2 San Diego-based Navy ships to assist in AirAsia recovery effort

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An Indonesian navy ship crew member holds a piece of a window panel recovered from the wreckage of AirAsia Flight 8501, during a news conference in Surabaya, Indonesia, on Monday. (Trisnadi / Associated Press)

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Members of Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency carry coffins containing victims of the AirAsia crash at the airport in Pangkalan Bun on Jan. 2. (Achmad Ibrahim / Associated Press)

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Indonesian women hold candles and pray for the victims of Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 in Pangkalan Bun on Jan 1. (Tatan Syuflana / Associated Press)

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A member of the Indonesian Red Cross Society prepares coffins for the victims of Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 at the main hospital in Pangkalan Bun, on Jan. 2. (Tatan Syuflana / Associated Press)

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A U.S. Navy helicopter crew member salutes as the body of a victim of the AirAsia crash is unloaded at the airport in Pangkalan Bun, Indonesia, on Jan. 2. (Achmad Ibrahim / Associated Press)

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Muslim men pray for the victims of Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 at Al Akbar Mosque in Surabaya, Indonesia, on Jan. 2, 2015. (Dita Alangkara / Associated Press)

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Family members of passengers onboard Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 pray inside a holding room at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, on Dec. 31. (Manan Vatsyayana / AFP/Getty Images)

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Indonesian military personnel carry the coffin of a victim recovered from the crash site of Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 after its arrival at a military airbase in Surabaya, Indonesia, on Dec. 31 (Juni Kriswanto / AFP/Getty Images)

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Indonesian marines unload diving equipment after arriving at an air base in Pangkalan Bun on Dec. 31 to join the search and recovery operation for Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501. (Yanuar / AFP/Getty Images)

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Indonesian authorities are investigating whether floating debris spotted in the Java Sea on Dec. 30 is from missing Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501. (Bay Ismoyo / AFP/Getty Images)

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Family members waiting at a crisis center at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, react after watching news reports showing an unidentified body floating in the Java Sea on Dec. 30. (Manan Vatsyayana / AFP/Getty Images)

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Family members of passengers missing from Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 react after watching news reports showing an unidentified body floating in the Java Sea on Dec. 30. (Manan Vatsyayana / AFP/Getty Images)

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Members of Indonesia’s Marine Police pray on board a search-and-rescue ship before looking for the AirAsia jetliner on Dec. 29 at Pangkal Pinang port on Sumatra island. (Tatan Syuflana / Associated Press)

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Relatives of missing AirAsia passengers cry at the crisis center at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, on Dec. 28. (Robertus Pudyanto / Getty Images)

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One of the relatives of missing AirAsia passengers makes a phone call from the crisis center at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, on Dec. 28. (Robertus Pudyanto / Getty Images)

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Speaking to reporters on Dec. 28, an official from Indonesia’s national search-and-rescue agency in Medan points at the spot where Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 went missing. (Sutanta Aditya / AFP/Getty Images)

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A relative shows a picture of passengers thought to be traveling on the AirAsia flight at the airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, on Dec. 28. (Juni Kriswanto / AFP/Getty Images)

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Reporters question a relative of a passenger aboard the missing AirAsia flight at Singapore’s Changi Airport. (Mohd Fyrol / AFP/Getty Images)

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A relative of passengers aboard Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 weeps as she waits for news on the missing jetliner at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia. (Trisnadi / Associated Press)

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AirAsia Airbus A320-200 passenger jets on the tarmac in Sepang, Malaysia, in November. (Lai Seng Sin / Associated Press)

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A woman leaves a holding area for friends and relatives of passengers aboard AirAsia Flight 8501 at Changi Airport in Singapore. (Suhaimi Abdullah / Getty Images)

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A Malaysian woman watches AirAsia Airbus A320 planes on the tarmac at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang. (Manan Vatsyayana / AFP/Getty Images)

By Tony Perry

Dec. 30, 2014 6:39 AM PT

Two San Diego-based Navy ships have been sent to assist in recovery efforts for the Indonesia AirAsia passenger jet that authorities said Tuesday went down in the Java Sea.

Both ships were in the region for training.

The destroyer Sampson arrived in the search area Tuesday and was “prepared to assist in surface recovery efforts,” Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby told CNN. The Sampson has a helicopter squadron from North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado.

On Tuesday, the Navy also ordered the Fort Worth, a littoral combat ship, to assist in operations.

The Fort Worth was being prepared to deploy to the area from nearby Singapore and could be ready within two days, Kirby said.

U.S. military personnel were also preparing maritime patrol aircraft that could help investigators map the field of debris if requested, Kirby said.