Navy Salvages F-35C from South China Sea After January Crash

Nick Gilbertson

The U.S. Navy recovered an F-35C Lighting II aircraft from the bottom of the South China Sea on Wednesday after it crashed on the USS Carl Vinson’s flight deck and careened into the water on January 24.

Navy personnel working from the diving support construction vessel (DSCV) Picasso salvaged the craft from the seafloor, USNI reported. On February 23, the Picasso left Okinawa for the crash site.

The U.S. 7th Fleet has issued a news release regarding the successful recovery:

The wreckage was recovered from a depth of approximately 12,400-feet by a team from CTF 75 [Commander, Task Force 75] and the NAVSEA’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) embarked on the diving support construction vessel (DSCV) Picasso.

A CURV-21, a 6400 lb remote-operated vehicle (ROV) used for deep-sea salvages of depths up to 20,000 feet, “attached specialized rigging and lift lines to the aircraft,” the statement says. “The ship’s crane lifting hook was then lowered to the seafloor and connected to the rigging, and then lifted the aircraft to the surface and hoisted it onboard Picasso.”

The aircraft recovery ensures the technology will not fall into the hands of Communist China and Russia – countries that could have replicated the craft or gathered clues as to how to combat them, USNI reported.

“While the Navy did not specify where the recovery operations occurred, the Japan Coast Guard issued a notice to mariners in late January warning of salvage operations about 170 miles west of the Philippine island of Luzon.” according to the outlet.

The F-35C will be transported to a close-by military installation in a continuation of the ongoing investigation and will be “evaluated for potential transport to the United States,” the U.S. 7th Fleet’s release said.

After the incident in late January, leaked footage of the crash surfaced, which was corroborated by the Navy, Breitbart News reported.

“The $103 million advanced stealth fighter had been recorded making contact with the USS Carl Vinson’s flight deck, catching fire, sliding along the deck, and landing in the water,” Breitbart News wrote in February, citing Stars and Stripes.

The crash injured the pilot, who ejected from F-35C upon impact, and six other sailors, Stars and Stripes previously reported. Three of the injured were air-transported to a hospital in Manila, Philippines, and were released from the hospital, while the other four sailors were treated on the Carl Vinson.

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