December 21, 2023 5:27 PM - Updated: December 21, 2023 5:54 PM
(top row left to right) Chief Warrant Officer Three Stephen Dwyer, 38, of Clarksville, Tenn., Chief Warrant Officer Two Shane Barnes, 34, of Sacramento, Calif., Staff Sgt Tanner W. Grone, 25, of Gorham, N.H. (bottom row left to right) Sgt Cade Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minn., Sgt Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Junction, Ariz.
The Navy, along with a contracted salvage team, has recovered the remains of three soldiers and the Army MH-60 Blackhawk they were aboard that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea on Nov. 10, the service announced Thursday.
Five special operations soldiers, assigned to the “Night Stalkers” of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, died in the crash. Two soldiers were recovered immediately following the crash while three remains were recovered by the salvage team, the Army said in a Thursday release.
The soldiers killed in the crash:
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, 38, of Clarksville, Tenn.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, 34, of Sacramento, Calif.
Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, 26, of Gorham, N.H.
Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Ariz.
Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minn.
“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,” said Cmdr. John Kennedy who led the Navy salvage effort. “Everyone onboard was humbled by the opportunity to play a small role in helping to bring closure to grieving families.”
The remains of the soldiers recovered will be taken to Dover Air Force Base where their identities will be confirmed before they are released to family, according to the release.
The Army Blackhawk crew was conducting refueling training when they experienced an emergency, resulting in the crash, according to a U.S. 6th Fleet news release. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The Navy sent experts from Salvage and Diving, Phoenix International, Explosive Ordnance Mobile Unit 8 and the Army’s Special Operations Aviation Command aboard Italian offshore support vessel NG Worker, the sea service contracted, according to the Sixth Fleet release. The team used a Deep Drone remote-operated vehicle to recover the Blackhawk.
A Deep Drone remote-operated vehicle can retrieve equipment up to depths of 8,000 feet.
The following is the complete U.S. 6th Fleet statement.
Navy locates and recovers downed Blackhawk in the Mediterranean Sea
MEDITERRANEAN SEA – A team of deep ocean salvage experts located and recovered the downed MH-60 Blackhawk that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on Nov. 10. The aircraft was conducting routine training when it experienced an in-flight emergency resulting in the crash.
Under the direction of Commander, Task Force (CTF) 68, the Navy embarked experts from Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), Phoenix International, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 8 (EODMU 8), and U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) aboard the contracted multipurpose vessel, NG Worker, and proceeded to the crash site on Dec. 8. Once on station, highly skilled operators located and recovered the aircraft using state-of-the-art underwater survey and recovery equipment mounted on the Deep Drone remote operated vehicle (ROV). The Deep Drone is a 4,100 pound ROV designed to meet the Navy’s mid-water salvage requirements to a maximum depth of 8,000 feet.
“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,” said Cdr. John Kennedy, Commanding Officer of EODMU 8 and Commander, Task Group (CTG) 68.1. “Everyone onboard was humbled by the opportunity to play a small role in helping to bring closure to grieving families.”
Assigned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command, the MH-60 Blackhawk was carrying five special operations aviation Soldiers when it crashed. All Soldiers on board were killed. The remains of two Soldiers were recovered during initial search and recovery efforts.
The remains of the three other Soldiers were recovered and will be flown to Dover Air force Base and returned to the families. The identities of the Soldiers recovered will be withheld pending notification to next of kin.
Heather Mongilio is a reporter with USNI News. She has a master’s degree in science journalism and has covered local courts, crime, health, military affairs and the Naval Academy. Follow @hmongilio
