The US Navy Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship USNS Salvor has completed recovering the wreckage of two carrier-based aircraft that had crashed into the South China Sea earlier this year.
The recovery of the US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet and an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter that had crashed into the water October was successfully concluded on Friday, December 5.
Both aircraft were assigned to squadrons deployed aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and were conducting routine operations from the ship when the twin incidents occurred within minutes of each other on October 26. All five crewmembers from the two aircraft were safely rescued later that same day.
Salvor arrived at the incident site in early November. For the recovery, the vessel utilised a contractor-operated unmanned system.
The successful recovery was carried out by Salvor in collaboration with Naval Sea Systems Command’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving and Commander Task Group 73.6's Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit.
The navy has not disclosed the exact location where the aircraft recovery was undertaken.