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Navy Recovers the Super Hornet That Was Shockingly Blown Off a Carrier by Wind

At the beginning of July, an incident involving a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet was making headlines. The massive aircraft worth $50 million was simply blown off the USS Truman, apparently because of “unexpected heavy weather.”
A $50 million Super Hornet was recently recovered, after getting blown off a carrier by wind 7 photos
Photo: Boeing
USS Harry S. TrumanUSS Harry S. TrumanF/A-18 Super HornetF/A-18 Super HornetF/A-18 Super HornetF/A-18 Super Hornet
The USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier was in the Mediterranean Sea at the time, so that is where the rescue efforts took place, although the exact location was never disclosed. The Navy recently confirmed through an official statement that the wreckage of the 32,000 lbs (14,500 kg) aircraft was recovered.

A salvage and diving team located and retrieved the Super Hornet sitting at 9,500 feet (2,895 meters) under the sea, UPI reports. With the help of a remotely operated vehicle, the team managed to attach special rigging and lift lines to the aircraft, so it could then be brought back to the surface with a lifting hook.

Instead of an aircraft carrier, the F/A-18 Super Hornet’s temporary “home” was a multi-purpose construction vessel named Everest, in charge of taking the wreckage to an undisclosed military facility. From there, it will make its way back to the U.S.

Although the Super Hornet was successfully recovered, there are still no official answers for the bizarre incident, with the U.S. 6th Fleet still investigating it.

Some experts suggested that it might have been a combination of highly-violent winds known as microbursts and the aircraft not being secured properly. Although the crew could have easily known that stormy weather was coming, they probably did not expect that it would lead to such strong winds.

In any case, the Super Hornet is not the first and most likely won’t be the last aircraft to be lost and then recovered by the Navy. Earlier this year, an F-35C Lightning II was recovered from an even greater depth in the South China Sea.
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About the author: Otilia Drăgan
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Otilia believes that if it’s eco, green, or groundbreaking, people should know about it (especially if it's got wheels or wings). Working in online media for over five years, she's gained a deeper perspective on how people everywhere can inspire each other.
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