Sources told KITV4 News and ABCNEWS that the submarine USS Greeneville would not have performed the maneuver that resulted in the sinking of the Ehime Maru if civilians were not on board.

The Greeneville was performing an emergency blow drill when it collided with the Japanese fishing vessel one week ago. The drill was being performed for the benefit of the 16 VIPs aboard the sub, according to sources.

Sources said that the finding is part of a preliminary Navy report that has yet to be released.

That finding will almost certainly further enrage Navy critics, including the Japanese, who claimed that the drill amounted to a joy ride for the civilians and resulted in the needless death of nine fishermen.

Military sources said that the preliminary report on the crash is expected to show that there were no mechanical problems with the sub and that officers performed several 360-degree searches with the periscope before it surfaced.

But according to those sources, the report does not answer the critical question of how high the periscope was raised. The periscope height would determine the range of vision that the captain and his watch officer would have had.

Sources also told KITV4 News that the report says that officers did not wait an excessively long time after scanning the surface before beginning the sub's ascent.

Sources said that the crew did follow procedures, but further investigations are expected to focus on how thoroughly the procedures were followed. For instance, sources said investigators have to determine if the crews quickly checked the sonar or made a careful assessment.

Navy investigators found that the civilian visitors did not create any major distractions, according to sources.

Military sources said that Adm. Thomas Fargo, Navy Pacific Fleet commander, spent the day reading and digesting the report, which is expected to be released either Saturday or early next week. Sources said that Fargo is working on recommendations to make public based on the report's findings.

Sources added that a big problem for Fargo is that the preliminary report does not go into why the accident occured.

Civilian Reveals More Details

John Hall, one of the civilians aboard the Greeneville during the collision, told the New York Times that the submarine was tracking five vessels earlier in the day.

Hall said that the sub's officers made six sweeps of the periscope at two different depths in the moments before the collision, but saw no other ships before surfacing.

After the incident, Hall said that the submarine's crew initially said that they saved all 35 sailors from the Ehime Maru. About 10 minutes later, according to Hall, the crew took back the initial assessment and said that only 26 sailors were accounted for.

Japanese Familes Respond

The families of the nine missing sailors from the Ehime Maru made their first public statements Friday. In an emotional news conference, the families demanded answers from the Navy and asked the United States to raise the sunken ship.

The father of the one of the missing high school students from the vessel demanded that the skipper of the Greeneville, Cmdr. Scott Waddle, gets on his knees and apologize to the families.

"Every day, I get angrier and angrier," Ryosuke Terada said. "When I got to bed at night, I see my son's face."

The families also issued a list of 31 questions that they want the Navy to answer in writing. Among them, "Did you let the civilians experience the emergency blow to let them enjoy tht thrill of a roller coaster ride? Will you continue such a foolish 'leisure land tour' in such areas with many boats and yachts?"

Click here to read the complete list of questions.

Previous Stories:

• February 15, 2001: Search Continues While NTSB Interviews Sub Crew
• February 14, 2001: Two Island Residents On Greeneville
• February 14, 2001: U.S.-Japan Relations Turning Tense
• February 13, 2001: Sub Captain Could Face Criminal Inquiry
• 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