Navy Ship USS Harry S. Truman Performs Swing Checks (PHOTO)

Is This Supercarrier About To Flip?

At first glance, it might seem like this mammoth U.S. Navy aircraft carrier is about to visit Davy Jones' Locker, but despite its exaggerated tilt, the ship is just performing a training exercise.

In the below photo, the USS Harry S. Truman, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class supercarrier, performs sea trials in the Atlantic Ocean on July 8, 2012. Its reactor was recently upgraded, and these tests are part of a regimen designed to check the ship's seaworthiness.

The high-speed exercise is called a swing check. It tests the ship's ability to stop the movement of its bow by counter-steering. To "check your swing" is one of several U.S. Navy and Coast Guard helm commands that concern the ship's rudder.

The USS Harry S. Truman is the eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy fleet. It served in the Persian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004-2005 and was the naval task force flagship in response to Hurricane Katrina.

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uss harry s truman performs swing checks

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