U.S. Navy Salvors Recover Two Wrecked Aircraft From USS Nimitz

U.S. Navy salvors have recovered the wreck of a fighter and a helicopter that crashed after takeoff from the carrier USS Nimitz during a Western Pacific deployment in October. The salvage effort keeps any sensitive technology aboard the aircraft out of the hands of foreign competitors - an important consideration in waters near China.

On October 26, the carrier USS Nimitz was conducting routine flight operations on a patrol in the South China Sea. At about 1445 hours local time, an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter from the carrier went down suddenly. Three crewmembers were safely rescued, but the airframe was lost.

Half an hour later, while the helicopter crash response was still ongoing, an F/A-18F Super Hornet from Nimitz's airwing had a mechanical emergency as well. The two crewmembers ejected and were rescued safely from the water.

The simultaneous loss of two aircraft is rare for any navy. An initial inquiry aboard the carrier pointed to the possibility of bad fuel, President Donald Trump told reporters shortly after the incident.

To prevent espionage and to gather information on the cause of the crash, the U.S. Navy activated its aircraft recovery plans. The Navy's Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) has a longstanding mission of recovering lost aircraft from the deep, an essential task for protecting military secrets. In cooperation with Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific and a mobile diving and salvage unit, CTG 73.6, SUPSALV mobilized to the crash site with a commercial support vessel and the recovery ship USNS Salvor, operated by Military Sealift Command.

Salvor mobilized from Palau to support the operation. After crossing the South China Sea without AIS, the vessel reappeared on November 24 to the north of the Riau Islands, where - after a port call in Singapore - she operated for about one week. She is currently back in Singapore, according to AIS tracking provided by Pole Star Global.

"Everyone involved brought critical expertise ensuring we could safely and successfully bring these aircraft back under U.S. custody. This operation highlights the importance of naval integration, readiness, and the unmatched capability of our salvage and diving teams," said Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Andersen, the officer in charge of the salvage mission.

The recovered wreckage will be offloaded and moved to a secure site for examination, U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement. An investigation into the cause of the casualty is under way.