U.S. Navy responds to Philippine Superferry sinking

SIOCON BAY, Philippines (Sept. 6, 2009) Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines dispatched five boats and a civilian helicopter to assist the Philippine Navy in search and rescue efforts after a Superferry carrying nearly 1,000 people capsized and sank off the coast of Zamboanga del Norte. At the request of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, JSOTF-P sent two U.S. Navy Mark V Special Operations Craft, two 11-meter Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) and a Maritime Support Vessel to assist Philippine Navy and Coast Guard rescue personnel. A civilian helicopter contracted by JSOTF-P also flew to the scene to provide search and rescue support from the air. Members of U.S. Naval Special Boat Team 12 and U.S. Navy SAR swimmers searched over 30 square miles for 11 hours, checking nearly 30 life rafts for survivors and scavenging relief supplies from the rafts to deliver to more than 100 survivors aboard a Philippine Navy vessel. The MSV crew provided 200 bottles of water for the U.