Cruiser Normandy forced to abort carrier strike group drill due to “maintenance issues”

US Navy’s Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Normandy returned to its Norfolk homeport on July 6, less than a day after getting underway for exercises with the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group.

The cruiser was forced to break off from the drills due to what navy officials said were maintenance issues, according to Navy Times, who first reported the ship’s return home.

The navy did not specify the cause of the ship’s return to port, adding that Normandy was expected to return to the exercise as soon as possible.

The Harry S. Truman CSG got underway from Norfolk on July 5 to start the month-long composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX), which is designed to test the strike group’s ability as a whole to carry out sustained combat operations from the sea ahead of an upcoming deployment.

Other ships participating in the preparations include guided-missile destroyers USS Ramage (DDG 61), USS Lassen (DDG 82), USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98) and USS Farragut (DDG 99), in addition to the USS Harry S. Truman which is bound to start its third deployment in four years as it pioneers the navy’s new dynamic force deployment concept.