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Trump Orders Navy Back to Steam Catapults After Mystery Sailor Encounter

President directs shift away from electromagnetic launch systems after alleged conversation with unnamed naval officer about carrier technology.

newest coverage 11h agosummary written 6h ago7 pieces13 likes & upvotes1 comments Hacker NewsMastodonNewswiresBlueskyReddit

What to know

  • Trump ordered the Navy in August 2026 to reverse course on aircraft carrier catapult technology, switching from electromagnetic back to steam systems based on a conversation with an unidentified sailor he calls 'Bill Jones'.
  • Pentagon officials have been unable to locate Jones despite searching, yet must now navigate the consequences of overturning a major weapons platform decision affecting a program costing billions of dollars.
  • The order reverses years of Navy strategy; electromagnetic catapults were chosen for their speed and efficiency, though Trump was told they require advanced expertise to repair, unlike steam systems.

“The incident sent Navy leaders searching for Jones to figure out what he said that prompted the president to demand an overhaul of one of the most expensive weapons programs in history. They never found him.”

Defense officials (via reporting), Pentagon source · Hindustan Times ↗

Donald TrumpDonald Trump PresidentBill Jones Mystery sailorPatrick Hannifin Then-Captain, now three-star admiralHunter Stires Maritime strategist to former Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

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yesterday8 AM4 PMnow · 1:48 AM ET
  1. 1

    Pentagon unable to locate mystery sailor "Bill Jones" behind catapult directive

    Defense officials confirmed that Navy leaders have searched for the sailor Trump identified as "Bill Jones" but have been unable to find him. They are now grappling with the consequences of Trump's catapult order, which could overhaul one of the most expensive weapons programs in history.

    “I said, 'Let me see the catapult people.' They said, 'Sir, you don't really want to do that?' I said, 'Yeah, those are the people that know what the hell they're doing.'”
    — Trump, President · source
    1. 1 outlet The Mystery of the Unknown Sailor Who Inspired Trump to Shake Up the Navy

      first by Hindustan Times, 1d ago

    • hunterstires.bsky.social

      Thanks to @marcusreports.bsky.social for quoting me on Trump’s CVN catapult fixation in @wsj.com: “‘Steam catapults have been out of production for decades—no one makes them anymore,’ said Hunter Stires, the maritime strategist to former Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.”

      hunterstires.bsky.socialBluesky1d ago7▲view on Bluesky ↗
  2. background

    Trump orders Navy to return to steam catapults on aircraft carriers — President Trump directed the U.S. Navy to figure out how to return to using steam catapults on aircraft carriers to launch fighter jets, reversing the service's adoption of electromagnetic systems. The order sent Pentagon officials searching for the mysterious sailor who had allegedly convinced Trump years earlier.

  3. background

    Trump raises electric catapult concerns during Tulsi Gabbard swearing-in — Trump brought up electric catapults again in February 2025 when he swore in Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, continuing to voice doubts about electromagnetic launch systems.

  4. background

    Trump names "Bill Jones" at Iowa rally, reviving catapult debate — Trump mentioned Jones by name during a January 2024 rally in Mason City, Iowa, keeping the question of carrier catapult technology alive in public discourse.

  5. background

    Trump visits USS Gerald R. Ford and meets mystery sailor "Bill Jones" — During a tour of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the newest aircraft carrier in the Navy's fleet, Trump said he requested to see the catapult crew. A sailor he later identified as "Bill Jones"—who Trump said served 25 years in the Navy—convinced him that electromagnetic catapults were a mistake and that steam catapults, which can be fixed with a hammer and blowtorch, were superior.

  6. background

    Trump asks carrier captain about steam versus electric catapults during Thanksgiving call — During a November 2018 Thanksgiving call to sailors aboard USS Ronald Reagan, Trump asked the ship's commanding officer, then-Captain Patrick Hannifin, for his opinion on steam versus electromagnetic catapults. Hannifin responded that while steam is reliable, he preferred electromagnetic catapults.