The Military Sealift Command fleet ocean tug USNS Apache (T-ATF 172) is fueled earlier than departing Norfolk, VA
The tug is deploying to a search space northeast of Crooked Island within the Bahamas island chain, which is the final recognized location of the vessel.
The preliminary search space is 100 sq. miles, and water depth is estimated to be 15,000 toes throughout the anticipated search space. Transit to this search space is predicted to take four-to-five days as a consequence of climate.
Apache is provided with a number of items of underwater search tools, together with a voyage information recorder locator, side-scan sonar and an underwater distant operated car.
The Navy’s mission shall be to first find the ship after which, if attainable, to retrieve the voyage information recorder (VDR) – generally often known as a black field.
The U.S. Navy operates among the world’s most superior underwater search and salvage programs. Though this tools is usually used to seek for and recuperate downed army ships and plane, the Navy has an extended historical past in aiding different federal companies in underwater search and salvage operations, together with the search and restoration of TWA 800 and the area shuttle Challenger. In 2013, the Navy assisted the federal government of Australia in its seek for lacking Malaysian Airliner MH 370.
USN Apache is a fleet ocean tug operated by the Military Sealift Command. The ship supplies towing, diving and standby submarine rescue providers for the Navy.
The ship is 226 toes lengthy and has a crew of roughly 22 civilian mariners and uniformed Navy personnel.
The crew shall be joined by a crew from the Navy’s Supervisor of Diving and Salvage.
Also on board is the NTSB Investigator-in-Charge, Tom Roth-Roffy, and representatives from the USCG, TOTE and ABS, all events to the NTSB investigation (see new story).
OCTOBER 20, 2015 — The U.S. Navy fleet ocean tug USNS Apache (T-ATF 172) departed Norfolk, VA, yesterday to start looking for wreckage from the lacking U.S. flagged service provider vessel El Faro.
