The U.S. Navy on Wednesday lifted the stern of the Ehime Maru, the Japanese fisheries training vessel that was sunk by a U.S. submarine in February, in preparation for its move to a lesser depth next month, a navy official said.
The sunken vessel, lying on the seabed at a depth of about 600 meters, must first be rigged for transfer to a shallow shoal off Honolulu International Airport, where divers will attempt to retrieve the remains and personal effects of the nine Japanese who are believed to have gone down with the ship.
The stern was lifted slightly by a salvage ship, the Rockwater 2, in order to place two messenger wires under the forward and aft sections of the hull.
These wires will eventually be connected to larger, 36-mm messenger wires, which will then be used to maneuver two steel lifting plates underneath the vessel for its rigging.