NAVARRE, Fla. — Divers have found the wreckage of a military helicopter in just 25 feet of water after it crashed in dense fog during a Florida training mission, killing seven elite Marines and four experienced soldiers. But more bad
NAVARRE, Fla. — Divers have found the wreckage of a military helicopter in just 25 feet of water after it crashed in dense fog during a Florida training mission, killing seven elite Marines and four experienced soldiers. But more bad weather Thursday delayed the recovery of bodies and the flight recorder.
The mission changed from rescue to recovery after divers inspected the shattered core of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, said Col. Monte Cannon, vice-commander of the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base.
Dozens of airmen walked the shores of Santa Rosa Sound on Thursday, recovering pieces of clothing and bits of wreckage, but the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Thursday afternoon, and will instead focus on helping the Army recover the remaining fuselage and debris, it said.
Two of the soldiers’ bodies were recovered, but two others were believed to remain inside the wreckage, said Maj. Gen. Glenn H. Curtis, adjutant general of the Louisiana Army National Guard, which flew the helicopter. The Marines were with the Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The military has not identified those killed, but some family members have confirmed the deaths.
The helicopter went down Tuesday night in fog so thick that another helicopter turned back. A woman at campground nearby, Kim Urr, said she heard a metallic sound and then two muffled explosions as it disappeared into the narrow waterway separating Santa Rosa Island from the Florida panhandle mainland.
This dense sea fog, which could persist through today, is common when warm southern air meets cold water this time of year, said Jack Cullen, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Mobile, Alabama.
The same fog enveloped a large gathering holding a vigil on a pier Wednesday night. Crashing Gulf waves created a somber backdrop to the songs, tears and prayers of the people, who have strong ties to the military and the sprawling Eglin Air Force Base.
“My heart is really hurt right now knowing these people were here just on training — knowing they went and left their family members and did not give that goodbye, you know, because they weren’t going off to war,” said a tearful Dolly Edwards, herself the wife of a Marine.
