Families hope search effort for missing Marines will succeed

The United States Coast Guard, along with partnering agencies, have continued their search into its fourth day for 12 Marine aviators that were onboard two CH-53E Marine helicopters that collided late Thursday night off the North Shore of Oahu.

The USNS Salvor, a safeguard-class salvage ship from the Military Sealift Command, arrived on scene late Sunday from Pearl Harbor to support the Navy Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1’s efforts to conduct an underwater search of the last know position of the aircraft off Haleiwa with sonar and a remotely operated vehicle. Crew members weren’t exposed to the laser and didn’t need to land, but they changed their search patterns to avoid being struck again.

Two Marine helicopters carrying 12 crew members collided off the island of Oahu during a nighttime training mission, and rescuers are searching a debris field in choppy waters, military officials said.

The Marines and the aircraft are assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 based out of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

The Marine Corps has named the 12 missing men.

The wing’s commanding general, Brig. Gen. Russell Sanborn, told reporters Sunday he has personal experience with the “emotional roller coaster” families of the 12 Marines are experiencing. The coast guard said its search now extends eight miles out from the north shore area. The Coast Guard says there’s no intention as of Sunday morning to call off or suspend the search just yet. “You have to survive the crash, you have to survive the onrushing of water”, he said, adding they would then have to battle dehydration and exposure. The zone extended from the shore to 8 miles off the coast.

The Coast Guard says the search area was expanded Saturday to include waters off the west coast of the island.

Hilo home-ported Coast Guard cutter Kiska remains part of the surface search for sign of survivors and in the cataloging of debris.

“Very hard time for all of us involved it’s a nightmare for first responders something you never ever want to do but we want families out there to know we are doing everything we can”, said Shayne Enright with Honolulu Emergency Medical Services. His mom, Donna McGrew, said in an emailed statement to the station that, “This is not about us”.

Shawn Campbell, 41, of College Station, Texas, Capt. Brian Kennedy, 31, of Philadelphia, Capt. Kevin Roche, 30, of St. Louis, Capt. Steven Torbert, 29, of Florence, Alabama, Sgt. Dillon Semolina, 24, of Chaska, Minnesota and Sgt. Adam Schoeller, 25, of Gardners, Pennsylvania, the Marines Corps said.

Some family members were holding out hope that survivors could be found, while asking for privacy as they waited for updates.

Hart, 21, of Aumsville, Oregon, married his high school sweetheart, Hannah, six months ago, the Oregonian reported.