It was an extraordinary, and deeply unsettling, hour for one of America’s most famous warships. Within just 30 minutes, two aircraft from the USS Nimitz went down in the South China Sea, a rare double loss during what the U.S. Navy described as “routine operations”.
Thankfully, in both cases, every crew member made it out alive.
According to the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the drama began around 2:45 p.m. local time on October 26, when an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter from the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 crashed into the sea while operating from the Nimitz. The chopper, designed for maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare, was carrying three crew, all of whom were swiftly rescued by nearby search and rescue teams.
Barely half an hour later, disaster struck again. At 3:15 p.m., an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron 22 also went down during flight operations. Both pilots successfully ejected and were pulled from the water by recovery teams from Carrier Strike Group 11, which includes the Nimitz.
Amazingly, all five personnel involved in the two incidents were reported safe and in stable condition.
The U.S. Pacific Fleet confirmed that immediate response and recovery operations were launched after both crashes, and that investigations are already underway to determine what went wrong. No other damage or injuries were reported.
The USS Nimitz, one of the oldest active carriers in the U.S. Navy, has spent much of this year moving between the Middle East and the western Pacific. The carrier group had entered the South China Sea on October 17, part of its ongoing deployment in the Indo-Pacific region, a hotspot for military activity as tensions rise between major powers.
About the USS Nimitz and Its Aircraft
Commissioned in 1975, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is a nuclear-powered supercarrier and the lead ship of its class. At over 1,000 feet long and displacing roughly 100,000 tonnes, it’s essentially a floating city, complete with a crew of around 5,000 personnel. Powered by two Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors, it can hit speeds above 30 knots, and is armed with Sea Sparrow and Rolling Airframe Missiles for defence, as well as Phalanx CIWS gun systems for close-in protection.
The F/A-18F Super Hornet, meanwhile, is Boeing’s twin-seat, carrier-based multirole jet, capable of speeds up to Mach 1.8. It can carry an array of precision weapons, from air-to-air missiles to guided bombs, and boasts a combat radius of about 390 nautical miles.
The MH-60R Sea Hawk, built by Sikorsky, is a versatile maritime workhorse. It’s fitted with radar, sonar, and electronic surveillance systems, and powered by twin T700 turboshaft engines. Designed to hunt submarines and surface threats alike, it’s a mainstay of modern U.S. naval aviation.
For now, the focus remains on understanding how two advanced aircraft could be lost in such quick succession, and ensuring it doesn’t happen again.
