Students and crew members aboard the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru described to investigators two loud noises and a shudder as the boat was being struck by the USS Greeneville last Friday.

USS GREENEVILLE

Commissioned: Feb. 16, 1996

Los Angeles-class attack nuclear submarine

Homeported in Pearl Harbor in March 1997

Max crew: 130

EHIME MARU

Specs:

499 tons

190.8 feet long

30.5 feet wide

Max crew: 76

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National Transportation Safety Board investigators said, at a briefing Monday night, that based on accounts from some of the high school students aboard the ship, the Ehime Maru sank stern-first between 5-10 minutes after it was first struck. The students, who were all 16- and 17-years-old, had just finished lunch below the main deck and were cleaning up when the collision happened, according to NTSB investigator John Hammerschmidt. The captain of the Ehime Maru, Hisa Onishi, told investigators that his ship was travelling at 11 knots when it was hit by the Greeneville. Onishi said that electricity was lost almost immediately after the collision, which happened about nine miles southwest of Diamond Head. The students, who were interviewed Sunday night before flying home on Monday, said that they waded through ankle-deep, oil-filled water as they went up to the main deck after the collision. Only some of them were wearing life vests. Some also said that they climbed into the ship's pilot house, above the main deck, to stay above the rapidly rising water. "Some of them said that it looked like, to them, like the image of the Titanic going down," Hammerschmidt said. At least one student said that he saw one of the nine crew members who are still missing, a radio officer who was seen on an outside bridgeway, wearing a life vest. Capt. Onishi activated an emegency beacon himself, Hammerschimidt said. The students said that they were able to easily swim to their life boats after the Ehime Maru sank. The captain, who in an earlier news conference said that he wondered why the crew of the Greeneville didn't help in their rescue, also told the NTSB that he now understood why the submarine couldn't help. The U.S. Navy has claimed that the water was too choppy at the time to mount a safe rescue attempt. Hammerschmidt also said that there is evidence that a language problem may have added to the difficulty of a rescue attempt by the submarine. Navy officials said that they plan to continue their search for the nine missing crew members on Tuesday. There was no word on if or when they plan to suspend the search. Previous Stories:

• February 12, 2001: Robot To Search For Sunken Ship
• February 12, 2001: Japanese Minister Meets With U.S. Admiral
• February 11, 2001: Search For Ehime Maru Victims To Continue
• February 11, 2001: Captain Of Ehime Maru Speaks
• February 11, 2001: Government Calls Submarine Collision 'Tragedy'
• February 10, 2001: Sub Commander Reassigned As Search Continues
• February 10, 2001: U.S. Offers Another Apology To Japan
• February 10, 2001: Anxiety Turns To Anger In Japanese Town
• February 10, 2001: Sub Collided During Emergency Maneuver