US Navy carrier Harry S. Truman reaches double milestone in Europe

U.S Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) has reached two milestones so far during its Mediterranean Sea sail.

The first milestone Truman achieved was the 9,000th arrested landing with the trap of an F/A-18C Super Hornet on June 16.

Three days later the ship’s flight deck launched the 2,000th aircraft mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S. military intervention against the Daesh.

Lt. William Godiksen, assigned to VFA 83, successfully completed the 9,000th arrested landing after returning from routine flight operations.

“I feel humbled and honored for having made the 9,000th arrestment,” said Godiksen. “It was just coincidence that I had the opportunity at the right time. It’s a nice accomplishment to have, not only for me, but the crew and those who work on the flight deck as we approach the end of our deployment.”

Truman’s arresting gear system consists of cables on the flight deck that aircraft tail hooks catch, to decrease speed from approximately 170 mph to 0 mph in order to safely land on a runway about 330 feet long. Below the deck are the arresting gear engines and the sheave dampers that take the initial impact and reduce cable tension, as well as an “anchor” that secures the cables to the ship, all of which are maintained and operated by the ship’s V-2 division of Air Department.

When it comes to the sortie milestone, Truman launched the first OIR missions December 28 from the Arabian Gulf, and less than six months later the “Patriots” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140, the “Rampagers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 83 and the “Pukin’ Dogs” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 143 launched as a wave of aircraft soaring past the strike group to complete a 2,000th sortie.

“Two thousand is a strong number — the result of months of teamwork and dedication of every sailor aboard,” said Cmdr. Darren Wilkins, Truman’s air boss. “The only thing more impressive than the quantity of flights is their quality. The ship and the air wing have conducted precision combat missions in two operating areas, demonstrating our inherent flexibility and resolve.”