Navy Joins AirAsia Search Efforts

The U.S. military has joined the effort to recover parts from the AirAsia plane that crashed in the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia last week, as well as the remains of those on board.

Two Navy ships -- the USS Fort Worth and USS Sampson -- are aiding the Indonesian-led search effort. The Sampson has supported the recovery operation since Dec. 29, the day after the crash, while the Fort Worth joined more recently. Both ships are from San Diego.

Navy Cmdr. Steven Foley, captain of the Sampson, on Sunday told ABC’s This Week the ship has not yet heard anything from the plane’s “pinger,” noting the ship “really has to travel right over it” to hear the signal. The Sampson is also contributing helicopter assistance, and has removed the remains of at least a dozen passengers, according to the Defense Department.

The Fort Worth’s maneuverability and shallow draft allows for “expeditious visual and radar searches in a congested, shallow-water environment,” the Navy said. The ship will also use a helicopter, as well as inflatable boats, to assist in the recovery effort. 

Capt. Christopher Budde, operations director for the Navy’s 7th Fleet, said the ships will stay “as long as the Indonesian government feels like are providing useful assistance.”