Navy ends search
for final victim
from Ehime

The move closes an operation that
went beyond expectations

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By Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.com

When Tatsuyoshi and Yoshiko Mizuguchi arrived Tuesday afternoon at the Navy's command center for the Ehime Maru recovery operations, they seemed to know that the body of their 17-year-old son would never be found, said Rear Adm. William Klemm.

Klemm, director of the Ehime Maru salvage operations, said the Ehime prefecture couple brought a bouquet of 24 pink roses to the operations center of the Navy's Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit ONE on the small sliver of Navy land in the heart of Hickam Air Force Base.

The roses were for the people in the command center, the two-star admiral said, "for their efforts and in appreciation for the efforts of all. That is a measure of kindness and class that goes beyond anything that I have ever seen in my life."

After 425 dives by 60 Navy and six Japanese civilian divers, the Navy ended the search for Takeshi Mizuguchi at 3:47 p.m. on Tuesday. Mizuguchi had come to Hawaii in February as part of an educational trip sponsored by Uwajima Fisheries High School.

"We leave this project with an empty part in our hearts for that family," Klemm said. "It was very difficult."

The divers, Klemm said, had worked from sunrise to sunset starting from Oct. 15 until Tuesday, taking only two days off to rest. They had spent 333 hours underwater combing the three decks of the 190-foot vessel search for the nine people who died after the 6,000-ton nuclear attack submarine USS Greeneville surfaced into the hull of the Ehime Maru on Feb. 9.

The bodies of eight of the nine missing -- two Uwajima Fisheries High School teachers, three students and three crewmen -- were recovered and returned to their families. Despite repeated searches of the third-level cabin where Mizuguchi was last seen, divers could not find his remains.

The first body was found Oct. 16, while the eighth was recovered Oct. 25.

Over the next week, 30 Japanese divers assigned to the submarine recovery vessel Chihaya will retrace the steps of the U.S. divers to ensure nothing has been left behind and then seal the 830-ton vessel.

Klemm said that nearly 2,000 personal items have been recovered. Also brought to the surface were items from the ship, including its anchors, mast, steering wheel and nameplate.

One of the Ehime Maru's anchors will become part of a $65,000 memorial that the Hawaii Community Development Authority approved yesterday to be erected in Kakaako Waterfront Park. The Ehime prefectural government, which is paying for the 12-foot-by-12-foot black granite memorial, wants it completed by the first anniversary of the accident.

Klemm reiterated that from the beginning, "the Navy clearly expected and stated that based on the location of each of the missing that five to seven personnel was a realistic expectation for recovery.

"We clearly have exceeded that expectation, and I believe everyone involved in the project has drawn great satisfaction from the fact that we have recovered eight of the nine. But I must tell you that we have all dealt personally with each one of these families."

Klemm said the meeting with the Mizuguchis was "a very emotional briefing, a very difficult briefing. They are very gracious people."

The Mizuguchis declined to comment yesterday.

The couple will remain here while the Chihaya divers close out recovery operations a mile off Honolulu Airport reef's runway. The Navy has paid $102,604 to bring 36 family members here.

Through Sept. 30 the Navy has spent more than $60 million, and the tab is expected to grow.

Also pending are claims against the U.S. government filed by the survivors, family members of the nine victims and Ehime prefecture, which wants the United States to build a new fishing vessel.

Still left to do is to drain 1,000 to 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel from the Ehime Maru before it is towed to its final resting 12 miles south of Barbers Point and sunk in 12,000 feet of water by the end of the month.

The divers told Klemm they were moved when the victims' families visited the dive site Oct. 23, waved at them and threw flowers into the water above the sunken wreckage.