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| Vice Admiral John B. Nathman |
Rear Admiral Paul F. Sullivan |
Rear Admiral David M. Stone |
 Sub captain chooses silence
Periscope depth, timing may be key factors in inquiry
Case presents unusual challenge for interpreters
A Tribute to the Missing
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By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer
Three admirals — each of them owners of Naval Academy rings and rows of ribbons — will enter Pearl Harbor’s Navy Trial Service Office on Thursday to begin providing what Adm. Thomas Fargo called "a full and open accounting for the American and Japanese people."
The admirals will sit as a court of inquiry — the Navy’s highest administrative investigative tool, one with a rich tradition and history.
Courts of inquiry go back to the Articles of War of 1786 and are used in the most serious incidents.
The court of inquiry will focus on Cmdr. Scott Waddle, the captain of the fast-attack submarine that collided with a Japanese training ship on Feb. 9 and sent it 2,003 feet to the bottom of the ocean.
Waddle will stand before the court along with the USS Greeneville’s executive officer, Lt. Cmdr. Gerald K. Pfeifer, and the Greeneville’s officer of the deck, Lt. j.g. Michael J. Coen.
Fargo, commander of the Pacific Fleet, intends to invite Japan to send a maritime self-defense force flag officer to participate on the court of inquiry as an advisor.
The court will consist of three prestigious U.S. flag officers, led by Vice Adm. John B. Nathman. Commander of the Pacific Fleet’s naval air force, Nathman graduated from the Naval Academy in 1970 and flew fighter jets, beginning with the F-4 Phantom.
He went to the Navy Fighter Weapons School made famous in the movie "Top Gun," and returned as the Top Gun training officer flying F-5s, T-38s and A-4s. He rejoined the fleet flying F-14 Tomcats.
Nathman then reported to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to serve as the senior naval test pilot flying all project planes. When he became commander of Strike Fighter Squadron 132, Nathman led his pilots in flying the first F/A-18 Hornet combat sorties against Libya in 1986.
The next year, Nathman became executive officer of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. He later commanded the USS LaSalle, the flagship for the commander of the Middle East Force during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and the Nimitz. He also was director for logistics for the commander of the NATO deployment in Bosnia; commander of the Nimitz Battle Group; deputy commander of the task force supporting the no-fly zone in Iraq; and director of air warfare, chief of naval operations.
Also on the court will be Rear Adm. Paul F. Sullivan, director for plans and policies at the U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. He graduated in the same Naval Academy class as Nathman.
Sullivan served aboard the submarines USS Caiman, USS Dace, USS George C. Marshall and USS Richard D. Russell. He commanded the USS Florida and the USS Birmingham, homeported in Pearl Harbor, and Submarine Group Nine.
Rear Adm. David M. Stone, commander of Destroyer Group 5/Nimitz battle group, graduated from the academy in 1974. He served aboard the USS Vreeland, USS Caron, USS Gemini and USS Richmond K. Turner, and was commanding officer of the destroyer USS John Hancock.
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