DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Yuuji Kusano was fitted with diving gear by crewmen
of the Japanese naval ship Chihaya, which will participate
in cleanup efforts after human remains are removed
from the sunken Ehime Maru.

Ehime recovery
progress still slow

Footage of the sunken vessel
is released as crews
try to secure wires

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By B.J. Reyes
breyes@starbulletin.com

Navy and contract engineers made little progress yesterday as they continued to try to secure metal wires needed to move the sunken Japanese fisheries training vessel Ehime Maru closer to shore.

The civilian diving-support ship Rockwater 2 had lifted the stern of the Ehime Maru by early Monday to adjust one of two cables that snagged when it was pulled beneath the fishing vessel last week.

But by yesterday afternoon, crews still had not been able to secure the wire that will be needed to lift the 830-ton fishing vessel, Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Russell Coons said.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hokii Hideki, above, chief rescue vehicle mechanic,
looked at a remote-operated vehicle yesterday
aboard the Japanese naval ship Chihaya.

"We still don't know what is causing the snag," Coons said.

Also yesterday, the Navy released video of the sunken vessel taken last month by a remote-operated vehicle while officials aboard a Japanese support ship showed off equipment that will be used to assist Navy divers in the planned salvage mission of the Ehime Maru.

The edited video footage, dated Aug. 12-14, was shot by a remote-operated vehicle operated by a U.S. Navy team, said Lt. j.g. Anne Cossitt, a Navy spokeswoman. The camera captured images of the deck and other damaged sections of the vessel.

One shot shows the mechanical arm of the ROV manipulating a hatch door while drops of a black substance appear to leak. The Navy estimates that about 45,000 gallons of diesel fuel and lube oil still may be trapped in the ship's hull.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Yesterday's demonstration also featured Kusano
and Hideki Saino being hoisted over the Chihaya's side.

The Ehime Maru sank Feb. 9 in 2,000 feet of water after it was struck by the nuclear submarine USS Greeneville about nine miles south of Diamond Head. The bodies of nine of the 35 passengers and crewmen were never found.

The recovery operation aims to lift the vessel about 100 feet off the ocean floor and tow it about 12 miles to shallow water off Honolulu Airport's reef runway. There, Navy divers will try to recover the bodies and personal items of the Ehime Maru's crew.

The salvage operation will be assisted by the JDS Chihaya, a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force rescue ship. The Chihaya and its crew of about 130 arrived in Pearl harbor last month.

While Navy divers enter the Ehime Maru, officials aboard the Chihaya will communicate with them and monitor their progress using video cameras and their own ROV.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Divers Hideki Saino and Yuuji Kusano were lowered
over the side of the ship for a media demonstration.

"If some displays are written in Japanese characters and U.S. Navy divers have no idea what it says, we can provide (assistance)," said Cmdr. Hideki Hayashi, a liaison officer with the Japanese navy.

Once U.S. Navy divers have finished their recovery mission, Japanese divers from the Chihaya then will enter the vessel.

"If there are some personal items there, like a diary, a picture of family or some personal affects, they're going to pick them up," Hayashi said.