From U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs
YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- USS Sampson (DDG 102) is supporting
the ongoing Indonesian-led search and recovery operations for the downed
AirAsia flight QZ8501 and assisted in locating the crash debris field
yesterday.
At the request of the Indonesian government, Sampson arrived
on station in the Java Sea in the early afternoon on Dec. 30 and began
assisting in the search. The ship's MH-60R search and rescue helicopters were
launched to assist in the search efforts and the crews, working with multiple
Indonesian assets, discovered debris late on the 30th.
The ship and her helicopters are still on station and continuing
to search in close coordination with Indonesian authorities.
"Sampson will remain on station as long as the
Indonesian government feels they are providing useful assistance," said
Capt. Christopher Budde, operations director for U.S. 7th Fleet.
Additionally, USS Fort Worth, the littoral combat ship
deployed to 7th Fleet, is in port Singapore and is prepared to aid in search
efforts if assistance is requested. U.S. 7th Fleet and U.S. Pacific Fleet
continue to evaluate ships, aircraft and support units in the area that may be
helpful in the search efforts and are taking steps to ensure these assets are
ready if the Indonesian government requests them.
"The Indonesian government and Indonesian Rescue
Coordination Center have done an outstanding job in very quickly organizing
this multi-national search effort," said Budde. "We are preparing
additional equipment and assets in case the Indonesian government requests
them, but they are doing a tremendous job and additional U.S. Navy assistance may
be more than they require."
Authorities in the region continue to lead the search and
recovery effort. The U.S. Navy is working closely with the government of
Indonesia to identify additional surface or airborne capabilities to best
assist.
USS Sampson is homeported in San Diego and is in the midst
of an independent deployment to the Western Pacific.
No comments:
Post a Comment