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US Naval Investigator Testifies on Sub Collision
The crew of the US submarine Greeneville had conducted a series of missteps which led to the fatal collision between the submarine and a Japanese fishing boat on February 9, a US Navy admiral testified on Monday.
Rear Admiral Charles Griffith, who conducted the preliminary investigation of the incident, became the first to testify at a court of inquiry which opened at Pear Harbor, Honolulu, on Monday, according to Associated Press reports on Tuesday.
He said the mistakes by the crew of the Greeneville ranged from the submarine rushing to get back on schedule to vital sonar data not getting to the skipper.
The Greeneville, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, was demonstrating an emergency ascent drill for 16 civilian guests off Hawaii when it sank the Ehime Maru, leaving nine people aboard the Japanese boat missing.
The submarine set out from Pearl Harbor on a seven-hour tour for the civilians who helped to raise money for a World War II naval memorial. For the first half of the day, things went according to plan, the AP quoted Griffiths as testifying.
The surfacing drill had been planned for 1 p.m., but it was pushed back until 1:43 p.m. because launch took longer time than expected.
Testimony showed that Scott Waddle, skipper of the submarine, rushed through preparations for the drill, perhaps because the sub was behind schedule.
Waddle ordered his crew to get to periscope depth in five minutes, despite procedures that require at least 10 minutes to check for surface vessels, Griffiths said.
Waddle and Michael Coen, officer of the deck, then performed an 80-second periscope check while a thorough periscope search generally takes about three minutes. The two officers have said they did not see the Ehime Maru during their scans.
Griffiths also testified that the fire control technician, who relays the position of surface vessels to the sub's officers, had data showing the Ehime Maru was within 5,000 yards (about 4572 meters) of the submarine as it went up to periscope depth.
However, the crew man told investigators that he did not relay the information to Waddle or Coen because civilians were standing between him and the officers.
All 16 civilians and an estimated 16 navy personnel were crammed into the Greeneville's tiny control room for the emergency surfacing drill.
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