Navy shows crowded controls of Columbia

It’s easy to see how 16 civilian visitors crowded into the cramped control room aboard the attack submarine USS Greeneville could have confused critical operations.

John Moser, executive officer, left, discusses the Fire Control Watch area as Petty Officer 2nd Class David Ferguson stands by yesterday during a tour of the USS Columbia, a sister sub to the USS Greeneville.

John Moser, executive officer, demonstrates how controls would be operated to execute an emergency assent aboard the USS Columbia. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

What happened in the submarine’s control room on Feb. 9 will be the subject when a Navy court of inquiry opens into the Greeneville’s sinking of a Japanese fisheries training fishing vessel off Honolulu during an emergency surfacing drill.

Navy officers yesterday conducted media tours of the USS Columbia, the Greeneville’s sister Los Angeles-class submarine.

Although the control room is roughly 15 by 12 feet, much of that space is occupied by equipment, including side-by-side periscopes, two navigation tables, a three-seat helm position, a chief of the watch position, a four-seat fire control station and an officer-of-the-deck position.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s independent investigation has focused on failure of the Greeneville to detect the Ehime Maru’s proximity on sonar.

The 6,900-ton submarine performed the emergency surfacing drill as a demonstration for the VIP guests, coming up right under the 500-ton fishing vessel. The sub’s rudder structure ripped the Ehime Maru’s hull open, sinking it in minutes. Twenty-six were rescued, but nine, including four high school boys, remain missing.

The Columbia’s sonar room is essentially a hallway with four seats at four display consuls streaming electronic data.

An unidentified fire control technician aboard the Greeneville told NTSB investigators that the crowd of civilians hampered him as he attempted to plot sonar contacts.

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