 Greeneville officers to face highest-level court inquiry
Civilians' names break the surface
Admiral tells court to scrutinize collision
Accidents devastate military families
Couple extends sympathy to those involved in accident
Incident may harm Okinawa presence
Video of the sunken Ehime Maru
A Tribute to the Missing
Previous stories
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Feb. 9
Pearl Harbor-based fast-attack submarine USS Greeneville slices through the hull of the Ehime Maru, a Japanese fishery school training ship with 35 people aboard. Nine are listed as missing.
Feb. 10
In less than 24 hours, the Navy removes Cmdr. Scott Waddle, 41, from command of the Greeneville.
A team of five from the National Transportation Safety Board arrives in Hawai‘i.
Ehime Maru ship captain Hisao Onishi, 58, and Uwajima Fisheries High School principal Ietaka Horita hold a press conference to describe the tragedy to the people of Japan.
The Navy says that sending the crew of the Greeneville overboard to rescue survivors after the accident would have been next to impossible, and that the Greeneville helped by requesting Coast Guard assistance. The fact that the submarine, with more than 100 personnel aboard, did not send a single sailor to help enrages the citizens and media of Japan.
President Bush formally apologizes to Japan, and Secretary of State Colin Powell telephones Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono to express regrets.
Adm. Thomas Fargo, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, says the Greeneville was executing an emergency surfacing drill when it struck the Ehime Maru.
Onishi says his ship’s engines were running when the collision occurred, suggesting it should have been easier for the Greeneville’s sonar to detect.
The Navy declines to release the names of the 16 civilians who were on board the submarine.
The Greeneville moves into port at Pearl Harbor after staying at the scene overnight; damage to its rudder is clearly visible.
Feb. 11
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and the victims’ families say they want the United States to retrieve the Ehime Maru because the missing fishermen might be in the wreckage.
The Coast Guard meets with families of the victims at Sand Island and are peppered with questions about the cause of the accident, the rescue response time and scope of rescue efforts.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says that an investigation into the collision will examine whether the Navy should conduct future submarine training farther from shore.
The Coast Guard, Navy and Japanese training vessel Nippon Maru continue searching for the missing.
Feb. 12
The Navy confirms two civilians sat at the Greeneville’s control stations as it rocketed to the surface.
Feb. 13
Navy prepares deep-sea submersibles to survey the wreckage.
President Bush personally calls Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to express condolences.
Weary Japanese crewmen who survived the accident plead for the nine missing to be found.
Feb. 14
The NTSB says a civilian passenger’s hands were on the controls that sent the Greeneville into its "emergency ballast blow." A second civilian controlled the steering and direction of the submarine. Both were closely monitored by Navy personnel.
Navy announces the civilians were aboard the submarine at the request of retired Adm. Richard Macke.
Feb. 15
Two civilians who were aboard give vivid accounts of the collision and the actions of the submarine’s crew and commander. Todd Thoman and John Hall, both of Houston, denied their presence was a distraction for the crew or contributed to the accident. Michael "Mickey" Nolan and his wife, Susan, of Hawai‘i Kai, confirm they were aboard.
President Bush suggests that the military review its practice of allowing civilians to ride aboard sophisticated warships.
The NTSB says it will interview the 16 civilians.
Feb. 16
NTSB says the Greeneville had "at least some sonar contacts" with surface vessels before the collision.
Feb. 17
The Ehime Maru is located sitting upright in 2,003 feet of water.
The Navy announces the captain of the Greeneville, its executive officer and officer of the deck will go before a court of inquiry and face the Navy’s highest form of investigation.
The Navy releases the names of all 16 civilians.
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