlining the good cooperation with the United States allies and partners. Without recharging it can sail three million miles, almost 25 years.
“It’s a routine visit for logistical replenishment and for the crew to rest,” he said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
”It will be an opportunity for talks with our American allies, partners, for strong support which will be reaffirmed also in that way”, he said.
The cooperation with the US Navy is intensive, Banožić said, recalling that its ships are overhauled in Croatia’s Viktor Lenac shipyard.
The US Embassy sent a note to the Croatian Foreign Ministry requesting permission for the USS Harry S. Truman to enter Croatian waters. The government granted it under the Maritime Code.
According to the US Naval Institute, the American aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman was scheduled to cross the Suez Canal last year, but due to rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine, it was ordered to remain in the Mediterranean Sea.
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