In 2015, the crew of USNS Catawba (T-ATF-168) conducted the successful salvage of a crashed U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet in the Arabian/Persian Gulf, demonstrating the Navy’s capability to rapidly recover sensitive aircraft and equipment from challenging maritime environments. Operating as part of a coordinated response with Navy and joint forces, Catawba’s sailors used specialized towing, diving, and recovery expertise to locate, secure, and retrieve the downed jet, helping prevent the loss of