The commander of the submarine that collided with a Japanese fishing boat off Oahu said that the accident is "a burden'' he will carry for the rest of his life.
Cmdr. Scott Waddle made the statement in an interview with People magazine that is scheduled to be on newsstands Friday.
In his first published interview since the accident, Waddle recounted the moment he realized that the USS Greeneville hit the Ehime Maru on Feb. 9. Waddle said that a part of him died when he saw the boat sinking.
Commissioned: Feb. 16, 1996
Los Angeles-class attack nuclear submarine
Homeported in Pearl Harbor in March 1997
Max crew: 130
Specs:
499 tons
190.8 feet long
30.5 feet wide
Max crew: 76
"When I heard from the Coast Guard that nine men were unaccounted for, I felt as if my very heart had been ripped out of my chest," Waddle said.
Four 17-year-old students, two teachers and three crew members were never found.
Waddle's father, Dan Waddle, told People that his son called just hours after the accident and maintained that he followed standard procedures.
On Tuesday, Waddle apologized to the families of nine sailors who are missing and presumed dead from the Japanese ship.
Japan's foreign ministry said that Waddle dropped off 13 letters of apology to Japan's consulate in Honolulu. One is for each of the nine families. Another is for Japan's prime minister.
Families of the nine missing from the training ship have insisted that amends were impossible without a letter of apology from Waddle himself.
Other letters were addressed to the captain of the Japanese fishing trawler, the governor of the state where the missing lived, and the principal of the school that four missing students on board attended.
Adm. William Fallon, meantime, met Wednesday in Japan with the families of the missing. He delivered an apology on behalf of the president, the people of the United States and the U.S. Navy.
The meeting was held in the U.S. Ambassador's residence in Tokyo.
Family members said that his message was well-received.
Fallon delivered a letter to Japan's prime minister Tuesday. Japanese officials said that
President Bush's letter of apology over the sinking of a Japanese fishing vessel by a U.S. submarine includes a promise to consider raising the wreck.
Japan's prime minister reportedly told a U.S. Navy admiral Tuesday that if the U.S. fails to do so, Japan might raise the ship on its own.
A Navy spokesman said that the Scorpio's survey and that of another unmanned submersible robot, Deep Drone, will be completed as early as the end of this week.
Previous Stories:
- February 27, 2001: Ehime Maru Survey Nearly Complete
- February 27, 2001: Japan: Bush Considering Salvage Of Sunken Ship
- February 26, 2001: Waddle Has 'Sincere Regret' About Collision
- February 25, 2001: Sub Investigation Could Widen
- February 22, 2001: Navy Court Of Inquiry Could Be Delayed
- February 20, 2001: Navy Likely To Raise Ehime Maru
- February 20, 2001: Sub Mishap Survivors Still Haunted
- February 19, 2001: Sucess Of Raising Ehime Maru 'Questionable'
- 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: Ehime Maru Crew Describes Disaster
- 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
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