A note from the US Pacific Fleet reports that five crewmembers from a plane and a helicopter, both downed in the South China Sea, were recovered safely. 

Yesterday, 26 October 2025 at approximately 14:45 local time, an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter of the US Navy, assigned to the "Battle Cats" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (Hsm) 73, crashed into the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from the carrier Uss Nimitz (CVN 68). Searches conducted by Carrier Strike Group 11 resulted in the recovery of all three crew members.

Subsequently, separately, at 15:15, an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter assigned to the "Fighting Redcocks" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22 went down, also in the South China Sea, while conducting routine operations from the Nimitz. Both aircrew ejected and were safely recovered by the same Carrier Strike Group 11.

All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition. The cause of both incidents is currently under investigation.

Both events occurred while the carrier was transiting the contested waters of the South China Sea. The Uss Nimitz was completing its operational deployment, returning toward its homeport in Everett, Washington, after having operated in the Middle East. The Gulf deployment was part of the United States' response to rising geopolitical tensions, including the conflict involving Israel in Gaza and the ongoing conflict in Yemen.

The historic carrier toward retirement

The incident casts a shadow over the final months of the USS Nimitz's active service. Commissioned back in 1975, the carrier was the lead ship of its namesake class, serving as a cornerstone of American naval power for fifty years. The ship is slated for final decommissioning within the next year, an event that will mark the end of a long and distinguished half-century career.