Tue, Feb 07, 2006
A US Navy P-3 Orion
from Patrol Squadron (VP) 47 Golden Swordsmen assisted search and
rescue operations for survivors of the sunken Egyptian ferry Al
Salam Boccaccio 98 in the Red Sea, February 4.
The ferry, carrying an estimated 1,400 passengers, sank about 50
miles off the coast of Egypt at approximately 2 am February 3. The
VP-47 crew flew for almost 15 hours to assist Egyptian authorities
in the search efforts.
"After a thousand mile transit the aircraft was still able to
provide seven-and-a-half hours of time on station looking for
survivors using its infrared capability," said Lt. Christopher
Ellison, Commander Task Force 57 operations scheduling officer.
"The aircraft searched for and guided ships to survivors throughout
the night and into the morning. The P-3 was a vital tool to the
overall rescue effort as the P-3 was the only asset capable of
searching the large area for survivors in the dark."
CTF 57’s P-3 Orions serve as an unobtrusive force, to
provide a valuable service to operational commanders throughout the
US Naval Forces Central Command area of operations. P-3s are the
over-the-horizon eyes and ears for the operational commanders both
on the land and at sea. They provide key support to the overall
mission of maritime security operations (MSO).
MSO set the conditions for security and stability in the
maritime environment as well as complement the counter-terrorism
and security efforts of regional nations. MSO deny international
terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or
to transport personnel, weapons, or other material.
(Aero-News salutes Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Curt
Cooper, Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs)
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