Salvage Unit News

Explosive charges aboard the ship enabled battle damage assessment (BDA) teams to respond to actual damageThe former Austin-class amphibious transport dock USS Denver (LPD 9) was sunk in a blaze of glory as a target ship during the recent Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2022. The 9,600-ton, 561-foot Denver, which was commissioned in 1968 and served until being retired in 2014, had been stored with other inactive ships at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, before being sunk about 50 miles north of Kauai in about 15…

A multinational group of Sailors and scientists from a variety commands, organizations and militaries searched for the wreckage of Revolutionary War ship Bonhomme Richard, Sept. 2-9. Underwater archaeologists from the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), Navy divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit(MDSU) 2, Sailors from Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center (NOMWC), Sailors from the French Mine Clearance Dive Unit (MCDU) and members from Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration (GFOE) embarked upon Military Sealift Command rescue and salvage ship USNS Grasp (T-ARS 51) to survey a late 18th or early 19th century-shipwreck off the coast of England in the North Sea.

The U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations Adm. The document presents Richardson’s priorities with four “lines of effort” to strengthen naval power at and from the sea; achieve high velocity learning at every level; strengthen our Navy team for the future’ and expand and strengthen our network of partners. It isn’t an earth-shattering document, and perhaps is most telling for what it doesn’t say, as opposed to what is says. The document makes a strong case for forward presence, which has been the raison d’etre for the U.S. Navy for decades.

USS Sampson (DDG 102) and USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) concluded their assistance efforts January 15 after contributing more than 650 search hours to the Indonesian-led search effort for AirAsia flight QZ8501, The U.S. Navy reported. Working in coordination with the Government of Indonesia, the U.S. 7th Fleet assigned USS Sampson and USS Fort Worth to the mission shortly after the December 28 crash. USS Sampson departed from Singapore December 29 and arrived on station in the Java Sea December 30.

An eight-member team from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1 onboard USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) is supporting the ongoing Indonesian-led search effort for AirAsia flight QZ8501 with advanced Tow Fish side scan sonar systems capable of providing high-resolution images of the ocean floor. The Tow Fish side scan sonar system is used to identify objects on the seafloor and provide accurate imagery for analysis. The sonar carries a passive listening device for detecting an acoustic pulse and is towed behind a vessel between 1-5 knots.

U.S. Navy underwater archeologists, in conjunction with Indonesian Navy divers, have assessed in an interim report that the wrecked vessel surveyed in the Java Sea in June is "consistent with the identification" of the World War II wreck of the cruiser USS Houston (CA 30), and that divers documented conclusive evidence of a pattern of unauthorized disturbance of the gravesite. "We're grateful for the support of our Indonesian partners in determining the condition of the USS Houston," said Adm. Harry Harris, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. "Surveying the site, of course, was only the first step in partnering to respect those Sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the freedoms and security that we richly enjoy today," he added. U.S.

Navy sailors and divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, embarked aboard the Navy's rescue and salvage ship 'USNS Grasp' (T-ARS-51), find and salvage a downed F-16 aircraft off the coast of Virginia. The downed aircraft was one of two F-16 fighter jets from the 113th Wing, D.C. Air National Guard that clipped wings mid-air during a routine training mission 35 miles southeast of Chincoteague, Va., on 1, August 2013. The other aircraft involved in the incident was able to fly back to Joint Base Andrews in Md. without further incident.

The Navy's first littoral combat ship, USS Freedom (LCS 1), departed Changi Naval Base June 11 to participate in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Malaysia 2013. CARAT Malaysia is among the key maritime exercises and exchanges Freedom will conduct with regional navies and U.S. 7th Fleet units while deployed to Southeast Asia. In May, Freedom participated in the International Maritime Defense Exhibition (IMDEX) and the Republic of Singapore Navy's Western Pacific Multilateral Sea Exercise (WMSX).

Units of the U.S. Navy Northern Command continues to work closely with civil authorites in Sandy clear up operations. Continue to clear debris from NJ Barrier Islands. Continue to provide afloat staging base and support to USCG District 1. Continue to rebuild Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook. Continue dewatering [or pumping out] of Rockaway Beach, NY, and Brooklyn public housing. Continued support by NMCB-11 and CRS-4 at Hoboken Ferry Terminal Port Authority. NECC’s Fleet Survey Team will go ashore in order to complete tasking in Jamaica Bay.

Five separate episodes of heroism and bravery on the high seas were recognized at the 42nd annual United Seamen's Service Admiral of the Ocean Sea (AOTOS) dinner. The AOTOS event itself honored James L. Henry, Chairman and President of the Transportation Institute; General Duncan J. McNabb, USAF, former Commander, U.S. Transportation Command; and Robert D. Somerville, Chairman of ABS (formerly the American Bureau of Shipping). The maritime industry's most prestigious awards since…

Nearly half of the oil left on board the grounded container ship Rena in Tauranga has now been pumped off to the bunker barge Awanuia. Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) Salvage Unit Manager, Bruce Anderson said 164 tonnes had been pumped off the ship over the past 24 hours, the highest daily rate to date. This brings the total amount of oil pumped off the ship to 645 tonnes, with about another 700 tonnes still on board. All of the oil pumped off so far has come from the port number 5 tank…

Naval Sea Systems Command's (NAVSEA) Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), in a U.S. Coast Guard directed initiative, provided a key operational and technical role in removing 60,546 gallons of petroleum products from the sunken ex-USS Chehalis (AOG-48) , concluding, April 6. Ex-USS Chehalis sank in Pago Pago Harbor, American Samoa, Oct. 7, 1949, as a result of a gasoline tank fire and multiple explosions on the ship. The fire caused the ship to sink and subsequently capsize in more than 160 feet of water. The Coast Guard requested SUPSALV expertise to support American Samoa's request for assistance by conducting a ship diving survey, detailed planning for, and the safe removal of the petroleum products from ex-USS Chehalis that represented a potential threat to Pago Pago Harbor.

Sailors of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1, based out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5 Platoon 501 based out of Sasebo, Japan, are diving in the Yellow Sea in support of the recovery and salvage of the Republic of Korea Ship (ROK) Cheonan. "We're here to offer all the help we can. We're ready to step in anytime and dive or assist hands-on in any way we can," said Navy Diver 3rd Class Andrew Kornelsen, a Madison, Wis., native.

Commander, Amphibious Force Seventh Fleet, Rear Adm. Rich Landolt, has assumed the duties as the senior naval officer in charge of U.S. Navy assistance to the Republic of Korea (ROK) in their salvage efforts for the ROKS Cheonan Apr. Landolt has been on-site for several days to assess the situation and acclimate his staff to the mission. Additionally, he has met with the ROK lead for the salvage efforts, Vice Adm. Kim Sung-Chan, and his staff aboard ROKS Dokdo several times to coordinate future plans. His ship, USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), will serve as the U.S. Afloat Staging Base for this operation and he has brought with him portions of his staff and portions of Amphibious Squadron 11, commanded by Commodore Mark Weber. Landolt will command of all U.S.

Divers from the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and the U.S. Navy have been working cooperatively over the course of this week to assess the extent of the grounding scar from USS Port Royal (CG 73) and to undertake emergency restoration activities on the impacted reef. Meanwhile, the guided-missile cruiser entered drydock at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Feb. 18 to repair damage sustained when it ran aground the night of Feb. 5 a half-mile off Honolulu Airport's Reef Runway. After three unsuccessful attempts, the Pearl Harbor ship was refloated early Feb.

Naval Sea System Command's (NAVSEA) Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) conducted the recovery of the engines and other components of an EA-6B "Prowler" Aug. 17-20. The plane crashed near Feb. 12. The recovery utilized the Navy's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) "Deep Drone" operating from the Military Sealift Command's USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52). The EA-6B crashed into the in 6,500 feet of water while conducting night landing qualifications. The recovery operation was performed in order to assist the crash investigation in determining the cause of the accident and the possible implication it may have on the rest of the EA-6B inventory. Deep Drone is the Navy's workhorse ROV designed to meet the Navy's mid-water salvage requirements down to a maximum depth of 8,000 feet of seawater.

By Cmdr. Divers from the United States and Indonesian Navies began a six-day diving operation July 21 to survey a wreck in Surabaya harbor as part of joint naval engagement activities (NEA) between the two nations. A joint diving team will conduct survey dives to identify the sunken vessel and determine potential salvage hazards such as fuel, explosives and dangerous cargo. Once the survey is complete, the diving teams will develop an underwater mechanical demolition plan to raise the vessel and remove it from the harbor.

Civil service mariners from Military Sealift Command rescue and salvage ship USNS Grasp completed three days and more than 445 man-hours of improvement projects at the for the Deaf and for the Blind Unit in yesterday. Grasp arrived in Antigua July 4 as part of a four-month international outreach mission to the . While the ship’s embarked team of 15 Navy divers conducted tailored training and security operations with military divers from , and , Grasp’s civil service mariners sought out an opportunity to do a goodwill project ashore. The 60-year-old, 3,400 square foot school is attended by 18 deaf and three blind children. Over the course of July 15-17…

Divers from Mobile Underwater Diving Salvage Unit (MUDSU) 1 based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, will soon descend into a Pacific lagoon to stop a recent oil leak and assess the material condition of a World War II Navy oil tanker that sank in 1944. USS Mississinewa (AO 59), a 553-foot auxiliary oiler, was commissioned May 18, 1944, and supported the ships of the 3rd Fleet in the Central and South Pacific. The huge lagoon at Ulithi Atoll was an anchorage for hundreds of Pacific Fleet ships and major staging area for campaigns at Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Mississinewa was anchored in Ulithi's lagoon when it was struck by a Japanese-manned suicide torpedo, or "kaiten," on the morning of Nov. 20, 1944. The ship burst into flames and sank, killing 63 American Sailors.

Crowley Marine Services has successfully concluded work as prime contractor for the U.S. Navy’s Ehime Maru recovery and relocation operation this week with placement of the ship at its final resting site approximately 12 miles off the island of Oahu in Hawaii in more that 6,000 ft. of water. The Navy contracted with Crowley to design, engineer and execute the plan to lift the Ehime Maru from the shallow water recovery site, transport it to deepwater and lower it to the ocean floor. The Ehime Maru sank in 2,00 ft. of water on February 9, when it was struck by the USS Greeneville, a Navy submarine practicing an emergency-surfacing maneuver off Diamond Head.

Seattle-based Crowley Marine Services continues to support the U.S. Navy's Office of the Superintendent of Salvage (SUPSALV) as prime contractor for Phase II of its Ehime Maru recovery project. Phase II, which began in mid-October, involves support of the Navy's Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit One (MDSU) for recovery operations of the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru, which sank in February after a U.S. submarine resurfaced beneath it off the coast of Honolulu. State and federal laws do not allow for the ship to be left in shallow water or returned to its original location when the Navy's recovery operations are complete. Therefore…

Petty Officer 1st Class Julius Mcmanus, assigned to Mobile Diving Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1, plants an American flag on the site where an American WWII military aircraft crashed into the . Deep sea divers are assigned to Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation's past conflicts. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher Perez

Recovery efforts began March 1 when Grasp arrived in the vicinity of the crash site to locate the wreckage, and ended March 22 when the last recoverable debris from the second aircraft was lifted onto the ship’s weather deck. Salvage operations, which could normally have been conducted within a week, were delayed by severe weather conditions that twice sent the ship back to port. The first aircraft was recovered March 12 from a depth of 177 feet and the second aircraft was recovered March 22 from a depth of 185 feet. More that half of each aircraft was salvaged including their engines, data collecting devices (flight recorders) and main computers. These items are vital to the Air Force’s investigation to determine the cause of the crash.