 Bush may halt VIP cruises
Sub crew not at fault, say civilians who were aboard
Sinking exacerbates U.S. troubles in Japan
U.S. Navy responds to questions
Fund for Ehime Maru hits $17,645
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By John Omicinski
Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON — How did the crew of the submarine USS Greeneville — with its high-tech periscopes and sonar — miss spotting the Japanese fishing trawler Ehime Maru on the surface before smashing into it during a high-speed ascent?
That question may be partially answered today, when U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Thomas Fargo expects to get a preliminary report from investigators.
Several officials and lawmakers yesterday discounted the role that any of the civilian guests aboard the Greeneville may have played in the tragedy.
But why the skipper and crew couldn’t spot the 174-foot trawler on a day with five-mile visibility remained the central question in last Friday’s collision off O‘ahu. Nine people aboard the training vessel are missing, including four high school students.
Responsibility for the collision lies, in all likelihood, with the sub’s skipper and not the 16 civilian guests who were aboard, a senator said yesterday.
The basic question is, "How could he have not seen the other boat?" Sen. Carl Levin, ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said yesterday.
"My hunch is the problem is not going to be whether the civilians pushed the buttons," he said. "That’s not nearly as important as whether or not the commander should have seen the other boat, and if not, why not?"
The Armed Services panel summoned Fargo to Washington on Wednesday for a secret briefing on the sub accident. Fargo told the panel he anticipates receiving a Navy investigation report today.
At a Pentagon briefing, Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Rear Adm. Steve Pietropaoli said only one civilian was seated at the submarine’s controls.
Pietropaoli disagreed with Coast Guard estimates that the submarine was two miles outside of a practice range marked on navigational charts.
"The submarine’s assigned operating area is far broader than that and has, frankly, been not released publicly (because) it’s classified information. But · it was not outside its assigned area."
Levin said he didn’t believe there would be a ban on civilian day-trips aboard submarines. However, the Michigan Democrat added, if it were shown that the civilians were a distraction, lawmakers might urge a ban.
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