Probe Not Complete Without Skipper's Words, Attorney Says
The attorney for the former USS Greeneville skipper, Cmdr. Scott Waddle, has officially made an offer for Waddle to testify in the Navy's court of inquiry under testimonial immunity.
The "proffer" was delivered Monday to U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, Adm. Thomas Fargo. In it, Waddle's attorney, Charles Gittins, claimed that the court will be forced into drawing incorrect conclusions based on "surmise or speculation, double, triple and in some cases, quadruple hearsay" without Waddle's testimony.
"The families need to hear from him," Gittins told reporters. "It's important because this investigation can't possibly be complete without his testimony."
In his proffer, Gittins called allegations that Waddle rushed a civilian tour because he was running 45 minutes late "unfounded speculation."
If given testimonial immunity during the inquiry, anything that Waddle said on the witness stand could not be used against him during any criminal proceedings, such as a court-martial. Gittins has said that Waddle may not testify if he is not granted immunity.
During Thursday testimony, the court of inquiry panel heard from several members of the Greeneville's crew.
Master Chief Douglas Coffman, chief of the boat and the top enlisted man on duty during the collision, was grilled by the lead admiral of the inquiry about why several key crew members were not on the day's watch schedule.
Vice Adm. John Nathman also asked why the sonar crew included an unsupervised trainee.
"Does that sound like a safe watch?" Nathman asked.
"It wasn't safe that day, sir. It's obvious," Coffman responded.
Coffman said that many of the changes were typical for a cruise with civilians because eating schedules were disrupted and skilled operators were moved to do entertaining manuevers.
But Coffman and other crew members have repeatedly said that they did nothing different that day. Inquiry member Rear Adm. Paul Sullivan responded to that assertion by saying, "I get a sense that (the crew) are somewhat in denial."
Lt. Cmdr. Tyler Meador was the officer of the deck in charge of search-and-rescue. He was at the top of the submarine's 20-foot tail looking for survivors after the Ehime Maru collision.
Meador testified that divers were prepared to enter the water, but that choppy seas and a swaying ladder meant that survivors wouldn't be able to come on the sub.
"It would have been extremely dangerous, if not life threatening, to bring someone aboard," Meador said.
Petty Officer Corey Lee Harris, the chief of the watch, testified that he was with several of the sub's civilian guests during the collision.
"Three of the sub's 16 civilian guests took control positions when the submarine was 400 feet down, before it began an emergency surfacing drill," Harris testified.
Harris also testified that he oversaw one of the civilians at the ballast controls, which regulate the rise and fall of the sub.
He said that he monitored the civilian: "My hands were on his and actually on the valve."
When asked how close he was to the civilian, he told the court, "We couldn't have been closer."
Harris said that after the crash he sounded the collision alarm, began a damage assessment, got out rescue gear and tried to find someone onboard who spoke Japanese.
Nine crew members of the Japanese ship Ehime Maru died in the crash.
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