The data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the helicopter that crashed into the North Atlantic with 18 people on board last week, have been recovered.

Mike Cunningham, the Transportation Safety Board's lead investigator in the crash, said the recorders are in good condition and are being taken to Ottawa for analysis.

The two items are vital to piecing together what happened in the minutes leading up to the deadly crash that killed 17 people.

The only survivor, Robert Decker, 30, is being treated in a St. John's hospital for fractures and lung injuries.

Investigators will now turn their efforts to recovering the fuselage of the helicopter from the ocean floor, where it rests 178 metres below the surface.

The first nine bodies were removed from the wreckage of the sunken helicopter on Sunday night and brought to St. John's, N.L. on Monday morning.

Workers continued their efforts Monday, using remote operated vehicles to remove the remaining seven bodies from the wreckage, then placing them in a basket that was winched to the surface.

Their bodies were brought into harbour early Tuesday aboard the Atlantic Osprey supply vessel, and unloaded at the Canadian Coast Guard base.

"It certainly brings closure," RCMP Sgt. Wayne Newell said.

"It's a tough time for everybody, but at least to have their loved ones repatriated . . . certainly is helpful."

The ship was met by two hearses and police, who cordoned off the area while the bodies were transferred from the vessel. A similar process took place on Monday when the first group was brought to shore.

The Sikorsky S-92 helicopter was ferrying workers between St. John's and an offshore oil platform when it reported mechanical troubles and turned back towards St. John's. About eight minutes later the helicopter went down.

Family remembers

One of the victims, Allison Maher, 26, was remembered Monday as a "loving soul" who could always make people laugh.

Jim Maher said his niece was "extremely independent and hard working" and lived life to the fullest.

"Those who knew Allison would agree that she was a soft, loving soul with a powerful and infectious sense of humour," Maher said in a statement issued at the funeral.

"When she was back on shore, she spent every waking moment with the people she cared about -- living life to its fullest with her family, friends and her boyfriend. She did more in one year than most of us do in an entire lifetime."

Maher's funeral in Fermeuse, about two hours from St. John's, was the first in a series of memorials, as the victims of the crash are laid to rest.

The chopper is owned by Cougar Helicopters, which has grounded its fleet in St. John's until the TSB has complete the initial work into the investigation.

Police will collect personal effects from the crash site and return them to the families.