By Jean Christensen
Associated Press

PEARL HARBOR — Navy admirals questioned a submarine expert today about whether the commander of the USS Greeneville gave his crew enough time to ensure it was safe to surface before the sub struck and sank a Japanese fishing boat.

Navy Capt. Thomas Kyle said a longer sonar search before the submarine’s rise to periscope depth would have prevented errors that led to the sinking of the Ehime Maru on Feb. 9, one month ago today. Nine men and boys were killed in the collision.

“Time would have helped tremendously,” said Kyle, who assisted the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation. “A little bit more time ... would have made it clear as could be” that the Ehime Maru was within 1&Mac221; miles of the submarine before the collision.

Kyle is the second naval officer to testify at a court of inquiry that could lead to courts-martial of the submarine’s captain, Cmdr. Scott Waddle; the executive officer, Lt. Cmdr. Gerald Pfeifer; and the officer of the deck, Lt. j.g. Michael Coen.

The inquiry, in its fifth day, has focused in part on the role of the sub’s fire control technician. A Navy investigator testified the technician stopped manually plotting sonar contacts and did not notify Waddle about a nearby contact because he was distracted by 16 civilians who were crammed into the control room.

The investigator, Rear Adm. Charles Griffiths Jr., said yesterday that the collision probably wouldn’t have occurred had Waddle been notified of the sonar contact.

But Rear Adm. Paul Sullivan, one of three admirals overseeing the court, asked Kyle today whether more time would have allowed the submarine’s sonar operators to gather better information on the contact now known to have been the Ehime Maru.

Griffiths has said the Greeneville devoted about six minutes to two “legs” of a sonar search before it rose to periscope depth, then descended to 400 feet to begin a rapid-surfacing drill. He said standards call for about 10 minutes to be devoted to the search.

“When you press the clock, in the back of my head, you run the risk that your solutions are not going to be as good as they should be,” Sullivan said. “It doesn’t mean it’s not the right thing to do, but it’s something you have to weigh.”

Kyle agreed.

“You want to have enough data to make sure that the data is reliable, and that takes time,” he said. “If you try to compress the time too much, then you start losing accuracy and you can make an improper conclusion.”

Sullivan, Rear Adm. David Stone and Vice Adm. John Nathman will forward recommendations about possible disciplinary action and policy changes to Adm. Thomas Fargo, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Fargo will take final action.

The Greeneville sustained minor damage in the collision, including scarring to the sub’s rudder and cosmetic damage. The estimated cost of inspection, testing and repairs is $2 million, and the sub is expected to be operable again in early April.