USS Bush relieves Truman to continue carrier presence in 6th Fleet

By Diana Stancy Correll

This past month, the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush relieved the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in the Ionian Sea, after the the two flattops conducted dual operations in the Mediterranean.

The Truman, which got underway in December 2021 and whose deployment was extended in March, spent its deployment in U.S. 6th Fleet, where aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 1 completed NATO enhanced air policing missions. Now, the Bush, which concluded a 30-month long maintenance period in August 2021 that included a complete shaft and propeller overhaul, rudder refurbishment, catwalk and tank preservation, along with modernization updates to electronic and combat systems, catapults and hotel, will work with allies and partners in Europe for the duration of its deployment, according to the Navy.

The Bush and the Truman transferred ammunition and completed an in-person turnover of commanders as the Bush took over Task Force 60 responsibilities as part of the dual carrier operations.

“We have the watch,” said Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, commander of Carrier Strike Group 10, in a Navy news release. “The Truman and Bush Strike Groups represent a force that only a U.S. Navy carrier strike group can provide combatant commanders. The Truman Strike Group executed the mission, reassured our partners and allies, and gave our diplomats opportunities to negotiate from a position of strength. They served our nation and the region well. We are proud of our teammates and wish them well on their return to friends and family.”

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Photo caption: Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush, which departed the Norfolk Naval Shipyard after 30 months of maintenance and will begin sea trials ahead of its reintroduction into the training and deployment cycle, observe the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman during a vertical replenishment. (MCSN Curtis Burdick/Navy)