November 9, 2022 - As the USS George H.W. Bush carrier departs Split, the news of a sexual assault on Croatian soil emerges.

Last weekend, while the carrier was staying in the port of Split, it is reported that a group of officers rented a house with a swimming pool and sauna in the Marina area near Trogir. As Slobodna Dalmacija writes, the young sailors were having fun, and upon returning to the carrier, one of the female 20-year-old sailors reported to her superior officer that she had been raped at that party.

Slobodna Dalmacija learned that, according to the victim's story, the sexual assault took place in the sauna. She was there at the time with one other female and one male sailor, and one of them pushed his fingers into the victim's genitals without her consent. 

The US navy investigators immediately launched an investigation, and they requested assistance from the Split police on Sunday, November 6. They asked for their help with conducting an investigation at the scene, taking any potential video surveillance footage, and talking to the owner of the house. A day later, the carrier set sail from Split in an unknown direction, and on it were both the victim and the possible perpetrator. American soldiers and sailors are "untouchable" in Croatia as far as their criminal responsibility is concerned since 2008, when the Croatian Parliament made an exception for the US armed forces in Croatia.

One of the examples of similar instance dates back to 2006, when a 20-year-old drunk pilot from the aircraft carrier "USS Enterprise" broke into the house of a 85-year-old woman from Split in Bačvice, grabbed her while she was sleeping, threw her to the ground and abused her until two of her neighbors came to the rescue. The American navy police arrived at the scene of the incident and arrested the pilot, taking him to the ship for detention. He was allegedly later given a dishonourable discharge, but he was not held accountable in Croatia, where he reportedly committed the crime.

14 February, 2022 - The American aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is docking in Split from 11 to 15 February, and members of its crew who visited this biggest Croatian Adriatic city on Monday expressed satisfaction with their stay.

"Food is incredible. The sights are amazing as well," Lieutenant Patrick Hageman, a pilot of an MH-60 Sierra helicopter, said after a sightseeing tour. He added that people "are welcoming" and that he "loves this city."

On Sunday, some of the 6,000-strong crew visited the Maestral home for children and helped in landscaping and cleaning the exterior of the home.

PM visits aircraft carrier 

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and his ministers for defence, foreign and home affairs on Monday visited the American aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.

They met with the commanding officer, Captain Gavin Duff, the Strike Group commander, Rear Admiral Curt Renshaw, and the Chargé d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Zagreb, Mark Fleming.

Addressing the ship's crew and guests, Plenković said that NATO is not a threat to anyone, and that the US and Croatia have a good strategic relationship. 

The US Embassy said this is a routine visit aimed at strengthening the defence partnership between the United States and key allies and partners across the world. It is also a chance for the sailors to experience other cultures and take a rest from their demanding duties.

The US sailors also hosted representatives of the Croatian and foreign media and showed them around the 330-metre-long vessel.

The government has given the green light to the US Navy's Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln (USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-7) to sail into the Split port. The monster ship, which carries ninety fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, will stay in Split from May 8 to 11, mainly so the crew can have a few days of rest, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on May 2, 2019. 

The approval for the arrival of the United States Navy ship - or part of their fleet located in the Mediterranean - was requested by the US Embassy in Zagreb from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Government's decision is in accordance with the provisions of the Maritime Code.

Known better by the nickname "Abe" in the US Navy, the USS Abraham Lincoln will sail more than five thousand sailors, pilots and other personnel to Split.

This is, in fact, the third US carrier that will be anchored in Split since Croatia's independence.

In December 2015, USS Harry S. Truman, an American ship the size of three football pitches, sailed the Brač channel carrying a load of 85 aircraft and 20 helicopters. Like the "Abraham Lincoln," the "Truman" is a navy ship in the Nimitz class, which has carried some of the world's largest aircraft.

The USS Enterprise visited Split in 2006, and on that occasion, the retired HV Lieutenant Colonel Srećko Herceg was awarded the American Medal of Honor. Herceg is the descendant of Petar Herceg Tomich, a US sailor who was killed on the US Navy ship USS Utah during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Split was also visited by American ships in the former Yugoslavia, precisely the USS Saratoga in April 1976 and the USS America in May 1979.

One thing we know for certain - plan accordingly from May 8 to 11, as this extra 5,000 people in Split makes up just a small part of the crowds we are already witnessing! 

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