The admiral who conducted the initial investigation of the collision between the USS Greeneville and the Japanese fishing trawler Ehime Maru said that the submarine was running late by about 45 minutes that day.
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
On day one of the court of inquiry into the collision, Rear Adm. Charles Griffiths was the first witness called. He said that the submarine's primary mission on the day of the collision was to "embark distinguished visitors" in a four-hour tour that would be complete with dives, simulated torpedo shoots and an emergency surfacing drill.
The surfacing drill was scheduled to take place at 1 p.m., but was pushed back because lunch took longer than expected. Griffiths said that the group of 16 civilian guests had to be split into two groups for lunch because the sub's wardroom couldn't accomodate everyone.
It was during the emergency blow that the submarine struck the fishing vessel about nine miles off of Diamond Head, sending it 2,000 feet to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean within minutes. Nine of the 35 sailors on board are still missing and presumed dead.
Griffiths said that Greeneville skipper, Cmdr. Scott Waddle, knew he was late.
"He wanted to get to periscope depth in a hurry,'' Griffiths said. "I can surmise it was because they were late from their previous schedule.''
Fire Control Technician Cover-Up?
Griffiths had extremely harsh words for the Greeneville's fire control technician, accusing him of possibly covering up mistakes that may have contributed to the collision. The technician had earlier told investigators that he stopped manually plotting the Ehime Maru's position because of the presence of civilians in his work area.
The Navy investigation found that the technician didn't follow an order to notify senior officers of surface traffic within a 10,000-yard range.
"There's no reason he shouldn't have spoken up, period," Griffiths said. Griffiths also offered the possibility that the technician may have replotted the boat's position after the collision to cover up his error.
Periscope Peril
In his testimony, Griffiths argued that Waddle and executive officer Lt. Cmdr. Gerald Pfeifer were woefully inadequate in checking the sub's periscope for surface traffic.
Grittiths said that he found that Waddle and Pfeifer, combined, scanned the ocean surface for roughly 80 seconds before beginning the sub's descent to 400 feet for the surfacing drill. According to Griffiths, the two should have conducted a more detailed scan of at least three-and-a-half minutes, with Waddle examining each 90-degree quadrant for at least 45 seconds apiece.
Sonar Room Inadequacies
On another point, Griffiths said that the sonar room was inadequately staffed because a trainee took the place of a fully qualified sonarman. Griffiths said that the person who would have normally supervised the trainee was serving as a tour guide for the civilians.
Griffiths also testified that a key piece of a sonar display that would have allowed the skipper, exeuctive officer and officer of the deck to monitor surface traffic was not operating, something he referred to as "a big deal."
However, officers decided to defer repairs to the sonar repeater until the submarine returned to port because it was "too disruptive'' to fix the equipment at sea.
Opening Formalities
The inquiry began in the morning with the family members of the nine missing sailors from the Ehime Maru seated in the front row of the courtroom. Vice Adm. John Nathman told the audience in opening remarks that the goal of the hearing is to prevent a recurrence.
"The tragic consequences of the collision have impacted the lives of both Japanese and American families,'' Nathman said.
The Court of Inquiry is being led by Nathman, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Naval Air Force. Two other admirals, Rear Adm. Paul F. Sullivan and Rear Adm. David M. Stone, are also serving on the panel. Japan Maritime Defense Force Rear Adm. Isamu Ozawa will serve as an adviser and non-voting member to the court.
Waddle, executive officer Pfeifer and officer of the deck Lt. j.g. Michael Coen are parties to the inquiry.
- Click here for a closer look at the major players in the Court of Inquiry.
During morning questioning by attorneys on Waddle's potential culpability, Nathman told them that "ultimately, (Waddle is) responsible for whatever happens."
However, Sullivan left a possible opening for Waddle's defense. "The (commanding officer's) authority is absolute ... but there can be extenuating circumstances," Sullivan said.
By coincidence, Sullivan, earlier in his military career, was a low-ranking member of a submarine that collided with a merchant ship in the Straits of Gibraltar. Nobody died in the incident.
Nathan said that the inquiry will focus on four main issues:
- The facts surrounding the collision and the assessment of responsibility.
- An examination of the distinguished visitor program.
- Finding out whether the submarine was operating within assigned areas.
- Was Capt. Bob Brandhuber, the senior officer on the sub, in a position to intervene?
Investigations by the Navy and the National Transportation Safety Board found that 16 civilian guests were aboard the sub at the time of the collision, with Brandhuber as their escort. Two of the guests were seated at vital control stations.
One member of the court expressed support for the Navy's civilian visitors' program.
"I'm a strong believer in the (program), '' said Rear Adm. Stone. "I think it's part of who we are as a Navy. It's America's Navy. We need to continue that program, and make sure we do it safely.''
Waddle Admits Naval Career Is Finished
Writing to Time magazine, Waddle (pictured, right, with wife) acknowledged that his career is over.
"My career is terminated -- an accident of this sort, whether or not I am exonerated, will end my career," Waddle wrote for the March 12 issue of Time. "My last acts as a naval officer will be to ensure there is closure for the families and that the truth is determined."
Waddle has hired renown civilian attorney Charles Gittins, who also defended former Army Sgt. Major Gene McKinney during court-martial proceedings on sexual harassment charges.
Gittins charged that the Navy was denying Waddle specific rights to which he was entitled. He also complained that the inquiry panel was allowed to fly in an attorney from Washington, D.C., while Waddle wasn't allowed to get the military attorney he wanted because the attorney was more than 100 miles away.
Much of the Monday morning session was taken up by opening statements and administrative matters. The entire inquiry is expected to last at least three weeks.
Previous Stories:
- March 4, 2001: Court Of Inquiry Begins Monday
- March 4, 2001: Families Pay Tribute To Ehime Maru Victims
- March 3, 2001: Family Members Of Missing Students Arrive For Navy Hearing
- March 2, 2001: Sub Skipper Wants Immunity
- March 2, 2001: Ehime Maru School Students Graduate
- March 1, 2001: Waddle: 'Part Of Me Died' In Collision
- March 1, 2001: Carlisle, Donohue Among Sub Guests
- 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: Latest On Submarine Crash Investigation
- 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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