Tears for victims on ferry’s final journey

SEOUL — South Korea’s sunken Sewol ferry was sailed away from its watery grave on Friday, beginning its final journey nearly three years after it went down with the loss of more than 300 lives.

A flotilla of tugs towed the wreck, lying on its side on a platform between two giant salvage barges, toward a semisubmersible that will finally bring it into port.

The 145-meter ship was

... There are no words to describe what I’m feeling ... I could only think about my son.” Jung Seong-wook, father of one of the 304 victims

brought to the surface in a complex salvage operation believed to be among the largest recoveries ever of a wreck in one piece, a key demand of the families of the dead.

The rusted, silted hull stood high out of the water, with both its white superstructure and blue bulbous bow exposed as it was taken toward the

Dockwise White Marlin ,a huge vessel standing by in deeper waters to bring it to Mokpo on the mainland, for investigations and a search.

Almost all the dead were schoolchildren and it is thought that nine bodies still unaccounted for may be trapped inside the sun ken ship.

The wreck is expected to reach the port in Mokpo, which is about 90 kilometers from the site of the sinking, as early as April 4.

Around 450 workers, many from Chinese company Shanghai Salvage, were involved in the painstaking operation. The Sewol has a displacement of 6,825 metric tons but is now estimated to weigh between 8,000-8,500 tons including the silt piled up inside.

Several relatives watched the much-anticipated operation unfolding from a boat near the site.

“I had seen footage of the vessel from time to time, but there are no words to describe what I’m feeling to see it above water,” said Jung Seong-wook, a father who lost his son in the deadly accident.

“I cried. I could only think about my son.”

The disaster was a crippling blow to the now-ousted leader Park Geun-hye, whose dismissal over a corruption scandal was confirmed by Seoul’s top court two weeks ago.

She stayed at her residence for the first few critical hours after the disaster while officials frantically sent updates and asked for guidance.

She has never specified what she was doing for the seven hours, sparking wild rumors including a tryst and cosmetic surgery.

Investigations into the disaster, in which 304 people died, concluded it was largely man-made — the result of an illegal redesign, an overloaded cargo bay, inexperienced crew and a questionable relationship between the ship operators and state regulators.

Even though the vessel took around three hours to sink, many of those on board never heard any evacuation order, while the crew were among the first to escape to safety.

Captain Lee Jun-seok was sentenced to life in prison while 14 other crew members were given terms ranging from two to 12 years.