United States Navy on the Job for Recovery

Dateline: 07-22-99

Official US Navy Photo

The U.S. Navy Deep Sea Diving program consists of several classifications of divers. These are: Second Class Diver, First Class Diver, Saturation Diver, and Master Diver.

Through the darkened hours of early Wednesday morning and long into the day, the intensive search efforts in the waters of Nantucket Sound finally ended, and the solemn operation of recovery was passed to the professional deep sea divers of the United States Navy.

After seemingly endless hours of media speculation, the Navy finally officially announced that a team of Navy divers had recovered the remains of John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and his sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette. The grim finality of the announcement seemed almost anticlimactic after five days of anxious waiting by a mournful nation.

Kennedy's private plane disappeared late Friday night while flying from New York to Martha's Vineyard.

"Because the Coast Guard felt that they had the capacity to succeed in this if they had a couple ... more days and because of the role of the Kennedy family in our national life and because of the enormous losses they have sustained in our lifetimes, I thought that it was appropriate to give them a few more days," -- President Clinton

Joining the USS Grasp, the U.S. Navy's salvage vessel on scene, the USS Briscoe, a Naval Destroyer arrived late Wednesday night in case the Kennedy's requested a burial at sea. Although the Navy conducts hundreds of these burials at sea each year, they are normally conducted for military veterans. Even though Kennedy was not a veteran, a Navy official said the burial at sea would be authorized because JFK was "a notable civilian who had made significant contributions to the nation."

One official stated bluntly, "He's the son of a World War II hero, who was also the President of the United States."

The Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board said in a brief statement, Wednesday, "At approximately 11:30 p.m. last night the remote operated vehicle operated from the USS Grasp, operating from data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board, discovered a large portion of the fuselage. The wreckage was found less than a half-mile from the prime point derived from radar analysis."

The U.S. Navy has responsibility for salvaging U.S. government-owned ships and, when it is in the best interests of the United States, privately-owned vessels as well. During a news conference Wednesday evening, Clinton defended the costly use of Government resources in the search and recovery operation.

Clinton said that he personally made the decision because of the important role the Kennedy family has played in the nation's history, and because of the tragic events that have plagued the family. "If anyone believes that was wrong, the Coast Guard was not wrong -- I was," Clinton said. The U.S. Navy took pains to ensure the dignity of recovering the remains by banning surface

Official U.S. Navy Photo The USS Grasp (ARS 51) is homeported out of Little Creek, Va. The ship holds a crew of 6 officers and 94 enlisted, and is capable of hauling 170 tons of salvage.

vessels in the immediate area of the USS Grasp, and restricting flight operations, including helicopters, from coming within five miles of the salvage vessel.

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