Navy tries to recover helicopter, jet that crashed in South China Sea

The U.S. Navy has deployed a salvage vessel to comb the depths of the South China Sea for the remnants of a jet and helicopter that crashed last month.

A MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz went down less than an hour apart on Oct. 26. All personnel involved in the crash were recovered safely and in stable condition.

The USNS Salvor, “a Safeguard-class salvage ship operated by Military Sealift Command, arrived on location on Nov. 12 to conduct recovery efforts,” a statement from the U.S. Seventh Fleet read. “Recovery efforts are still ongoing.”

The cause or causes of the crashes are still under investigation.

At 2:45 p.m. on the day of the crash, the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter “went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations,” the U.S. Pacific Fleet said at the time.

The carrier’s strike group deployed assets that were able to rescue the three crew members from the helicopter, which was assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73.

At 3:15 p.m., an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet from the Strike Fighter Squadron 22 “Fighting Redcocks” also crashed while conducting routine operations.

The two crew members on the jet were able to successfully eject from the cockpit and were rescued.

The U.S. Navy has lost several F/A-18s within the last year, an expensive deficit with each jet costing $60 million.

The USS Gettysburg accidentally shot down an F/A-18 in December 2024, an F/A-18 attempting to land on the USS Harry S. Truman in May fell overboard, another F/A-18 fighter jet slipped off the hangar deck of the Truman in April and an F/A-18E crashed during a training flight off the coast of Virginia in August.