US warship claimed to have sunk Houthis host 'Taco Tuesday'

The Houthis say it has sunk several times in the past few months. Its captain says they're eating cookies and tacos. So, what really happened to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower?

The truth is, one of the US Navy's oldest ships is still up and running, or afloat and sailing, despite claims by Yemeni rebels to destroy the carrier.

In fact, its commanding officer, Capt. Christopher “Chaudah” Hill, is more alive than ever on social media, trying to fight not only the war at sea, but also misinformation.

“I think it's been about two or three times in the last six months that we've been alleged to have sunk, which we haven't,” Hill told the AP during a recent visit to the carrier. “It's almost laughable at this point. They may be trying to motivate themselves with misinformation, but it doesn't work for us.”

Showcasing the carrier strike to combat false videos circulated by pro-Russian and pro-Chinese social media accounts, Captain Hill has been sharing light-hearted photos of himself and his crew eating cookies and a local bakery onboard.

But it's not all fun and games. He also shared photos of his fellow sailors continuing their mission in the Red Sea: protecting and protecting commercial ships from Houthi attacks.

While these posts may seem trivial, maintaining morale on board is not.

Eisenhower was facing the most intense combat since World War II, and its 5,000 crew members received only one brief port call during an eight-month rotation in Greece.

Eisenhower has also been the most deployed carrier in the US fleet over the past five years, according to an analysis by the US Naval Institute's News Service.

“The whole purpose of the social media outreach was to connect with the family, to bring them closer to the ship,” Hill said. “So if I can post pictures here of sons and daughters, husbands and wives, even fathers and mothers, it brings that kind of family closer to us. And again, it's our support network. But that's another one. Roles also took over because everyone was watching to see what we were doing.”

Asymmetric warfare response

Meanwhile, weaponry is also a concern. Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro told the US Senate Armed Services Committee that in May, the US Navy spent nearly €1 billion on weapons to fight in the Red Sea.

Every leader on board the Eisenhower who spoke to the AP acknowledged that the Navy is trying to use the right weapons against the Houthis, whose asymmetric warfare sees them using much cheaper munitions.

“My sailors, my ships are priceless — that's not a calculus I want a captain to have,” said Capt. David Rowe, the commodore in charge of the guided missile destroyers escorting Eisenhower.

“Now, to protect the depth of the magazine, to use the weapon system with the appropriate effect on the appropriate threat to place more missiles is of course a German strategic question.”

For the time being, Eisenhower continued her patrols of the Philippine Sea, with one cruiser and two destroyers, USS Gravely and USS Mason.

It has already been extended twice, and there is always the possibility that it could happen again.

Taco Tuesday and Star Wars Memes

Even as the Houthis' secret leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, name-dropped the carrier in speeches while making false claims about the ship, Hill has provided endless positive messages online about its sailors.

Then there are Star Wars memes and pictures of Captain Demo, the Labrador-golden retriever mix who roams the ship as a support animal for sailors.

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And as far as Houthi forces watch his postings, Hill takes particular pleasure in writing about “Taco Tuesdays” aboard the ship.

“We're going to celebrate 'Taco Tuesday' because it's my absolute favorite day of the week. It will never end,” said the captain. “If you call it an information warfare operation, you can. At the end of the day, you know who I am.”

“I came to a revelation at one point in my career that one of the things that all people need is to be loved and valued,” Hill added.

“So as a leader, I shouldn't be afraid to try to love and value everyone, and I should also expect other leaders to be responsible for loving and valuing their Sailors.”