USS Eisenhower Captain Posting Old Video Sparks Questions

The commander of the USS Eisenhower raised suspicions that his ship had been targeted by a Houthi missile strike, after uploading a three-month-old video to a social media account, in what some saw as a failed attempt to deflect rumors about an attack from the Yemeni rebels.

In the past seven days, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced they had targeted the ship twice. The Pentagon has denied that the Eisenhower, an aircraft carrier, was attacked.

The U.S. and U.K. have been conducting strikes against Houthi targets in retaliation for attacks on international shipping. The U.K. Ministry of Defence confirmed last week that recent operations targeted locations in Hodeidah, a city in western Yemen, housing drones and surface-to-air weapons​​.

In the days that followed, baseless social media posts were uploaded alleging photographic proof of damage to the Eisenhower, images which Newsweek has debunked.

Amid the rumors and falsehoods, the Eisenhower's commander, Chris "Chowdah" Hill, began posting videos and photos from the ship. Some interpreted this as an attempt to show business was running as usual on the aircraft carrier.

However, on June 2, 2024, as strike claims persisted, Hill posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, of a jump jet landing on the flight deck. What wasn't immediately clear was that the video was first uploaded to Hill's Instagram in March.

Subsequently, social media users suggested this was a botched attempt by Hill to try to "debunk" claims about a Houthi attack on the Eisenhower.

A post on X by user @WarWatchs, on June 2, 2024, viewed 149,700 times included a side-by-side comparison of the videos, adding "Captain of the aircraft carrier 'USS Dwight D. Eisenhower' posted a video to debunk the claims of the Houthis.

"Except, he posted an old video that goes back to 2024-03-21."

Another post on X by user @MyLordBebo, who repeatedly shares misleading and false content via social media, also wrote "BOMBSHELL: Captain of the aircraft carrier Eisenhower posted an old video to prove that the ship WAS NOT HIT by the Houthis!

"->Now I'm convinced the Eisenhower was hit, likely the damage is not critical, but it was hit!"

Newsweek has contacted a media representative for the U.S. Navy via email for comment.

How significant is it?

While it is true that Hill's video was originally posted in March, and the timing of the June 2 upload amid speculation about the Eisenhower may have helped to invigorate suspicion, the post is not proof of anything in particular.

The video Hill uploaded on June 2 was unaccompanied with any formal response about the truthfulness of the Houthi rumors. The only comment he left alongside his post was a salute emoji.

In the days that followed, he also began uploading new content that had not been previously posted online. He also endorsed other content that more explicitly dispelled the Houthi rumors.

There has been no solid evidence that the Eisenhower has been successfully targeted either, the Pentagon denying Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree's claims that there had been two attacks. No other reports have been released that challenge the Pentagon's dismissal of the claim.

The rumors about the Eisenhower strike have also been supplemented by inauthentic video and images used by some as proof that the aircraft carrier had been hit. This content included misappropriated video game footage, edited photos, and pictures of other unrelated ships.

In short, Hill's post does not appear to be the smoking gun that others have suggested, nor is there other evidence that refutes Pentagon denials about the attacks.

While conflict between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition supported by the U.S. and the U.K. has been ongoing since 2015, it has escalated recently in response to the Israel-Hamas war.

The Yemeni rebel movement Ansah Allah, also known as the Houthis, has been fighting in the Red Sea since shortly after the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hamas. It has claimed attacks on nearly 120 ships over the past six months. U.S. ships guarding maritime trade in the Red Sea have registered drone attacks from Yemeni territory during this period.

Yemen occupies a strategically vital position on world shipping routes, sitting at the confluence of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, which leads to the Suez Canal.

In May, the Houthis announced their first operation in the Mediterranean Sea, potentially opening another front against Israel in a region where U.S. troops are positioned.

The Houthi movement took over much of Yemen in 2014 when they expelled the Saudi-backed government from the capital of Sanaa. They are said to have access to a vast arsenal of drones and missiles.