The debris field from the crash of two Marine Corps helicopters has shifted to deeper seas, postponing any salvage effort until additional deep-water diving equipment arrives, military officials said Wednesday.
The Navy ship USNS Salvor on Monday returned to the wreck site of the deadly Jan. 14 crash of two helicopters about 2 miles off Waimea Bay, the Military Sealift Command said.
“We have a very detailed plan in place to handle any of our brother Marines as we retrieve them and then bring them back to their families, wherever they would like, in a dignified fashion.”
Capt. Tim Irish
Marine Corps spokesman
But after a quick survey, the crew realized that the debris field had shifted because of high seas, and is now deeper than the original survey had determined.
As a result, the ship was sent back to port so that deep-water diving equipment could be ordered and delivered to the ship for any future dives, the Navy command said.
“Because of the new information that was discovered on Monday, a new salvage and recovery plan is being addressed,” Sarah Burford, a Military Sealift Command spokeswoman, said in an email Wednesday.
High seas and the depth of the debris field have hampered salvage and recovery efforts of the two CH-53E Super Stallions that went down in an apparent nighttime fireball, taking all 12 Marines with them.
A debris field was found on the seafloor in about 300 feet of water, the Marines said before the Salvor team found the wreckage had slipped even deeper. The Navy Personnel Command said Navy divers perform ocean, harbor and combat/expeditionary salvage operations in up to 300 feet of water. How deep the wreckage is now was not immediately clear Wednesday.
The fallen — six Marines on each of the big single-rotor choppers — were members of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 at Kaneohe Bay, out on a training flight.
Divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1 needed specialized equipment from Key West, Fla., for use aboard the 255-foot Salvor, a rescue and salvage ship. Rough seas also pushed back the Salvor’s departure to the crash site from Saturday to Monday, the military said.
The Marine Corps revealed Tuesday that none of the Marines has been found, although “trace elements of remains in the form of DNA were recovered during the search and rescue phase that ended on 19 Jan.,” III Marine Expeditionary Force spokeswoman Capt. Cassandra Gesecki said Tuesday. The Okinawa, Japan- based III MEF is the higher headquarters for the Hawaii helicopter squadron.
The Marines offered no explanation as to what form the DNA was in.
“The families of the Marines that were identified have been informed of this information,” Gesecki said in an email. Gesecki said the Salvor and MDSU-1 would continue to use remotely operated vehicles to search, assess and survey the debris field.
A second Military Sealift Command ship, the 226-foot fleet ocean tug USNS Navajo, was not at the recovery site, but “they are standing by in the event they are tasked as part of the new mission,” Burford said.
Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Tim Irish said on Monday that specialized equipment that previously came from Florida included the ability to mix gases for dives to deeper depths.
“We have a very detailed plan in place to handle any of our brother Marines as we retrieve them and then bring them back to their families, wherever they would like, in a dignified fashion,” Irish said.
The missing Marines from the helicopters known as Pegasus 31 and 32 were declared dead on Jan. 20 after an intensive five-day search. A memorial service was held at Kaneohe Bay on Jan. 22.
The parents of one of the fallen Marines, Cpl. Christopher Orlando, 23, said after returning home to Hingham, Mass., from Hawaii following the memorial that they received an “overwhelming response of support” from the community. Thousands lined the streets for their return on Jan. 26.
Richard and Linda Orlando said in a statement that the “show of patriotism and gratitude honored, and continues to honor, Christopher, his fellow Marines, and all those who protect and serve the citizens of the country.”
The Orlandos noted that the recovery effort continued on the North Shore despite difficult conditions.
“We pray for the recovery of each and every Marine of Pegasus 31 and Pegasus 32,” they said.
