Navy salvage crews have recovered a jet fighter that plunged into the ocean more than a month ago during aircraft carrier operations in the South China Sea.
The wreckage was recovered Wednesday by personnel from the Navy’s Guam-based Task Force 75 and the Naval Sea System Command’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving working aboard the Diving Support Construction Vessel Picasso, Navy officials said Thursday.
“The task force’s expertise in rapid, scalable command, control and communications, agile logistics, organic security, and explosive ordnance disposal was the most flexible choice for the fleet commander to respond in a timely manner,” said Capt. Gareth Healy, commander of Task Force 75.
The F-35C Lightning II crashed Jan. 24 while attempting to land on the USS Carl Vinson (CNV 70) and plunged more than 12,000 feet below the surface of the water, officials said. The pilot had ejected from the jet fighter and was safely recovered.
The salvage team used a CURV-21 remotely operated vehicle to attach specialized rigging and lift lines to the downed aircraft. It was then lifted by crane to the recovery ship, officials said.
“This deliberate approach resulted in the correct capabilities conducting recovery operations within 37 days of the incident,” Capt. Healy said in a statement.
The jet fighter will be taken to a nearby military base, which has not been identified, and evaluated as part of the investigation and to determine if it can be transported to the U.S., officials said.
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