
On the edge of a thunderstorm somewhere in the eastern Mediterranean, the $4.5billion US carrier Harry S. Truman rumbles as its fighters launch into the darkening sky.

With lightning bolts flashing in the distance,the nuclear-powered vessel - which weighs 97,000 tons - is waging a war thousands of miles away in Syria.

'It's a pleasure to see a year's worth of training in action,' Rear Admiral Gene Black, commander of the carrier strike group, notes from the ship's bridge as the deadly choreography unfolds on the flight deck below.

Trailing fire and smoke, F-18 Super Hornet fighters blast off towards classified targets in rapid succession, alternating with refueling planes and E-2D Hawkeye flying radars.

The US carrier Harry S. Truman has been supporting attacks on Islamic State targets in Syria under Operation Inherent Resolve. It weighs just over a million tons

F-18 Super Hornet fighters jets are seen on the flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea this week

An F18 Hornet fighter jet takes off from the carrier. Ships this size are designed to 'project American presence and power off any coast' according to the US navy

Crew members of US aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman stand beside an F18 Hornet fighter jet on the flight deck of the ship

The carrier's group currently includes a cruiser and four destroyers. A Russian warship hovers on the horizon. The strike group's presence is an implied message to Moscow too

Sailing out from Norfolk, Virginia in April, the Harry S. Truman has been supporting attacks on Islamic State targets in Syria under Operation Inherent Resolve - a role it last played in 2016.

Ships this size are designed to 'project American presence and power off any coast' according to the US navy.

'This is the biggest (strike group) to sail from the east coast in quite some time,' Black notes.

The carrier's group currently includes a cruiser and four destroyers. A Russian warship hovers on the horizon. The strike group's presence is an implied message to Moscow too.

'It's a pretty potent force, with some of the latest capabilities the navy can put to sea,' the admiral adds.

Working together, the carrier's crew can fire off two planes every 40 seconds during daylight, or 60 seconds at night

A crew member holds a missile on an F18 Hornet fighter jet on the deck of the US navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman

Almost as long as the Empire State Building is high at close to 1,100 feet, the flight deck teems with 'rainbow warriors' - sailors in brightly colored shirts that designate their specific role in a system that, given the hazards, needs to run like clockwork

Below the deck of the carrier hums a small city of over 5,500 people, many of them on their first ever deployment abroad

Almost as long as the Empire State Building is high at close to 1,100 feet, the flight deck teems with 'rainbow warriors' - sailors in brightly colored shirts that designate their specific role in a system that, given the hazards, needs to run like clockwork.

Purple shirts fuel up the planes. Red shirts load the bomb and missile ordnance. Green shirts handle maintenance. Yellow shirts direct aircraft launch and recovery.

Working together, they can fire off two planes every 40 seconds during daylight, or 60 seconds at night.

'We're planning on a seven-month deployment...we could go home in a month, we could extend for a year,' the admiral says.

Below the deck hums a small city of over 5,500 people, many of them on their first deployment abroad.

The crew watches as an F18 Hornet fighter jet takes off from the navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman on Tuesday

A crew member checks a missile on an F18 Hornet fighter jet stationed on the deck of the US navy aircraft carrier

Much of the carrier's crew joined so they could have a chance to see the world and be part of something 'exciting', they said

A crew member is surrounded by smoke after an F18 Hornet fighter jet takes off from the flight deck on Tuesday

'I came from a low-income home. I wanted to see the world...meet new people, get a free education basically,' says parachute rigger Caitlin Schumacher, a 25-year-old mother-of-three from Cleveland.

'It's the most exciting thing that I've been a part of...it's eye-opening,' says Dewayne 'Hula' Hooper, a 26-year-old pilot from Huntingtown, Maryland.

Hooper has been training for this role for three years. He has just flown his first mission over Syria, yet still finds landing on a moving carrier daunting.

'It's always scary, especially at night, but you want to come home,' he says.

Home, indeed. For months to come, the 70-aircraft behemoth will be the nearest thing for those on board.

'Deployment forces us to be a unit. We rely heavily on each other,' says Naomi L Goodwyn, chief of the officers' mess hall.

'We become a real family. That's what deployment does, it creates lasting memories, lasting friendships,' she stresses.

For months to come, the 70-aircraft behemoth will be the nearest thing that those on board will be able to call home

The lights of an F18 Hornet fighter jet blaze as it prepares to take off into the night from the deck of the aircraft carrier

Dewayne Hooper, 26, just flew his first mission over Syria. But the pilot, who hails from Maryland, still finds landing on a moving carrier to be daunting

After a daily shift that can be as long as 12 hours, sailors unwind by watching movies, playing video games, and staying fit

After a daily shift that can be as long as 12 hours, sailors unwind by watching movies, playing video games, and staying fit.

Workout machines abound on the ship, even on the navigation bridge.

The number of staircases on the carrier alone, however, make it a 'floating stairmaster', a crew member jokes.

To keep up morale, there are also karaoke nights, fitness classes, Lego building and the Truman Show, a homemade weekly TV show made by the sailors combining comedy and hard news.

Then there is the food. If an army is known to march on its stomach, this holds for sailors, too.

'We like to reward these guys every chance that we can,' says Brandi Royal, a 26-year-old galley officer from Denver, chopping bacon for the salad bar.

U.S. Navy Aviation Machinist's Mate Petty Officer 3rd Class James Bianzon inspects an FA-18 fighter jet of the 'Checkmates' squadron at the hangar bay of the carrier

Workout machines abound on the ship, even on the navigation bridge. The number of staircases on the carrier alone, however, make it a 'floating stairmaster', a crew member jokes

Crew members of the carrier work in the kitchen, which serves 17,000 meals across seven galleys every single day

Every day, four meals are served across seven galleys - around 17,000 meals in all.

This includes 1,600 pounds of chicken, 160 gallons of milk, 30 cases of cereal, and 350 pounds of lettuce, says Goodwyn.

And for anyone who has a birthday, they can look forward to a special meal that calendar month, she notes.

'Tablecloths, wine glasses, nice music, specialised meals like prime rib or lobster,' says Goodwyn.

'Everything in life is surrounded by food,' she says.