HONOLULU -- The key operation in the $40 million effort to recover bodies from the sunken Ehime Maru is under way.
The Rockwater Two vessel arrived Tuesday afternoon at the site nine miles south of Diamond Head where the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru sits 2,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. The Ehime Maru was sunk after a collision Feb. 9 with the submarine USS Greeneville.
The Navy plans to use the Rockwater Two vessel to lift the Ehime Maru in order to move it to shallower waters.
Salvagers hope to drill holes in the ship and use slings to try and keep her intact. Divers will then search for bodies believed to be inside.
Nine men and boys were lost when the fisheries vessel from Uwajima, Japan, went down.
Working around the clock, Navy officials expect to take several weeks rigging the ship and transporting it to a mile south of Honolulu International Airport.
Copyright 2002 by TheHawaiiChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
