Sonar watch practices scrutinized
| • | USS Greeneville violated rules, sonar man says |
| • | Widow writes of family's loss |
| • | Purpose of sub trip criticized |
| • | A Tribute to the Missing |
| • | Previous stories |
By Susan Roth
Advertiser Staff Writer
In the wake of recent testimony on the USS Greeneville accident, the Pacific Fleet's submarine force commander on Thursday ordered all his skippers to report whether they have been complying with sonar watch requirements.
Admirals conducting the Navy's court of inquiry on the incident have questioned nearly every witness in the past two weeks about the fact that an unqualified, unsupervised sailor sat at a sonar control on the Greeneville the day the submarine rammed a Japanese fishing boat.
The sailor, who was still under instruction on the equipment, should have had a qualified sonarman looking over his shoulder at all times, according to the Navy's watch-standing rules.
A sonar supervisor sat near the sailor and a qualified sonarman sat next to him, but neither of those facts meet the requirements, Navy officials said this week. One official said he had never seen this configuration in his 22 years on submarines.
But several Greeneville crew members have testified that the arrangement was not unusual for their ship. Capt. Thomas Kyle, chief trainer for the Pacific Fleet's submarine force, last week told the court that one of his staff had found the situation occurred about 20 percent of the time.
On Monday, sub force commander Rear Adm. Al Konetzni Jr. expressed concern about the practice and said he would send out a message to his skippers asking about it.
His Thursday memo reaffirmed the requirements and ordered the submarine captains to report to their squadron commanders by the end of the month whether they have been complying. Navy spokesman Capt. Kevin Wensing said he could not release the memo because it was classified.
The submarine force may or may not release the findings and any recommendations that result from the order.
The process of qualifying for a submarine watch station can be a long one, often beginning with a period in Navy school, followed by maintaining the equipment and working under the direct supervision of a qualified crew member until demonstrating proficiency.
