But higher-ranking officers have wondered aloud whether Waddle was confident to a fault. They have testified to a sense that he micromanaged the Greeneville, intimidating his crew out of alerting him to safety problems.

Tuesday was the only time in eight days of testimony that a member of the crew spoke of his own discomfort with Waddle's style. Lt. Keith Sloan, a navigator, told the court that Waddle had rejected a suggestion that the captain allow his junior officers more leeway in running the ship to give them the experience they needed. Waddle said he would maintain complete control over the ship, Sloan testified.

"I didn't necessarily agree with it, but that's the way it was going to be," Sloan said.

Capt. Robert Brandhuber, the chief of staff of the Pacific Fleet who was aboard the Greeneville to escort civilians the day of the accident that claimed nine lives, told the court he wanted to see whether Waddle deserved his stellar reputation.

"I sometimes wondered if it was more show than it was go," Brandhuber said.

But Waddle's reputation stopped even Brandhuber from speaking up when he thought the ship was going through its exercises too quickly. He said he struggled with the decision: "I was having a debate with myself that this is a professional (commanding officer) and crew and ... his team seems to be supporting him."

Rear Adm. Al Konetzni Jr., commander of the Pacific Fleet's submarine force and Brandhuber's supervisor, emphasized his love and respect for Waddle and his desire to see his protege succeed.

But he also expressed anger and frustration with Waddle, noting that the skipper's command style had caused the accident. Konetzni said that a year ago he urged Waddle to "slow down" and let his crew catch up with his quick thinking.

Yesterday, two crew members facing their boss in the courtroom testified that they felt comfortable approaching Waddle if they saw something wrong on the Greeneville.

But it was unclear whether they truly backed Waddle, feared they would be punished somehow for speaking against him or feared the court of inquiry process.

Electronic technician Omar Blanding, the quartermaster of the watch, appeared the most nervous of all the young shipmates called as witnesses in the trial. But he said he felt the command climate was good on the ship.

Roberto Reyes, a sonar operator who said he felt all was right with the ship on the day of the accident, called the atmosphere aboard the Greeneville "awesome."

"It's pretty unique, actually," Reyes said, telling the court of the usual rivalry between submarine sonar operators and engineers that he said "can get pretty nasty. On the Greeneville, the camaraderie is unbelievable. These guys embraced me. They made me feel welcome."

It's that closeness that has kept the crew together in the wake of the accident, Reyes added. "If not for that, I don't think a few of us would make it," he said.

"Safety, efficiency and backup are the tenets the Greeneville instills in us," Reyes said, echoing Blanding.

Waddle wanted his crew to "do everything right, do it efficiently and safely, and back up your shipmate, always. Don't let him fall," Reyes said.

He insisted that Waddle was open to suggestions or even criticism from his crew, and he had no sense that fellow shipmates were afraid to go to their captain.

"He extended that open-door policy to me," said Reyes, who joined the crew last August. "He told me, 'When you see something that needs to be changed or fixed, or if you see something wrong, don't be afraid to come and tell me.' He even took suggestions, asking, 'What do you think we can do to make it better?' But when the decision is made, he's the man."

Yesterday, Waddle also expressed admiration for his crew.