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American Morning
USS Nassau Mystery
Aired May 26, 2003 - 07:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is on its way home now this morning aboard the USS Nassau, but this morning's homecoming is being overshadowed by a mystery. Two sailors have gone missing from this ship in three days. One fell overboard and the fate of the second one at this hour is still unknown.
Our Frank Buckley is on the ship and filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The USS Nassau was steaming home, a day away from homecoming for some 1,300 Marines aboard. But when hospital corpsman Shaun Dale failed to appear at a routine morning muster, and a search of the ship failed to produce the missing first class petty officer, the ship was turned around. Cameras were on the bridge of the Nassau when the decision was made by the ship's captain.
The Nassau steamed back some 80 miles to the position it was in when Dale was last seen on board five hours earlier. Navy helicopters and a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 searched the waters as sailors continued searching the ship.
CAPT. TERRY O'BRIEN, COMMANDER, USS NASSAU: In scenes like this, somebody missing a muster in and of itself is not necessarily a rare event. It is a rare event that the individual does not turn up and is missing. That is very uncommon.
BUCKLEY: Dale's disappearance came just 48 hours after another Nassau sailor, Dwayne Williams, was seen going overboard in what the ship's captain called "a freak accident." He was chasing after a football on the flight deck when he tripped and fell overboard. After a nine-hour search, Williams was presumed dead, and Nassau continued on its way home.
O'BRIEN: We could not find him. We know he couldn't have drifted far from that datum. And that, coupled with his survivability time in that temperature of water, he was gone.
BUCKLEY: As the sun went down, the aerial search for Shaun Dale was called off, but sailors continued searching on the ship. Officers said while Dale could be overboard, he might also be incapacitated on the ship or even hiding. They also say suicide cannot be ruled out.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: Waiting onshore where the Marines are due to land this morning is our Gary Tuchman. Dale's disappearance and the presumed death of Williams come after a nine-month deployment that saw no loss of any life at all -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, it has been a sad couple of days because of these two men, but there is a festive atmosphere here on the beaches of North Carolina, because 2,300 other Marines will be arriving shortly. It's been a very stormy morning here at Camp Lejeune, but the rain has let up, and hopefully it will stay let up for the next couple of hours, because we're expecting the Marines to come upon the beach in about two hours from now.
The amphibious ships will be coming here to North Carolina at about 9:00 Eastern Time, which is two hours from now. We expect the USS Tortuga to be about six miles behind me. Hovercraft will then bring about 800 Marines here to the beaches of North Carolina, where they will meet with their families. The USS Nassau, where Frank Buckley is right now, that's expected to arrive about three hours from now, another 1,100 Marines aboard the Nassau. And then there is one more ship, the USS Austin. That will dock about six miles east of Morehead City, which is north of here, and 500 more Marines will then come off.
This all began yesterday, a head start for five Marine Harrier pilots who arrived here in North Carolina. Their families were very grateful to see them. And today is expected to be a very big day, because 2,300 Marines will hit the shores of North Carolina after nine months away.
Leon -- back to you.
HARRIS: All right, it will be a happy homecoming for most at least. Thanks, Gary -- Gary Tuchman reporting live.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired May 26, 2003 - 07:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is on its way home now this morning aboard the USS Nassau, but this morning's homecoming is being overshadowed by a mystery. Two sailors have gone missing from this ship in three days. One fell overboard and the fate of the second one at this hour is still unknown.
Our Frank Buckley is on the ship and filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The USS Nassau was steaming home, a day away from homecoming for some 1,300 Marines aboard. But when hospital corpsman Shaun Dale failed to appear at a routine morning muster, and a search of the ship failed to produce the missing first class petty officer, the ship was turned around. Cameras were on the bridge of the Nassau when the decision was made by the ship's captain.
The Nassau steamed back some 80 miles to the position it was in when Dale was last seen on board five hours earlier. Navy helicopters and a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 searched the waters as sailors continued searching the ship.
CAPT. TERRY O'BRIEN, COMMANDER, USS NASSAU: In scenes like this, somebody missing a muster in and of itself is not necessarily a rare event. It is a rare event that the individual does not turn up and is missing. That is very uncommon.
BUCKLEY: Dale's disappearance came just 48 hours after another Nassau sailor, Dwayne Williams, was seen going overboard in what the ship's captain called "a freak accident." He was chasing after a football on the flight deck when he tripped and fell overboard. After a nine-hour search, Williams was presumed dead, and Nassau continued on its way home.
O'BRIEN: We could not find him. We know he couldn't have drifted far from that datum. And that, coupled with his survivability time in that temperature of water, he was gone.
BUCKLEY: As the sun went down, the aerial search for Shaun Dale was called off, but sailors continued searching on the ship. Officers said while Dale could be overboard, he might also be incapacitated on the ship or even hiding. They also say suicide cannot be ruled out.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: Waiting onshore where the Marines are due to land this morning is our Gary Tuchman. Dale's disappearance and the presumed death of Williams come after a nine-month deployment that saw no loss of any life at all -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, it has been a sad couple of days because of these two men, but there is a festive atmosphere here on the beaches of North Carolina, because 2,300 other Marines will be arriving shortly. It's been a very stormy morning here at Camp Lejeune, but the rain has let up, and hopefully it will stay let up for the next couple of hours, because we're expecting the Marines to come upon the beach in about two hours from now.
The amphibious ships will be coming here to North Carolina at about 9:00 Eastern Time, which is two hours from now. We expect the USS Tortuga to be about six miles behind me. Hovercraft will then bring about 800 Marines here to the beaches of North Carolina, where they will meet with their families. The USS Nassau, where Frank Buckley is right now, that's expected to arrive about three hours from now, another 1,100 Marines aboard the Nassau. And then there is one more ship, the USS Austin. That will dock about six miles east of Morehead City, which is north of here, and 500 more Marines will then come off.
This all began yesterday, a head start for five Marine Harrier pilots who arrived here in North Carolina. Their families were very grateful to see them. And today is expected to be a very big day, because 2,300 Marines will hit the shores of North Carolina after nine months away.
Leon -- back to you.
HARRIS: All right, it will be a happy homecoming for most at least. Thanks, Gary -- Gary Tuchman reporting live.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
