TWA divers make their last chilly plunge

Final descent brings closure to families, divers

From Correspondent Michael Okwu

EAST MORICHES, New York (CNN) -- Divers have made their last trek to the dark floor of the Atlantic Ocean in search of wreckage from TWA Flight 800.

After spending more than three months retrieving victims and debris from the doomed flight, they took their last plunge Saturday.

"Hopefully, it brings some closure to families and for us too," said U.S. Navy diver Shane Edwards.

Closure is occurring after more than 677 surface divers, more than 3,167 scuba divers, at least 1,689 hours combing the cold murky ocean floor.

Such staggering numbers only make sense only after considering the most important number -- 230 -- the number of people killed in the crash.

"There are faces and loved ones behind those numbers, and knowing that maybe we were bringing a resolve or an ending to the grieving families was really important," said Navy diver Roger Riendeau.

With the water frigid and the visibility poor, maneuvering the obstacle course of twisted metal 24 hours a day was treacherous work.

Navy diver Roger Meyer recalls a case in point: "One of the divers came up, he started waving his hands. We got the boat over there and he started complaining that he couldn't breathe. He got vertigo on the bottom."

Combing through the darkness and twisted metal was a surrealistic, and terrifying experience for some of the divers.

"It would be like coming out of a black cloud and seeing a junk yard of parts and pieces," said diver Shane Edwards.

Added Riendeau: "For the first couple of months it was all over the place. You couldn't turn around or walk frontwards or backwards without stepping on a piece."

Then there was mother nature, which stalled their efforts several times.

The search covered hundreds of miles across the Atlantic's surface and 75 square miles of the ocean's bottom. More than 225 Navy divers braved the depths including more than 100 divers from federal, state and local agencies.

While some divers assiduously counted the days and long nights they endured away from their families, a few said it all turned to a blur. All of them declared they don't ever want to have to do this again.

"These people are just wonderful, and I say this in terms of their professionalism and enthusiasm," said National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman Robert Francis.

After the last diver came up the team carried 230 flowers to the crash site. They said a prayer far from the intrusive eyes of TV crews, and they laid a wreath and each stem in the water.

Special Section:

• TWA: Flight 800

Related stories:

• FBI questions crash victims' families about mysterious luggage tag - October 27, 1996
• Divers recover fuel probes from center tank - October 24, 1996
• TWA crash investigators study newly-recovered fuel probes - October 24, 1996
• Crash victims' families sue TWA, Boeing for $150 million - October 21, 1996
• Attorney: Mechanical failure caused TWA crash - October 21, 1996
• Investigators of TWA Flight 800 lean toward theory of mechanical failure - October 18, 1996

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