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Navy Recovers Nimitz Super Hornet and Seahawk From South China Sea

The operation safeguards sensitive systems by returning the wreckage to U.S. custody for forensic analysis.

U.S. Navy file photo of the Military Sealift Command Safeguard-class salvage ship USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52), one of the vessels involved in the recovery operations. (Image credit: U.S. Coast Guard photo by Air Station Barbers Point Public Affairs/Released)
An MH-60R Sea Hawk takes off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during flight operations in the US Central Command area of responsibility.
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Overview

  • Both airframes were lifted on Dec. 5 from roughly 400 feet, with a Navy official telling The War Zone they were recovered intact.
  • Task Force 73 led the salvage under Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Andersen, working with Task Force 75, SUPSALV, and CTG 73.6’s Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit.
  • The Navy used a contracted vessel equipped with a government-owned, contractor-operated unmanned system to locate and recover the aircraft.
  • Recovered components are being transported to a designated U.S. military installation in the Indo-Pacific for detailed analysis.
  • The aircraft went down Oct. 26 about 30 minutes apart during USS Nimitz operations, all five crew members were rescued, and formal investigations continue; USNS Salvor was reported on scene in November supporting recovery efforts.