Aviation
Top Gun fighter jet worth £56m recovered from floor of the Mediterranean
High winds caused a £56 million Top Gun fighter plane to be blown off an aircraft carrier, but it has now been recovered.
Due to high winds caused a £56 million Top Gun fighter plane to be blown off an aircraft carrier, but it has now been recovered. Tom Cruise’s F/A-18E Super Hornet, which was flown in the most recent Maverick film, vanished overboard the USS Harry S. Truman “due to unforeseen bad weather.”
The jet was not piloted when it ran into the gusts, but one sailor from the aircraft carrier was injured. Fortunately, he is in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery.
Task Force (CTF) 68 and the Supervisor of Salvage and Diving from the Naval Sea Systems Command worked together to find the aircraft at a depth of roughly 9,500 feet.
A CURV-21 remotely operated vehicle was used to rescue the aeroplane by attaching specialised rigging and lift lines to it while using the multipurpose construction vessel Everest.
The aeroplane was raised to the surface and hoisted onto Everest using a lifting hook that was fastened to the gear. After the recovery operation on August 3, the jet was brought to a nearby military installation, where it is currently being transported to the US.
“The quick response of the united team, including SUPSALV and Phoenix International personnel, allowed us to execute safe recovery operations within 27 days of the incident,” stated Lt. Cmdr. Miguel Lewis, salvage officer for the US Sixth Fleet.
