Posted on: Tuesday, August 21, 2001

Japan divers arrive for salvage of Ehime Maru

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Japanese divers aboard a submarine rescue ship arrived at Pearl Harbor yesterday amid preparations for the unprecedented recovery of a sunken fishing vessel.

But none of the 30 divers aboard the JDS Chihaya will set foot on the wreck of the Ehime Maru until U.S. Navy divers have finished searching its hull for the bodies of nine missing people.

The Navy hopes to pluck the Ehime Maru from the ocean floor and move it from 2,000 feet of water to 115 feet of water. The move to shallow water near the reef runway will allow U.S. divers to work in a relatively safer environment.

The $40 million move could begin by the end of the month.

The Ehime Maru sank Feb. 9 after it collided with a fast-attack submarine nine miles south of Diamond Head.

Nine people, including four teenage boys, went down with the ship. The Navy has promised their relatives and the Japanese government that it will attempt to retrieve their remains.

U.S. divers also plan to recover personal effects of crew members and mementos from the ship, including its bell, wheel and nameplate.

"We have provided a detailed search plan, a detailed dive plan and coordinated in advance," said Cmdr. Dave Wray, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet. "We don't anticipate there being any surprises or disagreements over procedures between U.S. and Japanese divers."

The Japanese divers will view live footage from helmet-cams used by U.S. divers once the recovery phase begins, Wray said. After that phase is complete, the Japanese divers will get to dive to the Ehime Maru for a final inspection.

The Navy then plans to move the Ehime Maru to 6,000 feet of water. Japanese divers will return to the shallow water site and make sure nothing from the Ehime Maru was left behind.

"We will take under consideration any suggestions from the Japanese divers. But this is a U.S.-led operation, and we have to answer to the safety of our divers," Wray said.

Meanwhile, above the Ehime Maru, preparations are going smoothly despite rough weather.

The Navy has contracted a civilian ship, Rockwater 2, to rig a custom-built cradle under the Ehime Maru. The job is being done from the surface using remotely operated submersibles and special equipment placed on the sea floor.

Technicians aboard Rockwater 2 are using a powerful jet of water to drill a space beneath the Ehime Maru. Drilling began Wednesday.

Winds of 25 knots and seas of eight to 10 feet are considered too strong to move the Ehime Maru but have no effect on the work being done at 2,000 feet, said Cmdr. Roxie Merritt, a fleet spokeswoman.

"We are still stuck in this same weather pattern we have been in for a few weeks, but there are still things they can do," Merritt said. "We aren't overly concerned at this point."