Typically the first stage is destroyed during impact with the water(or ground). The Shuttle SRBs were generally recovered undamaged, but relied on large parachutes and were towed back using a specialized ship.
SpaceX Grasshopper avoids either destroying the first stage, or a labor intensive and expensive recovery process.
No, but I'm sure I read that right and the machine existed.
> I thought the SRB segments are quite structurally strong and the parachutes quite large and effective.
They are, but the stresses are large, the diameter is large, and the requirements quite stringent. If a casing is out of round by a small fraction, this might still cause the o-rings to not be pressed against the casings tightly enough.
SpaceX Grasshopper avoids either destroying the first stage, or a labor intensive and expensive recovery process.