August 5, 1999
Web posted at: 12:37 a.m. EDT (0437 GMT)

From CNN Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon says the recovery operation and burial at sea of the remains of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife and her sister cost taxpayers about $188,000 more than would have normally been spent if the operation had been handled routinely.

The Pentagon did not give an estimate of the total cost of the recovery operation, but said the cost above and beyond what would have normally been spent comes to around $188,300.

The figure includes roughly $20,000 in extra costs spent to provide a "commitment at sea" for the ashes of Kennedy, his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette.

The estimate does not include the expense of mounting the initial search and other costs that would be part of the normal budget for search and recovery efforts.

But the estimate does include things such as extra steaming hours for the U.S. destroyer Briscoe, along with port fees and other incremental expenses that would not have been incurred, had the White House not authorized the extended search, and expedited burial at sea for the Kennedy family.

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