 Greeneville officers to face highest-level court inquiry
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A Tribute to the Missing
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What do you think of the collision of the USS Greeneville and the Ehime Maru? Join our discussion board.
Michael and Susan Nolan
Prepared Statement
RE: USS Greeneville Submarine Accident
We very deeply regret the loss of life resulting from the accident and extend our most sincere sympathy and heartfelt aloha to the survivors of the accident and to the families and friends who have missing loved ones.
My wife Susan and I were invited by the U.S. Navy to participate on a short excursion tour aboard the submarine USS Greeneville scheduled on February 9, 2001.
We accepted the invitation because we felt it would be a great opportunity to learn more about a U.S. Navy submarine and the men who protect and serve our country in the submarine service.
We were just innocent bystanders riding the ship.
From our observations we feel that the civilians aboard did nothing to interfere with the professional conduct of the crew in the performance of their duties, and we do not believe that this accident was in any way caused by any neglect or carelessness.
We are still waiting to speak with the National Transportation Safety Board and therefore will not make any prior interviews. However, we feel compassion for the families in Japan that have no information about what happened, and we did want at the very least, to assure those families that the officers and crew did everything in their power to urgently respond to the emergency. They were frantic in their efforts to lend help immediately upon the collision and were prepared to lend all available assistance to help the people from the Ehime Maru. These are compassionate people, from the captain and his officers throughout the entire crew, and we believe from what we witnessed of their actions and responses from the moment of the collision, through their vigil over the survivors in life rafts, until adequate help arrived from the Coast Guard and throughout the night of search, that the men on the USS Greeneville felt great sorrow and remorse about this terrible accident.
My wife and I hope that in some small measure that this statement will help the families, and we would consider arranging a meeting with the members of the families with the other civilians, such as Mr. John Hall and Mr. Todd Thoman, who have already indicated willingness in this regard.
Sincerely,
Michael "Mickey"
and Susan Nolan
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