USS Pinckney (DDG 91) diverted from South China Sea training to search
7th Fleet · 8 March 2014 · two MH-60R embarked
Confirmed. Pinckney was already at sea in the South China Sea on a training and maritime-security task, then ordered toward Vietnam’s southern coast after MH370 was missing. Helicopters flew search sorties from 9 March. Pre-search combat-system logs are not public.
US Pacific Fleet / 7th Fleet, 8 March 2014: the Arleigh Burke destroyer ‘was conducting training and maritime security operations in international waters of the South China Sea’ and ‘could be in vicinity of the missing jet within 24 hours.’ Two MH-60R from HSM-78 Det. 2 were embarked. Naval Today, 10 March: a P-3C from Okinawa and an MH-60R from Pinckney searched over last-known communication and radar positions on 9 March; USNS John Ericsson was en route to replenish. This is documented US Navy presence in the same sea MH370 left, and documented search tasking after the loss. It is not, by itself, a collection of 9M-MRO before 17:21 UTC. Combat-system and helicopter-track logs for 7–8 March, before the redirect, remain the live request.
Sources
- US 7th Fleet, 8 Mar 2014
- Naval Today, 10 Mar 2014
Related
US military presence in theatre, 7–9 March 2014
Public-source board · confirmed search assets vs records still needed
Kadena P-3C tasked to the MH370 search
Announced 8 March 2014 · on station 9 March
USS Kidd (DDG 100) joins the surface search
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