Divers Risk Lives to Rescue Missing Sailors
By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
Despite the tragic death of a military diver Tuesday, the Navy’s rescue and recovery team continued their daunting task in hopes of saving dozens of crew members believed to have been trapped inside the Cheonan.
Defense officials said about 170 divers, including members of the ship salvage unit, were dispatched to the scene of the tragic accident.
They said some of the divers have started showing signs of diving-related illnesses and one was immediately taken to a hospital after losing consciousness during the rescue mission at around 2:50 p.m.
They pointed out that many of the divers had to put their lives on the line as the underwater operation was greatly marred by strong tidal currents, low visibility and the depth of water at the wreck site.
"Scuba divers are only allowed to dive up to 40 meters. Going deeper than that is against the violation of safety regulations," said Commander Song Moo-jin of the Navy's rescue team.
Song noted that the divers were risking their lives because the stern section of the sunken warship, in which the majority of the missing crew are believed to have been locked in, was rammed 45 meters deep into the West Sea.
Of the 46 missing sailors, experts estimate that 32 are in the stern section. The bow of the sunken warship is lying 20 meters below the surface.
Observers say the Navy made such a bold decision largely because it is facing mounting criticism over its poor crisis management and the odds of survival after the first three days are reduced dramatically.
"Divers should wear a spacesuit like helmet, called the SSDS (Surface Supplied Diving System), but it takes three to four days of preparation," Song said. "That's why the divers have decided to break the safety rules and take the risk."
He said divers can stay down for sixty minutes at 20 meters below the surface, but should not stay longer than five minutes in waters below 40 meters or deeper.
Song said the maximum period that divers can carry out a rescue mission at 40 meters deep is seven or eight minutes.
"We expect to enter the sunken front part today," Rear Adm. Lee Ki-shik at the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Lee added that a rope has been wired into the captain's room of the bow.
The Cheonan, a 1,200-ton Navy patrol ship, broke in two following an unexplained blast Friday. Fifty-eight of the 104 crew members, including the captain, were rescued largely unharmed, but 46 others are still missing.
Military officials said the divers were considering drilling a hole into the stern if they found the crumpled doors would not open.
They said the ship's rear, which was located Monday about 180 meters from the site of the explosion, has also been overturned at a 90-degree angle.