Seas rough when Greeneville collided with ship
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
Sunday's collision between the submarine USS Greeneville and an amphibious transport ship in the northern Arabian Sea occurred in rough seas, the Navy said yesterday.
U.S. Navy via Associated Press
Navy officials said there were 5-foot seas, cloudy skies and 15-knot winds when the collision occurred at 9:55 a.m. local time, but it was still not clear why the ships collided.
The USS Greeneville, seen in this U.S. Navy library photo, is headed for Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for inspection to assess damage from Sunday's collision.
The Pearl Harbor-based submarine was preparing to transfer two sailors to the USS Ogden via inflatable boat when the Greeneville's stern stabilizer plane punched a 5-by-18-inch hole in the starboard side of the Ogden's hull about 15 feet below the waterline, officials said.
For Hawai'i's submariner community, the news of the Greeneville's continued bad luck — the ship has been in three accidents in a year's time — was greeted with disbelief.
" 'Not again!' — that's exactly what I said, because there are going to be hearings and two officers' careers are going to be on the line again," said Bill Daves of Hale'iwa, who served on nuclear-powered subs in Pearl Harbor in the 1960s and 1970s.
The 362-foot fast-attack submarine is heading for Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for inspection.
Last Feb. 9, the Greeneville struck the Ehime Maru off O'ahu, killing nine Japanese men and boys. As a result, Cmdr. Scott Waddle was relieved of command.
In August, the Greeneville briefly ran aground off Saipan, causing $120,000 in damage. The captain at the time, Cmdr. David S. Bogdan, also was relieved of command.
Cmdr. Lindsay Hankins, executive officer on the USS Asheville in 1997 and 1998, has been captain of the Greeneville since Oct. 22.
Sherry Sontag, co-author of the submarine spying bestseller "Blind Man's Bluff," said a sub's performance is far better below the surface than on the surface.
"They bobble, and they are not steady on the surface," she said. "You usually don't hear of one sub being involved in three collisions in one year," Sontag said. "You've got to feel sorry for these guys."
