On August 03, the US Navy managed to rescue a Boeing F/A-08E Super Hornet fighter that crashed from the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman into the waters of the Mediterranean Sea in July. The aircraft is still in that region and will soon be sent to its home country.
According to one release of the Navy's 6th Fleet, the naval fighter was recovered at a depth of almost 9500 feet (about 2,8 km) by a team composed of soldiers from Task Force 68, from the Rescue and Diving Supervisor of the Naval Systems Command ( SUPSALV), 6th Fleet, Naval Air Forces of the Atlantic and the aircraft carrier itself. The military team worked alongside civil servants onboard the multipurpose vessel. MPV everest, operated by Maritime Construction Services based in Luxembourg.
The accident completed exactly one month this Monday (08). The aircraft, an F/A-18E fighter from the 1st Carrier Air Wing (CVW 1), was aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman when it crashed into the sea. The Navy said the accident occurred due to unexpected weather conditions while the aircraft carrier was being refueled by another ship. One sailor suffered minor injuries.
CVW-1 has three squadrons of F/A-18Es: VFA-34 Blue Blasters, VFA-211 Fighting Checkmates and VFA-81 Sunliners. A fourth squadron, the VFA-11 Red Rippers, operates the two-seat F/A-18F. The Navy did not say which squadron the newly recovered F/A-18 belongs to.
The aircraft was found and lifted from the bottom of the sea with the aid of the CURV 21 (Cable-controlled Undersea Recovery Vehicle 21). The CURV-21, a kind of robot-submarine connected and controlled to the ship by cables, arrived on the F/A-18 and was used to connect specialized ropes and lifting lines to the aircraft. A hook was attached to the cables to raise the aircraft to the surface and hoist it aboard Everest.
“The rapid response of the combined team, including SUPSALV and Phoenix International personnel, allowed us to carry out safe recovery operations within 27 days of the incident”said Lieutenant Miguel Lewis, Sixth Fleet salvage officer. “Our bespoke team operated safely and efficiently to meet the schedule. The search and recovery took less than 24 hours, a true testament to the team's dedication and ability."
This isn't the first time the US Navy has used the CURV-21 to recover aircraft from the seafloor. In 2021, ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) was used to find and rescue an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter off the coast of Okinawa, Japan.
The helicopter was at a depth of 5.814 meters (19,075 feet). To get an idea, the wreckage of the Titanic, which sank in 1912, is about 3800 meters deep.
The CURV-21 was also used in two other recent rescues of downed fighter jets at sea. The first, in 2021, when a Royal Air Force F-35B crashes in Mediterranean when trying to take off from the aircraft carrier USS Queen Elizabeth. The aircraft was rescued three weeks later in a race against time to prevent the stealth fighter's wreckage from falling into the wrong hands.
“Inherent to Task Force 68 is our ability to adapt to any mission set – we can rapidly mobilize and deploy scalable command, control and communications in order to integrate and deliver advanced command and control when and where needed”, said Task Force 68 Commodore Captain Geoffrey Townsend.
In March, the CURV-21 saw service to rescue another F-35, this time an F-35C that crashed in the South China Sea after crashing into the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during landing. The accident, which occurred on 24/01, left seven soldiers injured, including the pilot who ejected from the aircraft.
Despite not being a state-of-the-art fighter like the F-35, the F/A-18 Super Hornet also carries sensitive instruments such as the AESA AN/APG-79 radar, radar warning sensors and friend-enemy identification, radios, datalink, mission computers and others. This also includes any other equipment that was "hanging" on the plane at the time of the accident, such as missiles and electro-optical pods.
The possible capture of this type of material, even damaged, is a serious security risk for the US and its allies. In addition, the US Navy is modernizing its Super Hornet fighters, which will still remain in service for years to come, operating alongside the F-35, as noted by the The War Zone.
Fortunately for the US, that danger no longer exists now that the F/A-18 Super Hornet is in safe hands. The Navy says the jet will soon be sent back to the country.
