The Truman is one of two US aircraft carriers operating in the Middle East, where US forces have been hammering Yemen's Huthi rebels with strikes since mid-March in an attempt to end the threat they pose to ships in the region.

A US Navy fighter jet valued at more than $60million rolled off a ship and sank in the Red Sea. The F/A-18 Super Hornet was on the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier and was being towed out of the hanger bay on Monday when ship crew members lost control.