The Navy took a major step Saturday toward recovering the wreckage of the fighter jet that crashed into San Diego Bay on Wednesday, placing a large crane-equipped barge above the spot where the aircraft hit the water.

G Growler went down near Shelter Island in rainy and misty conditions about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday during an aborted landing approach to Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, authorities said. Witnesses described seeing the plane flying at what seemed to be unusually low altitudes just before it nosedived into the harbor.

The process of recovering a fighter jet that crashed into San Diego Bay this week after its two-member crew safely ejected during an apparent mechanical emergency could take as long as two weeks, the Navy advised Friday.

As efforts to recover the crashed military plane in San Diego Bay continue, authorities have issued a public notice to stay away from the wreckage that is still in the water off of Shelter Island and any debris that might wash up.

The plunge Wednesday of an uncontrolled E/A-18G Growler into the San Diego Bay channel between Coronado and Shelter Island ended a 71-year span of no water mishaps since flights from surrounding fields began 114 years ago at North Island.