It is appearing more likely that the U.S. Navy's Court of Inquiry into the Feb. 9 collision between the USS Greeneville and a Japanese fishing vessel will be delayed past Monday. Navy officials told KITV4 News that the civilian attorney for Cmdr. Scott Waddle, the skipper of the submarine, has asked for the start of the fact-finding hearing to be continued until early March.

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

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

How Crowded Was The Greeneville's Control Room?

CRASH RESOURCES:

Underwater Video Ship

Adm. Fargo Statement

U.S. Navy Statement

First Radio Transmission

Questions Of Ehime Maru Family Members

Fund Set Up For Ehime Maru Victims

WEB LINKS

How A Sub Works
Search Area U.S.S Greeneville
Pacific Cmdr. Submarine Hawaii Navy

Officials said that Waddle's attorney, Charles Gittins, will be coming from the mainland. Gittins has told the Navy that he has conflicts with Monday's scheduled start date and needs further time to prepare his case. The start of the inquiry, which was originally supposed to start Thursday, has already been delayed once. Gittins is a highly respected attorney who specializes in military cases. He defended former Army Sgt. Maj. Gene McKinney against charges that he sexually harassed six female subordinates, including one at the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki. Gittins also defended one of the Navy officers that was indicted in the Tailhook scandal. U.S. Pacific Forces commander Adm. Thomas Fargo will make the final decision whether to approve the delay. Japanese Prefecture Governor Expresses Outrage The governor of the prefecture from which the sunken Japanese fishing boat originated said Wednesday that the latest findings in the investigation of the Greenville's submarine crew would be "unforgivable" if they turn out to be true. Moriyuki Kato spoke to reporters as families of the nine missing crew members of the Ehime Maru left to fly to Japan Wednesday. National Transportation Safety Board officials said Tuesday night that the submarine USS Greeneville spotted the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru more than an hour before the collision that sank the ship. NTSB investigators also disclosed that the fire control technician on duty during the collision told investigators that he neglected to manually chart the position of the Ehime Maru, in part because of the 16 civilians aboard the vessel at the time. Pentagon sources said that 16 people is an unusually high number of visitors for a submarine. One of the jobs of the fire control technician is to constantly track other vessels and potential targets during combat. Military experts say that he is at the hub of all the directional information on a submarine, making him valuable in finding out what went wrong. Kato said that if that was found to be true, it would be "unforgivable." The U.S. military has been under close scrutiny following the collision of the Ehime Maru and the USS Greeneville nuclear submarine Feb. 2. Sources told KITV4 News that one theory being explored by investigators is whether the Greeneville crew mistakenly thought that the Ehime Maru was heading away from the submarine when it was in reality heading toward the sub. Investigators do not know when the crew made the assessment and why it was incorrect, according to sources. The NTSB began inspecting the Greeneville in dry dock Wednesday (pictured, right). A 10-foot scrape to the rudder and a 20- to 25-foot scrape near the conning tower were easily noticable. Officials said that one reason the rudder didn't sustain more damage is because the top of the rudder is specially reinforced to penetrate ice when the submarine is traveling in the arctic and elsewhere. Two Navy submersibles searching the wreckage of the Ehime Maru for a fifth day did not see any signs of the bodies of the nine missing sailors from the accident. The Coast Guard also continued to search the waters around Oahu Wednesday. Kato said that the relatives of the missing crew members just want pieces of their loved ones to take back to Japan to bury. He said that he explained to the family members that the military and the commanding officers cannot give a personal apology at this time until the investigations are over. They only partly understand, he said. Previous Stories:

• February 20, 2001: Greeneville Saw Ship An Hour Before Collision
• February 20, 2001: Navy Likely To Raise Ehime Maru
• February 20, 2001: Sub Mishap Survivors Still Haunted
• February 19, 2001: Robot Sub Hauled Out For Repairs
• February 19, 2001: Tennessee Town Supports Sub Crew
• February 16, 2001: Search Continues While NTSB Interviews Sub Crew
• February 15, 2001: Police Warn Of Sub Victim Fund Scam
• February 15, 2001: Japanese Outraged Over Sub Revelation
• February 15, 2001: Two Island Residents On Greeneville
• February 15, 2001: Help Identify The Civilians On The Sub
• February 14, 2001: Sub Captain Could Face Criminal Inquiry
• February 13, 2001: OHA Responds To State Audit
• February 12, 2001: Bush Offers Prayer For Sub Victims
• February 12, 2001: NTSB Begins Sub Collision Probe
• February 11, 2001: Ehime Maru Captain Speaks
• February 11, 2001: Sub Commander Reassigned As Search Continues
• February 11, 2001: Sub Collided During Emergency Maneuver