USS Fort Worth standing by in AirAsia search

The USS Fort Worth is docked in Singapore, ready to assist in search-and-rescue operations for AirAsia Flight 8501.

The littoral combat ship, designed to operate near shorelines, arrived Monday, Navy officials said. The Navy destroyer USS Sampson has already joined the effort at the request of the Indonesian government.

The USS Fort Worth departed from San Diego on Nov. 16 as part of a 16-month rotational deployment for its mission in the Asia-Pacific region, said Lt. Timothy Hawkins, a Navy spokesman.

“What its role will be is currently being assessed as circumstances evolve,” Hawkins said.

Littoral ships can operate in shallow water and are designed for various missions, including surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and minesweeping, with modules that can be switched out as needed.

According to CNN, the average depth at the crash site is 131 feet.

The USS Fort Worth has two helicopters, one manned and one unmanned, that can be used to search for debris or black boxes, which might shed light on what crippled the aircraft, Hawkins said. The ship is also equipped with side scan sonar that can help map the area, he said.

AirAsia Flight 8501 went missing Sunday after taking off from Indonesia’s second-largest city, Surabaya, according to The Associated Press. No distress signal went out from the Airbus 320-200, which carried 155 passengers and seven crew members, mostly Indonesians.

The pilots had been worried about the weather and had sought permission to climb above threatening clouds — and were at least temporarily denied.

Minutes later, the jet was gone from radar. Six bodies were originally spotted about 6 miles from the site of Flight 8501’s last communication with air traffic control. Three of the bodies, found intact and without life jackets, were brought to an Indonesian navy ship.

“The U.S. Navy is working closely with the government of Indonesia to identify additional surface or airborne capabilities that best assist their search efforts,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release Monday.

This report includes material from The Associated Press and the Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published December 30, 2014 at 3:23 PM with the headline "USS Fort Worth standing by in AirAsia search."