ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 27, 1996 TAG: 9607290043
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ABOARD USS OAK HILL
SOURCE: JACK DORSEY LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
NOTE: ABove
THE USS OAK HILL, based in Norfolk, carries work boats, a 30-ton crane on pontoons, and lots of beds.
Nearing the crash scene of TWA Flight 800, the crew aboard this dock landing ship looks at the everyday flotsam in the Atlantic a bit differently, wondering if it holds any clue as to the cause of the disaster.
Pieces of red and white debris - the color of the downed airliner - floating aluminum, plastic and wood, soda cans, water bottles and globs of sea grass raise the crew's attention as they peer into the sea.
One of the helicopter pilots aboard, flying his CH-46 Sea Knight on a test run, was at first startled by several floating forms until a closer look revealed they were sea turtles.
``It's just a bit eerie,'' said the lieutenant, assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 8 in Norfolk, which has two Sea Knights aboard. ``It's hard to tell what we'll find.''
The nearly 450 men and women aboard the Oak Hill, which anchored late Wednesday afternoon off Long Island, N.Y., are eager to get to work.
``We'll ultimately recover as much as they want,'' said Petty Officer 1st Class Terry Pace of the submarine tender L.Y. Spear, one of 13 Navy divers aboard. ``I'd hope we recover all the bodies. I'd like to be able to do that, to ease the suffering of the families.''
The Oak Hill, based in Norfolk and commissioned just 50 days ago, was rushed into service this week to assist in the recovery of the plane's wreckage and its victims. It is anchored about a mile off East Moriches, N.Y., near the salvage and rescue ship Grasp.
``We have a large magnetic signature and don't need to interfere with their capabilities,'' said Cmdr. Michael A. Durnan, commanding officer of the Oak Hill. The Grasp has been using sonar, remote-control cameras and other sensitive equipment to find the wreckage.
``But I think we'll be right in the thick of it,'' Durnan said.
The Oak Hill is prepared to offer a variety of services to the salvage operations, including serving as a hotel for many tired workers. The ship is capable of housing 500 troops, in addition to its crew.
The wreckage lies in 20 square miles off Long Island.
``I'm sure we're all wondering who may have done this,'' said Lt. Bob Beardsworth of Virginia Beach, in charge of the Assault Craft Unit 2 utility boats aboard the Oak Hill. ``Hopefully, our work here may help solve this mystery down the road.''
Beardsworth and the 28 others under his command are working around the clock to take divers and their equipment to the scene. They operate from 74-foot work boats, along with a pontoon boat with a 30-ton crane.
``It's a tragic thing we have to do, but we are happy to be able to do it,'' Beardsworth said. ``We'll be here until it's done.''
As the Navy divers prepared for the operation, they were briefed on the conditions they'll find.
``We'll be diving in about 115 feet of water,'' said Warrant Officer Don Buchanan, also from the L.Y. Spear.
Visibility below is limited by mud and silt, he said. Each dive lasts about an hour, depending on the conditions. The water temperature at that depth is about 46 degrees.
Once the divers reach the wreckage, they will have to feel their way around.
``Lights don't help,'' diver Terry Pace said. ``They are just about useless.''
Sharks also visit the area, the divers said.
Hundreds of rescue and salvage workers, from every branch of the armed services, plus the FBI, the Suffolk County, N.Y., police, the New York State Police and Red Cross are ashore nearby, working from a small Coast Guard station in East Moriches.
The once-sleepy Coast Guard station is surrounded by hundreds of government vehicles that meander down a narrow two-lane road to reach it. A sand parking lot was paved this week to accommodate military helicopters.
Some of the workers sleep on concrete hangar floors at the Coast Guard station. The Oak Hill, already carrying 100 extra personnel in addition to its 360-person crew, is available to them, Durnan said.
This sudden mission is the first operational test for the Oak Hill, which has now spent nearly as much time at sea as it has in its new home in Norfolk. Its crew received barely 24 hours' notice to get aboard and get under way.
``It was kind of like having a wedding with no planning,'' said Durnan, the ship's captain. ``We've learned a lot, and I credit the crew with a great job.''
Crew members were recalled from across the country. Many were on vacation or were moving families up from New Orleans, where the ship was built.
One senior chief quartermaster went on leave at 3 p.m. Monday to drive his family on vacation to Cleveland. After arriving there at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, he jumped on a flight at 7 to return to his ship.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Landmark News Service. 1. Two LCM-8 work boats are beingby CNBloaded into the hold of the USS Oak Hill before their departure for
the crash site. 2. The USS Oak Hill, en route Wednesday to Long
Island, N.Y., can serve as a hotel for rescue workers. color.
Graphic: Map by AP. color.