Capt. James D. Jenkins, commander of the 14th Coast Guard District in Hawaii, tells reporters that the active search for surviving Marines from Thursday's crash of two helicopters in Hawaii was being suspended at sunset. Joining him at the news conference at Marine Corps Base Hawaii is Brig. Gen. Russell Sanborn, commander of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. (Wyatt Olson/Stars and Stripes)
MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII — The Hawaii Coast Guard said it Tuesday it was suspending the active search for 12 Marines missing in the waters off the North Shore.
No survivors or bodies have been found since the Thursday night crash of two helicopters, despite round-the-clock searching by ships and aircraft from the Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, Army, National Guard and local emergency agencies.
“Today, as we also continued our search for the missing Marines, we’ve also conducted an extensive review of the case,” Capt. James D. Jenkins, commander of 14th Coast Guard District in Hawaii, told a news conference at the Marine base.
He said they had reviewed all searches done by all agencies, the data and metrics produced by the Coast Guard’s search-and-rescue tools, and the particular circumstances of this case.
“Based on this careful analysis — and in close coordination with the United States Marine Corps — I am announcing that the Coast Guard intends to suspend active search efforts tonight at sunset,” he said.
Jenkins wore the heart-wrenching decision on his face as he told reporters of the decision, saying several times that it was particularly difficult to call off the search without finding any survivors.
Jenkins had said Sunday that the families of the missing Marines would be notified first if the decision to suspend the search was made.
Key in the decision was the retrieval of all four life rafts from the helicopters, he said. None showed signs that they had been used.
They also got a close look at the underwater crash site, which is about two miles off shore and about 325 feet deep. Using underwater remotely controlled vehicles, they located and examined a widespread debris field littered with parts of an aircraft.
“We are confident that these aircraft parts are associated with this crash, and we’re expecting information even as we speak here,” Jenkins said.
The Marine Corps will now take over as lead agency as the operation switches to recovery and salvage, said Brig. Gen. Russell Sanborn, commander of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, who arrived in Hawaii on Sunday from Okinawa to facilitate the search.
An Aircraft Mishap Board has been formed to investigate the crash and will eventually issue findings and recommendations, he said. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
Sanborn said the helicopters were not equipped with crash-survivable “black boxes” such as commercial airliners carry, which can provide detailed voice recordings and flight perimeters.
The Marines will continue to search for remains of the crew for the sake of closure for the families, he said.
A memorial for the 12 Marines is tentatively planned for Friday at the base, he said.
Twitter: @WyattWOlson
