The U.S. military recovered the bodies of three army soldiers from a downed helicopter in the Mediterranean Sea, the Navy confirmed on Thursday.
An Army MH–60 Black helicopter was conducting operations over the Mediterranean Sea in November before experiencing an emergency onboard and suddenly crashing into the ocean, killing all five personnel onboard. A Navy dive team and Army aviation team located the helicopter and recovered the bodies and the aircraft itself, the Navy said in a press release on Thursday. (RELATED: US Army Learns Jungle Warfare Tactics To Prepare For Fight With China)
“The success of this mission can be attributed to highly trained Sailors, Soldiers, and civilians from the combined Army-Navy team who came together and displayed extreme skill to safely recover the helicopter,” Navy Cdr. John Kennedy said in a statement on Thursday. “Everyone onboard was humbled by the opportunity to play a small role in helping to bring closure to grieving families.”
Five soldiers in total died during the accident, according to the Navy. Two bodies were immediately found in the aftermath of the accident, and the remaining three were recovered on Dec. 15, according to Military.com.
Two U.S. Air Force MH-60 M Black Hawk helicopters participate in a military parade in September 2023. (Photo by JAVIER TORRES/AFP via Getty Images)
The helicopter was “conducting routine training at the time of the mishap,” a defense official told the Daily Caller News Foundation. U.S. European Command (EUCOM) said that there were no indications that “hostile activity” was the cause of the crash, according to Military.com.
The Navy called on experts from its Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) to help the recovery operation, according to the press release. A 4,100-pound naval deep drone, capable of lowering to depths of 8,000 feet, was also utilized in the operation.
The bodies of the soldiers were returned to their families, according to the press release. The U.S. Army previously identified the five fallen soldiers as Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, 38, of Clarksville, Tennessee; Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, 26, of Gorham, New Hampshire; Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Arizona; Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minnesota; and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, 34, of Sacramento, California.
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