Navy Recovers Lost Aircraft From Three Miles Below the Ocean's Surface

Photo credit: U.S. Navy - Getty Images
Photo credit: U.S. Navy - Getty Images

From Popular Mechanics

The U.S. Navy announced the recovery of the remains of a transport aircraft lost at sea. The C-2 Greyhound was lost in 2017 as it attempted to fly out to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the Philippine Sea. Three aircrew were lost in the accident.

The aircraft was lost on November 22, 2017, on a mission from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan sailing in the Pacific Ocean. Of the eleven people on board eight were rescued. Three others, the pilot, co-pilot and a third crewman, were lost along with the aircraft. The cause of the crash was not determined.

The Greyhound was located in January 2018 in 18,500 feet of water. The aircraft was located by a contracted salvage vessel, which homed on the emergency locator beacon. At the time, a prospective salvage of the aircraft was described as the deepest ever attempted on an aircraft wreck. The debris was mapped underwater by the R/V Petrel, an underwater exploration ship responsible for the recent discovery of several famous World War II shipwrecks, including the aircraft carriers USS Wasp and USS Hornet.

Photo credit: U.S. Navy - Getty Images
Photo credit: U.S. Navy - Getty Images

The aircraft was recovered this May using another contracted vessel. At least one set of remains was reportedly located. It is not clear how much of the aircraft was raised from the seabed.

The C-2 Greyhound is a twin-engine aircraft designed to transport people and supplies to and from aircraft carriers. It is the largest aircraft currently operating off aircraft carriers and one of the few using turboprop engines. The C-2 can carry up to 10,000 pounds of cargo, 20 litters for medical patients, or 26 passengers. The Greyhound is set to be replaced in the early 2020s with the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor.

Source: Stars and Stripes

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