Recently, numerous unsubstantiated claims have emerged alleging that the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, was damaged by a missile strike from Houthi rebels.

These assertions have been accompanied by images purportedly showing the warship in a state of distress.

However, upon closer examination, these claims and accompanying visuals have been categorically debunked.

The origins of the allegations can be traced to Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree, who declared over the course of a weekend that the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower had been “hit and severely damaged by multiple Houthi ballistic missiles.”

This was soon followed by an image disseminated on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The image captioned: “CONFIRMED: uss eisenhower (pictured docked for repairs in souda bay) hit and severely damaged by multiple houthi ballistic missiles. judging by extensive tent city developing on the flight deck, we assess it is unlikely eisenhower will return to service in the foreseeable future,” stirred considerable commotion.

The Pentagon has categorically denied these allegations, confirming that the carrier sustained no such damage.

The lack of validity in these assertions becomes even more apparent upon realizing that the image circulated is not of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower at all.

Instead, it is a representation of the Russian Navy flagship Admiral Kuznetsov, which, as reported by multiple sources, has been undergoing extensive refit at the 35th Ship Repair Plant in Murmansk since 2018.

Additionally, the claim that the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was docked for repairs in Souda Bay was misleading.

While the carrier did make a port visit to Souda Bay earlier in the year, the implication that it had traveled there recently and sustained damage was unfounded.

A vessel of such size would need to traverse the Suez Canal and sail approximately 4,000 nautical miles to reach that point—a journey that would take an extensive period and would be publicly noticeable.

Had the vessel required urgent repairs due to combat damage, it would logically have been directed to Camp Lemonnier, the only permanent U.S. military base in Africa, rather than a port in the Greek island of Crete.

Related image you might interested:

Relevant articles:
– Does This Picture Show a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Damaged by a Missile? , The National Interest Online, 06/05/2024
– FACT CHECK: Post Claims Three US Troops Injured By Mortar Fire In Gaza, Check Your Fact, 06/04/2024