U.S. Copter Wreckage Retrieved
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MANAMA, Bahrain — The wreckage of an American helicopter that disappeared with its two crewmen last month during a day of naval clashes in the Persian Gulf was recovered Saturday, and a U.S. military official said it appeared the gunship was shot down by an Iranian missile.
Sources said a salvage tug operating off the coast of Iran’s Sirri Island, with the U.S. destroyer Stump providing protection, used a crane to recover the wreckage of the AH-1 Cobra in “three pieces.”
A military official in the gulf said the fragmentary state of the wreckage indicated upon preliminary investigation that it had been “struck by an Iranian missile.”
The chopper disappeared April 18, the day U.S. and Iranian forces clashed in the volatile waterway.
The gunship went down during a reconnaissance flight about 15 miles south of Abu Musa Island.
American military experts were examining the wreckage for clues that may shed light on what type of missiles Iran is deploying.
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