Japanese ship
will assist in recovery
of Ehime Maru

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Associated Press

The Navy has expanded the role of a submarine rescue ship from Japan in the effort to recover a Japanese fishing boat sunk by a U.S. submarine, officials said yesterday.

The crew of the 420-foot JDS Chihaya will take part in the deep-water operation portion of the recovery of the Ehime Maru, which sank Feb. 9 after being rammed by the USS Greeneville, the Navy said in a news release.

The Navy has spent more than $60 million to date working to lift the Ehime Maru from its resting spot 2,000 feet below the surface nine miles south of Diamond Head. The plan is to tow the 830-ton ship 12 miles to a 115-foot-deep spot near Honolulu Airport, where Navy divers will attempt to recover the bodies of the nine men and teenage boys who were killed.

U.S. NAVY PHOTO
An anchor retrieved from the Ehime Maru was lifted off
the Rockwater 2 and placed onto a truck on the pier Sunday.

The Chihaya, using remotely operated vehicles, will survey the ocean bottom near the Ehime Maru's current location for "visible items of interest." The Chihaya also will assist with the retrieval and inventory of the items, the Navy said.

The Chihaya also has the ability to rapidly survey the deep-water site, which will help speed the recovery and help to avoid potential problems with unfavorable weather conditions, the Navy said.

Divers from the Chihaya, which arrived at Pearl Harbor Aug. 20, initially were to observe the operations at the shallow-water site and conduct a sweep of the area for personal possessions after the bodies were recovered.

Over the weekend, the construction support ship working on the recovery returned to port to be fitted with the lift and spreader assembly that will lift the Ehime Maru.The Rockwater 2 is scheduled to return the site by the middle of this week.