Stress of Houthi combat was key factor in series of costly Navy mishaps

By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and BEN FINLEY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — New investigative reports into a series of high-profile and costly Navy mishaps during a U.S.-led campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels reveal that the most intense running sea battle that the military service has faced since World War II took a toll on ships and personnel.

The four reports released Thursday cover a “friendly fire” incident in December 2024 that saw the cruiser USS Gettysburg shoot at two fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, downing one, as well as the Truman’s collision with a merchant vessel and the loss of two more multimillion-dollar jets from the carrier to mishaps earlier this year.

Taken together, the reports paint a picture of an aircraft carrier that was n