The U.S. Navy on Friday salvaged an F/A-18F Super Hornet and MH-60R Seahawk helicopter that went down in the South China Sea on Oct. 26, the U.S. 7th Fleet said this week.
Task Force 73 — along with Task Force 75, Naval Sea Systems Command’s supervisor of salvage and diving and CTG 73.6’s Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit — recovered both aircraft from a depth of around 400 feet.
“Everyone involved brought critical expertise ensuring we could safely and successfully bring these aircraft back under U.S. custody,” said Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Andersen, the CTF 73 officer in charge of the recovery effort.
“This operation highlights the importance of naval integration, readiness, and the unmatched capability of our salvage and diving teams,” he said.
The retrieved aircraft are being sent to an unnamed U.S. Indo-Pacific military installation for further analysis.
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The causes of the crashes are under investigation.
The USNS Salvor, a Safeguard-class salvage ship operated by Military Sealift Command, arrived Nov. 12 to conduct recovery efforts.
Both aircraft, which were assigned to the USS Nimitz, went down less than an hour apart while on routine operations.
The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group deployed assets to help rescue three members from the helicopter, which was assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73.
The two crew members piloting the F/A-18F, assigned to the Strike Fighter Squadron 22 “Fighting Redcocks,” ejected before the crash and were rescued.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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