FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Crowley 450-10 barge to be used in the recovery
operations of the Ehime Maru was moored off the
airport yesterday above the sunken vessel.

Preparations set
for Ehime Maru

Navy divers must still clear
its decks before they search the ship

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By Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.com

Navy divers continue today to clear the decks of the Ehime Maru of debris in preparation of searching the interior of the ship for nine people missing since its Feb. 9 collision with a U.S. submarine.

Yesterday, Navy divers using scuba tanks placed ladders on the Ehime Maru's port side for other divers to use once they begin the recovery operations. The divers also attached marker buoys to identify the position of the ship's bow and stern on the surface.

Other divers from the Navy's Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit One surveyed Ehime Maru's exterior to ensure the ship is stable. Divers installed two inclinometers, devices that measure the ship's incline. One inclinometer was placed on the Ehime Maru's forecastle to measure how much the ship tilts to the left or right. The other was placed at the vessel's center point to measure whether it tilts toward the bow or stern.

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dents on the body of the Ehime Maru are seen in this
video footage released Feb. 18 by the U.S. Navy to the
relatives of nine missing people. The vessel now rests
one mile off Honolulu Airport's reef runway
in 115 feet of water.

The 830-ton Ehime Maru was gradually raised from 2,000 feet and moved 16 miles from where it sank off Diamond Head. It now rests in a spot one mile south of Honolulu Airport's reef runway in 115 feet of water. The historic move by the civilian salvage ship Rockwater 2 was completed Sunday.

Yesterday, the Navy moved the Crowley 450-10 diving support barge into a six-point mooring position over the Ehime Maru.

For the next month, the barge will serve as a diving platform for a team of 60 Navy and six Japanese civilian divers. There will be two to four divers in the water at a time, spending about 90 minutes in specially rigged suits. For safety reasons the dives will be conducted only during the day.

Each diver will be wearing a Mark 21 helmet and will be supplied air from the barge. The helmets will be equipped with underwater lights and television cameras and will be sending pictures to monitors and a video recorder on the barge.

The divers also will be outfitted in a special wet suit to protect them from coming into contact with diesel fuel or lube oil that might leak from the Ehime Maru.

Their job will be to recover the remains of three crewmen, four teenage boys and two teachers from the Uwajima Fisheries High School, as well as any personal items.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry said yesterday it appreciated the "completion of an unprecedented, difficult task."

"We expect that the U.S. side will persist in tackling this task, taking into consideration to the greatest degree possible the concerns of family members," the ministry said.

Crowley 450-10 barge The barge is outfitted with berthing quarters, conference spaces, food services and other material support for the dive teams. Registry: Majuro, Marshall Islands Built: 1997 Length: 400 feet Breadth: 100 feet Gross tonnage: 8,099 tons Divers: 60 Navy, six Japanese civilians Diving operations: Daylight hours only