Capsule Recovery Team

A Navy Dive team from Expeditionary Unit One along with contractors from the 1AF and Neutral Buoyancy Lab recovered the Orion Crew Module after its historic flight around the moon in December of 2022

In support of Military Sealift Command and Inactive Fleet, SUPSALV conducted a tow of Ex-USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63) from Bremerton, WA to Brownsville, TX for scrapping. This image shows the towed vessel, EX-KITTY HAWK, which was towed by Michele FOSS in the Gulf of Mexico approaching Brownsville.

Shippingport being towed from New London

Military Sealift Command tasked SUPSALV to tow the drydock, SHIPPINGPORT (ARDM 4) from New London, CT to Norfolk, VA to support the drydock’s maintenance availability. This image shows the DonJon tugs escorting SHIPPINGPORT out of New London.

SUPSALV and NASA test advanced diving system

Robyn McGinn, SUPSALV’s Program Manager for Diving Life Support Systems was the Navy diver who executed a test dive with the DAVD system on 24 Feb. The light seen in the visor is the DAVD heads up display system. Office of Naval Research and SUPSALV are developing generation 2 and 3 capabilities to the helmet system used to provide navigation in low-visibility environments. (Photo by Rory O'Connor)

USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) Island Removal

NAVSEA SUPSALV engineers working with their West Coast Salvage contractor, SMIT Americas, were tasked to prepare and tow the fire damaged USS BONHOMME RICHARD (LHD-6) from San Diego through the Panama Canal to the Gulf of Mexico where she will be dismantled. Pictured is the Navigation Bridge being lifted from the superstructure. SUPSALV engineers on site supporting this operation are: Jim (Doc) Ruth, LCDR Ted Strab and LCDR Robyn Bianchi. 210303-N-N2201-614

SUPSALV Conducts In-Water Bearing Replacement in Pearl Harbor, HI

Pearl Harbor, HI. During a 3 week period, SEA00C UWSH Specialist, Scott Heineman, lead a team of contract welder divers in the replacement of USS CHAFEE's main shaft bearings. This 27 October image shows the removal of a bearing shell to the surface where it was refurbished by SUPSALV's Diving Services Contractor Divers and ESSM mechanics prior to reinstallation. 201027–N-LC447-002

Dry Habitat used to conduct rudder repairs is hoisted from the water

SUPSALV conducts repairs to USS DONALD COOK's Rudder

Rota, Spain. SUPSALV’s Underwater Ship Repair specialist, Neil Wolfe teams with Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center Repair Officer, LCDR Ben Hall, and a crew of contract welder-divers to conduct repairs to USS DONALD COOK’s (DDG 75) port rudder in a dry habitat. Pictured is the dry habitat being transferred from the water after repairs. 200909-N-LC447-002

SUPSALV Removes Barge from USNA

NAVSEA salvage engineers took on the challenge of refloating of a Navy Lighterage System pontoon causeway at the United States Naval Academy this spring as an in-house task. After delivery of Emergency Ship Salvage Material (ESSM) patching and pumping equipment on 9 April, they constructed patches and dewatered the flooded and heavily damaged individual compartments. Left: the sunken causeway. Middle: NAVSEA Engineering Duty Officer divers and SUPSALV salvage division staff patch, blow air into, and pump water from some of the 45 compartments. Right: the fully floating causeway prepped for tow and removal on 22 April.

Hub Change out Cofferdam being lowered into the water

SUPSALV Underwater Ship Repair specialists, Russ Mallet, Neil Wolfe, and Jacob Nessel, along with a team of Navy divers from Mid Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center are supporting the removal and replacement of a Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP) Hub on a DDG Class ship. Pictured above is the dry habitat being lowered into the water to support the hub removal as the MARMC divers wait to receive it. 200324-N-LC447-001

Gulf of Mexico Ops successful in advance of spring mission

The U.S. Navy completed 600fsw recertification dives in the Gulf of Mexico in November marking the completion of the reactivation of the Saturation Flyaway Diving System (SATFADS). The system, which is transportable via sea or air, allows divers to work at depths and duration beyond those achievable with surface supplied diving practices to support critical undersea missions. SATFADS first planned mission is supporting DPAA in recovering remains from the WWII B-24 Heaven Can Wait off Papua New Guinea.

SUPSALV parbuckles NSWC ARD platform

Responding to a request from NSWC Carderock Division, Acoustic Research Detachment in Bayview, ID, SUPSALV was tasked to salvage a capsized research platform in Lake Pend Oreille. SUPSALV’s team towed the capsized Experimental Support Platform (ESP) to the pier, installed pulling levers to the bottom of the hull, assembled pulling winches and holdback anchor legs and conducted a parbuckle operation on 22 October. Following the parbuckle, the ESP was pumped dry, stabilized and turned over to the ARD for refurbishment.

SUPSALV recovers PACFLT C-2A from Philippine Sea

U.S. Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving team working from a contracted diving support and construction vessel, located and recovered the fuselage of a downed C-2A Greyhound aircraft from the depth of 18,789 feet using the deep ocean remotely operated vehicle CURV 21. The aircraft, which was lost in November, 2017 was recovered at the request of Commander Pacific Fleet in order to facilitate the mishap investigation.

USAF Ship Debeaching

181214-F-XK019-1002 - Tyndall AFB, FL - 14 DEC 2018. Salvage Engineers from NAVSEA Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) team with MDSU Two personnel to debeach a USAF Missile Retriever vessel which washed ashore during Hurricane Michael. In this image, the second day of salvage operations, the vessel is being pulled by the barge toward deep water with large roller bags under the keel easing it’s slide across the seabed.

SUPSALV News - 1/31/2023 - Check out newly issued Dive Manual eBook (found in diving publications)

Hurricane Ida Salvage Support

Oct. 6, 2021 - U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving has deployed uniformed and civilian salvage engineers along with industry partners in support of USACE to clear waterways impacted by Hurricane Ida. The salvage and dive teams are...

U.S. Navy Recovers MH-60S Helicopter from Record Depth

210318-N-LC447-031 NORTH PACIFIC (March 18, 2021) An MH-60S on deck of contracted salvage vessel off the coast of Yokosuka, Japan on March 18, 2021, having just been pulled from the depth of 19,075 ft by NAVSEA Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, (SUPSALV) at the request of the Navy Safety Center to facilitate accident investigation. This depth, a SUPSALV record, achieved using the ROV CURV 21 (painted yellow in background), deep ocean lift line and heave compensated Fly Away Dive System (red equipment behind helicopter).

March 22, 2021 - NORTH PACIFIC - NAVSEA’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) recovered a downed Navy MH-60S helicopter from a depth of 19,075 feet off the coast of Okinawa, Japan Thursday.The helicopter, a twin engine Sikorsky...

SUPSALV supports NATO missions by clearing sunken dredge barge from the Port of Alexandroupoli, Greece

This 4th section of Dredge Barge Olga was cut and lifted on 22 August and loaded on a trailer to be taken to the processing site. SUPSALV is supporting future NATO missions by clearing sunken barge in the port of Alexandroupoli, Greece.

Sept. 4, 2019 - Responding to a request from U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Army Europe to remove a sunken dredge barge from the port of Alexandroupoli, Greece, NAVSEA Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, SEA 00C, has developed a plan and...

Young Relieves Lehnhardt as SUPSALV Director

Aug. 2, 2019 - WASHINGTON –Capt. Jay A. Young relieved Capt. Keith Lehnhardt as Naval Sea System Command’s (NAVSEA) Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), July 26. Young reports to SUPSALV after serving...

Navy diving equipment tested by astronauts for space exploration missions

David Coan, extra vehicular activity lead for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center dives at the Aquarius Reef Base underwater habitat.donning a Kirby Morgan-37 helmet equipped with the Divers Augmented Vision Device Generation 1.0 heads-up display during the 23rd NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations in June 2019.

July 16, 2019 - Scientists, engineers and key partners of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) are collaborating by taking an NSWC PCD technology, originally designed for diving, from seabed to space.The Diver...

SUPSALV Leadership

CAPT SAL M. SUAREZ, Commander, Supervisor of Diving & Salvage (00C), Director of Ocean Engineering

CAPT Sal M. Suarez, USN
Commander, Supervisor of Diving & Salvage (00C), Director of Ocean Engineering
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Publication Links

Faceplate Magazine
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U.S. Navy Diving Manual - Rev 7 Ch A. Dated 04/30/2018
Salvage Publications
Diving Publications
SUPSALV News Archive

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