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| An MV-22 Osprey aircraft lands abord amphibious assault ship USS America (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By: Sam LaGrone
The search for three Marines missing after an MV-22 crash off of Australia has been suspended, according to a late Saturday statement from III Marine Expeditionary Force.
The search for three Marines missing after an MV-22 crash off of Australia has been suspended, according to a late Saturday statement from III Marine Expeditionary Force.
“On Aug. 6 at around 3:00 a.m. local time, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps suspended search and rescue operations for three Marines involved in the Aug. 5 MV-22 Osprey mishap off the east coast of Australia. Operations have now shifted to recovery efforts,” read the statement.
“The transition comes after teams led continuous sustained search efforts supported by aircraft and ships. As the sea state permits, recovery efforts will be conducted to further search, assess and survey the area, in coordination and with assistance from the Australian Defence Force. Recovery and salvage operations can take several months to complete, but can be extended based on several environmental factors.”
Families of the missing Marines, now presumed lost at sea, have been notified.
The Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit led the search with assistance from the Australian Defence Forces.
The MV-22 was assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st MEU and was carrying 26 – five crew and 21 passengers — and was headed to the amphibious warship USS Green Bay (LPD-20) when the mishap occurred, according to an NBC News report. The result of the crash left the flight deck of Green Bay – at least temporarily — unusable.
Australian Minister of Defence Marise Payne said in a statement that no Australian forces were aboard.
The Okinawa, Japan-based 31st MEU and the Bonhomme Richard ESG have been operating off of Australia for the last several weeks as part of the Talisman Saber exercise in the Coral Sea.
The incident is now under investigation.
The following is the complete statement from III MEF.
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, Okinawa, Japan – On Aug. 6 at around 3:00 a.m.local time, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps suspended search and rescue operations for three Marines involved in the Aug. 5 MV-22 Osprey mishap off the east coast of Australia. Operations have now shifted to recovery efforts. The next-of-kin for the three missing Marines have been notified.
The transition comes after teams led continuous sustained search efforts supported by aircraft and ships. As the sea state permits, recovery efforts will be conducted to further search, assess and survey the area, in coordination and with assistance from the Australian Defence Force. Recovery and salvage operations can take several months to complete, but can be extended based on several environmental factors.
The circumstances of the mishap are currently under investigation, and there is no additional information available at this time.
Sam LaGrone is the editor of USNI News. He has covered legislation, acquisition and operations for the Sea Services since 2009 and spent time underway with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Canadian Navy.
This story first appeared on USNI News & is reposted here under a Creative Commons license.