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US Navy Ends Probe Into Sub Collision
A US Navy court of inquiry on Tuesday ended a 12-day hearing on the collision between USS submarine Greeneville and Japanese fishing boat Ehime Maru off Hawaii last month.
Scott Waddle, captain of the nuclear-powered submarine, took a surprise move on Tuesday to testify without immunity.
His attorney had indicated he wouldn't testify without immunity to protect him against future charges based solely on what he said. But the US Navy rejected the request on Monday.
"As commanding officer, I am solely responsible for this truly tragic accident, and for the rest of my life I will live with the horrible consequences of my decisions and actions that resulted in the loss of the Ehime Maru," Waddle said during the hearing.
But Waddle also suggested that some of his officers had set in motion the disaster by failing to follow established procedures.
Disputing some of the accusations of misconduct that U.S. Navy investigators have made against him, the captain claimed that "I was trying my best to do the job I was assigned."
The three admirals presiding over the hearing reportedly responded with questioning the captain's command style and judgments -- at several points stating that they did not believe some of his answers.
The court of inquiry, the US Navy's highest form of administrative investigation, has heard more than 30 witnesses over 12 days of hearing.
It will produce a report of its findings and recommend whether three officers of the submarine, including Waddle, should be punished. The report goes to Thomas Fargo, commander-in-chief of US Navy Pacific Fleet, who has up to 30 days to review it and take final action.
Japanese relatives of the Ehime Maru victims, however, said on Tuesday that they were unsatisfied with information made available about the cause of the collision which left nine Japanese, including four middle school students, missing at sea.
"The inquiry is over, but we cannot put this behind us unless Navy officials make clear the causes and responsibility for the accident," the Associated Press quoted Ryosuke Terata as saying.
Terata's 17-year-old son was among the victims of the February 9 incident.
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