U.S Navy Retrieves Drowned MH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter In Mediterranean Rescue Mission

The Army MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that three soldiers were riding in when it plunged into the Mediterranean Sea in the month of November has been found, along with their remains, revealed a Navy dive and salvage team that made the announcement on Thursday.

Everyone aboard was humbled by the chance to contribute in any small way to helping grieving families find closure, stated Cmdr. John Kennedy, a Navy commander in charge of the task force overseeing the operation.

The aircraft was found on December 15, and the corpses of the three men inside were taken to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for identification, per the Army’s Special Operations Command. The bones of the two people who perished in the helicopter crash were discovered right away.

MH-60 Black Hawk — Image for representation purpose only

The crew of five soldiers was attached to the 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and was a part of the Army’s Special Operations Command. The Army mentioned that the aircraft encountered an in-flight emergency, culminating in the crash when the Black Hawk was practising aerial refuelling.

The incident happened in the midst of an American force buildup in retaliation for an Israeli military operation in Gaza and a terror attack on civilians by Hamas.

A senior defence official at the time declined to comment if the Army special operations unit had travelled to the region to aid Israel, except to state that it was there because of the unstable security situation in the area. U.S. European Command emphasized in a statement that the aircraft sortie was part of training and there were zero indications of hostile activities.

Once on station, highly trained operators identified and recovered the aircraft using cutting-edge underwater survey as well as recovery equipment installed on the Deep Drone and remote-operated vehicle, the Navy stated in a statement. The Deep Drone utilized in the operation has a maximum performing depth of 8,000 feet, despite the fact that neither statement specified the depth of the submerged chopper.

The US Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving is sometimes called in to retrieve aeroplanes and other items. An F-35C Lightning II fighter that had slid off and sank more than 12,000 feet into the South China Sea a few months earlier smashed into the deck of the USS Carl Vinson, per the command’s recovery in March 2022.

In addition, the command supplied tools and knowledge to the huge Titan rescue and recovery operation, a private submersible that blew up during a dive into the Titanic wreck. Chief Warrant Officer 2 named Shane M. Barnes of Sacramento, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer of Clarksville, Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone of Gorham, Sgt. Andrew P. Southard of Apache Junction and Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe of Mankato is the victim of the crash.

The identities of three military personnel who were found during the salvage operation were not disclosed by the Army or the Navy. The Navy has cited the pending next-of-kin notification to be the reason. The first search and recovery operation in November turned up the bodies of two servicemen. According to the Army Special Operations Command, investigations are still ongoing to determine what caused the crash.

Reference: Military.com

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