Waddle likely to find lucrative civilian job

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Even though nine people died when his submarine accidentally rammed a Japanese fishing vessel, the former captain of the USS Greeneville, whose military career is over because of the tragedy, will probably find a good job soon after leaving the Navy.

Cmdr. Scott Waddle's otherwise illustrious career as a Navy submariner — combined with his extensive education as a nuclear engineer, leadership training and charismatic personality — should outweigh any negative implications associated with the collision of the Greeneville and the Ehime Maru.

"He has a lot of strong potential that some company will accept," said Jerry Hofwolt, a retired Navy captain who knows Waddle. "There are people who won't see this as a detriment, companies that are out there. He is a very smart, outgoing, charismatic guy, and there are companies who will want to use his skills."

Waddle was in command during the Feb. 9 collision nine miles south of Diamond Head. The incident prompted a rare and exhaustive Navy court of inquiry last month.

Waddle has been summoned to an admiral's mast at 8 a.m. today, when he will learn his punishment, if any, for his role in the accident. The admiral's mast, convened by Adm. Thomas Fargo, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, is an administrative hearing that precludes a court-martial for Waddle.

Waddle, 41, will retire as a commander, with a full pension and an honorable discharge, said Charles Gittins, his attorney.

Nuclear submarine captains are prized commodities among engineering firms, said Michael Nahopii, a Naval Academy graduate who served as officer of the deck of the fast-attack submarine USS Indianapolis.

"Submarine officers are in high demand in the corporate world," he said. "Almost every one has an engineering degree. And they have a management background which is a rarity in the technical commercial world."

Retired Rear Adm. Eugene Carroll, who serves as vice president of a military think-tank called the Center for Defense Information, said the collision will not influence employers.

"He wouldn't be an outcast in society," Carroll said. "It isn't like he went out and held someone up. We are talking about a man in a very demanding position and he makes a mistake and ends up paying for it in some measure."

Not surprisingly, Waddle's attorney sees a bright future for his client. The media has given Waddle a large dose of negative coverage, but it has also made him an internationally recognized persona, Gittins said.

His client is "a stand-up guy who acted responsibly in a terrible accident" and that will generate a lot of respect for Waddle, Gittins said.

"It might be a positive: Scott Waddle is on the job," Gittins said. "I think it could play to his great advantage. I have no doubt that within a year out of the Navy he will be very successful."

Waddle has not said what he will do when his Navy career ends.

Although Gittins has said for weeks that the commander wouldn't speak before the inquiry was over, Waddle offered his story to People and Time magazines, and family members have appeared on a variety of network morning talk shows.

But bigger audiences — and bigger financial deals — are probably out there, said Honolulu attorney Michael Lilly, one of the Navy League's national judge advocates and a retired Navy captain with 30 years of active and reserve service.

"If ever anyone had a book deal and movie deal, it's this guy," Lilly said.

Waddle's brother-in-law, Kent Huntington, has watched with unflagging concern. Like the rest of the world, he has no idea what his younger sister's husband will pursue.

But whatever happens, Waddle is already a changed man, said Huntington, a firefighter in Olympia, Wash. The once-vibrant commander now looks older, fatigued, worn down by endless scrutiny.

"It is taking its toll on him," Huntington said. It is a shame the Navy cannot find a way to keep Waddle's knowledge and experience in its ranks, Huntington said, but he believes the nuclear power industry in Washington could lure the Greeneville's former commander and his family.

"He's been around the world, and they really love Honolulu," Huntington said. "They have talked about how they would love to live in Washington state, but I don't know where they will end up."

Mike Gordon can be reached by phone at 525-8012, or by e-mail at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.