USNS GRAPPLE, Mediterranean Sea -- U.S. Navy sailors and civilian mariners attached to USNS Grapple (T-ARS 53) aided in the recovery of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409.
NAPLES, Italy - At the request of the government of Lebanon and U.S. Department of State, Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet is coordinating assets in support of search and rescue efforts off the coast of Lebanon, Jan. 25. Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET409 crashed shortly after take-off from Beirut International Airport en route to Ethiopia. Within hours, a U.S. P-3 Orion aircraft and the USS Ramage (DDG 61) arrived on scene and were assisting the on-scene commander from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).