Navy Divers Return to Site of Minneapolis I-35W Bridge Collapse

By Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Susan Hammond, Navy Office of Community Outreach

MINNEAPOLIS (NNS) -- The three Navy divers who aided emergency operations during the Minneapolis/St. Paul I-35W bridge collapse in 2007 returned to the area for Twin Cities Navy Week 2010, taking place from July 17 to 24.

On Aug. 1, 2007, the Minneapolis/St. Paul I-35W bridge collapsed killing 13 people and injured 145. Cars on the bridge fell into the Mississippi River below, trapping people in debris. The Navy assisted in rescue and salvage operations.

Navy Diver 2nd Class Todd Walsh, Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2, helped recover remains, rebar and vehicles at the bottom of the Mississippi River.

"The whole thing was really delicate with the media all around," Walsh said. "We wanted to be as caring as possible and to get the job done as professionally as possible. You want to account for everyone."

City and county emergency response teams, investigators and other relief and charity agencies were also part of the operation. Crews worked in "Blue and Gold" teams, operating 12-hour shifts around the clock. Divers were in the water over eight hours a dive, with underwater visibility about 12 inches.

"At first we couldn't figure out where to look," Walsh said.

The bridge span had flipped over in the water, with vehicles trapped under the span.

"We finally found a hole to get to the cars underneath," he said. "It's difficult with salvage because everything is not where you think it would be. There was literally a rat's nest of rebar and concrete."

Twin Cities Navy Week 2010 attendee Vice Admiral John J. Donnelly, Commander, Submarine Forces, toured the I-35W bridge site with Hennepin County Sheriff Richard W. Stanek.

"After seeing the scene firsthand, I now understand the difficult conditions under which our divers operated and how well they performed in that tragedy," said Donnelly.

Twin Cities Navy Week will continue with performances by the Navy Band Great Lakes rock band, "Horizon," at Valley Fair in Shakopee, Minn., on Friday and on Saturday at the Xcel Energy River Bash on the Minneapolis Riverfront.

The Navy Office of Community Outreach, Navy Recruiting District Minneapolis and Navy Operational Support Center Minneapolis joined with the Navy Parachute Team "Leap Frogs" and the Navy Band, to showcase the Navy July 17-24. Twin Cities Navy Week takes place in conjunction with the 2010 Minneapolis Aquatennial and is one of 20 Navy Weeks being held across America in 2010.