 U.S. apology by Bush emissary apparently well received in Japan
A Tribute to the Missing
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By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer
The possibility that a senior Pearl Harbor officer aboard the USS Greeneville could have helped prevent the submarine from accidentally ramming a Japanese fishing vessel will be investigated by the Navy’s court of inquiry when it convenes Monday.
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| Capt. Robert L. Brandhuber escorted 16 civilians on the USS Greeneville. |
In his order to create the rarely used court, Adm. Thomas Fargo, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, named three Greeneville officers as parties to the inquiry. But Fargo also added the role of a fourth officer: Capt. Robert L. Brandhuber, chief of staff for the fleet’s submarine force, who was the senior officer on board.
Brandhuber was the Navy escort on board with 16 civilian guests when the Greeneville surfaced beneath the Ehime Maru on Feb. 9, nine miles south of Diamond Head.
The Ehime Maru sank in 2,003 feet of water. Nine of the 35 people aboard are missing and presumed dead.
In his Feb. 17 appointing order to the admiral in charge of the court of inquiry, Fargo said:
"Although Captain Robert L. Brandhuber, USN, Chief of Staff, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, is not designated as a party to the court, you are directed to examine and make findings as to whether he, as the senior officer onboard the USS Greeneville on 9 February 2001, was in a position to intervene and prevent the chain of events leading to the collision."
The court of inquiry, the Navy’s highest form of administrative investigation, will focus on Cmdr. Scott Waddle, the captain of the fast-attack submarine; Lt. Cmdr. Gerald K. Pfeifer, the executive officer of the sub; and Lt. j.g. Michael J. Coen, the sub’s officer of the deck during the collision.
The court has the authority to name other people to the inquiry but that power does not extend to the civilian guests.
Brandhuber did not respond yesterday to The Advertiser’s request for comment.
30 years in Navy
A native of Dayton, Ohio, Brandhuber has been in the Navy for more than 30 years. He has served aboard fast-attack and ballistic missile submarines and was the commanding officer of the submarine USS San Juan. He became chief of staff in August 2000.
Brandhuber’s two children have connections to the Greeneville and the Ehime Maru. His son, Michael, is a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter pilot who has participated in the search for survivors. His daughter, Michelle, is married to Lt. Cmdr. Tyler Meador, who was assigned to the submarine as an engineering officer until his tour ended last week.
Fargo also ordered the court to examine the "operational policies and practices" of the submarine force commander’s implementation of the Navy program that allowed visitors to ride on submarines and the "propriety of the assigned location for the Greeneville’s operations" when the accident occured.
Three senior Navy officers, led by Vice Adm. John B. Nathman, will oversee the court. Fargo has ordered that they give him an update seven days after the proceedings start and at weekly intervals until the inquiry is finished.
"Complete your report as quickly as possible, but the court’s emphasis must remain on thoroughness rather than speed," Fargo said in his appointing order. "I have not given you a specific date to submit your report because I want you to take whatever time is required to address all relevant issues completely."
Preparations are well underway for the start of the court. About a dozen relatives — from both the Greeneville officers affected and the sailors of the Ehime Maru — have asked to attend the proceedings, said Capt. Kevin Wensing, a Navy spokesman.
"We anticipate other Japanese family members or Japanese government officials may come," he said. "The captain of the Ehime Maru may come back, too. He’s been discussed as a possible witness."
Japan strongly demands salvage
Fargo has kept Japanese officials up to date on the court, the issue of salvaging the fishing vessel and the search for the nine missing crew and students. He met yesterday with Japan Parliamentary Secretary Yoshio Mochizuki.
Fargo told Mochizuki that he speaks with experts daily on the possibility of salvaging the Ehime Maru. He also told Mochizuki that the court of inquiry will take longer than expected, although there is no set timetable.
Mochizuki told Fargo that Japan "strongly demands" the ship be salvaged, according to Mochizuki’s assistant, Noriyuki Shikata.
On Sunday, as the court officers and attorneys make their final preparations, the community will gather in Waikiki for a Hawaiian healing ceremony. The site is not set, but the ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. either at the beach near the Waikiki Aquarium or across the street at Kapi‘olani Park.
Afterward, a small delegation, including chanters, will sail on the Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hokule‘a to the spot where the Ehime Maru sank. Flowers and lei will be spread on the waters and prayers offered. Organizers ask that only biodegradeable items be used in the lei or that they be easily untied to keep trash from being thrown into the sea.
Mike Gordon can be reached by phone at 525-8012, or by e-mail at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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