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Tribute to the Missing
Video of yesterday's press conference with the crew of the Ehime Maru
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The Navy routinely allows civilians to ride aboard its sophisticated, nuclear-powered submarines on short offshore trips that normally last a day.
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| The USS Greeneville remained docked at Pearl Harbor yesterday. The Navy said that missions with civilians on board are routine.
Associated Press |
The trips are a way to show the public — community and business leaders, lawmakers, veterans, relatives of the crew and the media — the training level and sophistication of submarine crews, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dave Werner, spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s submarine force.
The missions provide training for the crew as well, Werner said. Any time a submarine is under way, the crew hones important skills that allow them to travel safely underwater.
Navy officials say that while visitors are aboard, they sometimes are allowed to sit at control stations that affect steering and diving, but only under with strict supervision by a member of the submarine’s crew, and never for very long.
While on board, visitors tour much of the vessel, getting a glimpse of torpedoes, cruise missiles and claustrophobic quarters at depths of 400 feet below the surface.
It’s not uncommon for them to be in the control room watching sailors operate the submarine during critical maneuvers such as surfacing.
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