US Navy Seahawk recovered
Last year (on 25 January 2020), United States Navy MH-60S Seahawk, BuNo 167832 and coded NF-610, operated by Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12 Golden Falcons ('NF-61x') crashed off the coast of Okinawa (Japan) into the deep water of the Pacific Ocean while operating from the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19). The crew was able to escape the helicopter before it sank and no lives were lost.
On 18 March 2021, Naval Sea Systems Command's (NAVSEA) Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) succeeded in recovering the Seahawk from a depth of 19,075 feet. SUPSALV located and documented the wreckage using side-scan sonar and photographs of the helicopter as it lay on the ocean floor during North Pacific operations in the spring of 2020.
SUPSALV returned to the site in March 2021 at the request of the Navy Safety Center with CURV 21, a deep-water, remotely operated vehicle with the ability to meet deep ocean salvage requirements to a maximum depth of 20,000 feet. Pulled from its depth of 19,075 feet, the recovery broke SUPSALV’s own world depth record for an aircraft recovery.
HSC-12 is shore base at Atsugi NAS (Japan), where three Seahawk squadrons are based. Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron Five One (HSM) 51 Warlords ('TA-7xx') and HSM-77 Saberhawks ('NF-7xx'), both operating the MH-60R Seahawk are the other two units.
Photo: US Navy