HONOLULU — U.S. Air Force pararescuemen and divers reached the overturned cargo vessel Mariana Sunday evening and confirmed its identity, as searchers have now covered more than 75,000 square nautical miles without locating the six missing crew members.
At approximately 6:40 PM Sunday Hawaii Standard Time, an HC-130 Hercules from the U.S. Air Force 31st Rescue Squadron at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa arrived on scene. The crew deployed pararescuemen, divers and boats. The team confirmed the vessel as the Mariana. Divers are conducting a comprehensive subsurface evaluation of the vessel’s exterior. If a viable access point is found, the team may deploy an underwater remotely operated drone to further investigate the interior.
A life raft was also sighted Saturday evening. At approximately 7:30 PM Saturday HST, a Coast Guard HC-130 crew spotted debris including a partially submerged, partially inflated life raft approximately 95 nautical miles northeast of the overturned vessel. At that time the Mariana had drifted 26 nautical miles northeast from where it was first spotted.
The search now involves eight assets: JRCC Honolulu, the USCGC Frederick Hatch, a Coast Guard HC-130 from Air Station Barbers Point, the Air Force 31st Rescue Squadron, a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon from Patrol Squadron 26, a Japan Coast Guard Gulfstream V jet, the Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel Akitsushima and a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon — the first confirmation of New Zealand’s involvement in the search.
The Mariana is a 145-foot U.S.-flagged dry cargo vessel that lost its starboard engine approximately 125 nautical miles north-northwest of Saipan on Wednesday. Contact with the vessel was lost Wednesday evening.
Anyone with information should contact the Coast Guard on VHF-FM Channel 16 or call JRCC Honolulu at 1-800-331-6176.
