USS Truman "GIVE 'EM HELL" - Flight Deck Deployment – Norfolk Naval Base

On the USS Harry S. Truman’s flight deck in dry dock at Norfolk, the scene looks less like an airfield at sea and more like a floating industrial yard. Instead of F/A-18s and helicopters, the deck is crowded with scaffolding, shipping containers, workshops, and mobile offices—an improvised city built to manage the carrier’s overhaul.

Forklifts and cranes shuttle gear across the steel expanse, while temporary trailers house engineering teams, logistics staff, and supervisors who coordinate the work like air traffic controllers on land.

Electrical cabling, ventilation ducts, and safety netting crisscross the deck, transforming it into a platform where thousands of shipyard workers and sailors operate in shifts around the clock.

From above, it’s a striking reversal: the Navy’s most advanced warship serving as the foundation for a temporary community, all dedicated to preparing the carrier for its next deployment.