BryceM:
tekata: trouble is, that's 3 ships that are appropriately equipped (by my count), plus some odds and sods (frigates? submarines?) which won't be able to contribute much. Very difficult to make an adequate search of a large area in the small time window with these resources.
Ok, but now, it is a completely different point from your previous one
"Well meaning-but inept, in all probability" without having a single clue for saying that, arguing that an ad-hoc
"opportunity fleet" was doing a job which should be left to the "pros".
Actually, this is a serious effort if one consider the location of the disaster which is fairly remote from Europe/USA. Having four dedicated vessels (the Navy SNA
is a pretty good asset added to the detection party and a second one (US or UK) has probably already reinforced the fleet), all including specialized crews trained for the task with all the adequate equipment deployed here in less than 10 days could not have been possible without an immediate and effective planning following the crash-day.
Adding more non dedicated ressources wouldn't be the good choice, as you wisely pointed it previously, but there is not scores of specialized means, considering that the mission could last several months and that a relieve would be needed at some point.