Navy/FBI enter into Mpls. bridge search....

[texdiveguy]

" Navy divers join Minn. bridge search

By PATRICK CONDON, Associated Press Writer 43 minutes ago

An elite team of Navy divers joined the search for victims of the interstate bridge collapse Tuesday, bringing to the job lessons learned from such disasters as TWA Flight 800 and the loss of the space shuttle Columbia.

The team of 16 divers and a five-member command crew arrived hours before dawn Tuesday, and several divers immediately entered the Mississippi River even though local officials encouraged them to wait until daybreak.

"Two in the morning, they dove into the water," Minneapolis Police Capt. Mike Martin said, calling them "the best divers in the world."

"These guys make our SWAT guys look humble," Martin said.

Navy Senior Chief David Nagle said the divers wanted to get a feel for the area, and were in the water for about two hours. Divers were back in the river by late morning, removing concrete rebar and other debris.

The team's arrival raised hopes of speeding up the recovery operation. At least eight people are missing and presumed dead in last week's collapse, with perhaps more still in the river. Five people are confirmed dead.

Joining the Navy team was an FBI dive crew, doing forensic work for the investigation. Their tools included a small unmanned submarine equipped with a robotic arm. "It's basically crime-lab-underwater kind of work," Martin said.

The Navy and FBI team bring experience and technology far beyond what's been available to local search crews, who complained they have been hampered by dangerously unstable wreckage and a rapid current.

The Navy divers will be tethered to above-ground oxygen tanks, so they can stay in the water much longer than local divers, who had been using scuba tanks. Heavy-duty equipment will allow divers to cut through steel wreckage. The Navy also has sophisticated sonar to scan for bodies.

Mark Phillips, owner and publisher of PS Diver Monthly, a newsletter for public safety divers in Lumberton, Texas, called Navy divers "the big guns."

A disaster "as monumental as the Minnesota bridge collapse is going to be above and beyond any local agency's capacity, regardless of where they are," he said.

Phil Newsum, executive director of the Association of Diving Contractors International, said searching a river such as the Mississippi is tough for divers. The current can knock loose and carry pieces of debris, and it stirs up mud that makes visibility nearly zero.

The Navy team will likely use its sonar to identify objects in the river that roughly match the size of a human body.

"Their imaging technology is tremendous, but once you identify where something is, you go in and you're essentially diving by Braille," Newsum said. "You're going by feel only. That's tremendously challenging."

It's also emotionally difficult work, Newsum said. "You have to get your head right before you go down there, because you're recovering a human being."

Navy divers assisted in the reclamation of historic sunken ships including the ironclad Civil War ship the Monitor. After the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island, N.Y., they made more than 700 dives to recover bodies and reclaim wreckage to help the government investigation. Navy divers recovered both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder.

The city asked residents to observe a moment of silence Tuesday evening at the minute the bridge fell six days earlier. Bells at churches and City Hall were to toll immediately after.

Also Tuesday, four people still hospitalized with injuries from the collapse improved to serious condition, leaving only one person in critical condition. About 100 people were hurt in the disaster.

___

Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski and Mark Scolforo contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS the number of Navy divers from 15 to 16.)"

[foo]

Thanks for posting this, Alan. I can only imagine the hours of training this elite team of divers has. This is such a tragedy, I know that many people are waiting to hear about their loved ones. I'm grateful that there is a group of divers like the Navy to help out at this time, and I pray for safety for all involved. This is not your usual 60 minute blue water drift dive.

Weird, about 2 weeks ago we were crossing the Mississippi River bridge at Baton Rouge, and I commented to FooMan that I wondered how often bridges are inspected, and how does anyone really know when they might give way until it happens?

Those poor people, I just can't imagine a freaking bridge falling out from under me. That had to be terrifying, to say the least.

[texdiveguy]

My 3 boys crossed this very bridge a week earlier heading to WI. to our family cabin....we/family have crossed over it many times---scary.

[3rdEye]

sounds like really tough and highly skilled work, i couldn't imagine....

[Krakenn]

Very sad for the families still waiting for news of their loved ones.
I know, so many Aussies that feel for their loss.

Gods speed to your people and may the recovery operation end soon.

Kraks

[nferra2]

It is unfortunate that the bridge collapsed, but I am glad we don't have any bridges by that design here in Louisiana. Our Bridges are "modularized" and when one section fails, another section can be barged in, put in place, and we are good to go.

[DUnder]

It will be a great help to the local PSD. I can not imagine working in those conditions for as long as they have been at it. They all need a Big Thanks for the work that they do.