Titled "The Right Thing" from Integrity Publishing, the book will be released Tuesday. Waddle, in an interview about the book with Stars & Stripes, is critical of the Navy's response to the Feb. 9, 2001, collision and his requests to apologize to the Japanese.

Nine people died when the nuclear submarine USS Greeneville slammed into the Ehime Maru about nine miles south of Diamond Head. Waddle was demonstrating an emergency surfacing procedure for 16 civilian guests on board the Greeneville.

The Navy held a rare court of inquiry and although Waddle was reprimanded, he also was allowed to retire with his full rank and pension. He now is working in the power systems division of ABB Inc. in Raleigh, N.C.

"In the end, my biggest complaint is that the Navy screwed this up in every manner possible," Waddle told Stars & Stripes. "Where an opportunity existed for me to apologize two days after the event, it was a missed opportunity."

Waddle said Adm. Thomas Fargo, who was then commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, had "promised" to help him get to Japan so he could personally apologize to the families of the victims. But no help was offered, Waddle said.

"The Navy had no desire to have this problem resurface, to have any publicity regarding this event, or to have it come back on the front pages," Waddle told Stars & Stripes. "They wanted this thing to go away and thought that recovering the remains of the individuals would push it under the rug."

In October 2001, shortly after Waddle retired, Navy divers concluded a $60 million operation to recover eight of the nine victims.

Waddle made the trip to Japan himself last month, but only the parents of one crew member met with him. The Navy has settled with the families of all 35 people aboard the Ehime Maru for an undisclosed amount. Kyodo News Service reports the settlement to be in excess of $13 million.

A spokesman for Fargo, who is now commander of U.S. Pacific Command, said "it's not appropriate" for the admiral to comment on Waddle's statements. "Admiral Fargo is not going to comment on news media reporting on Commander Waddle," said Fargo's spokesman, Capt. John Singley.

Waddle said he will receive proceeds from the book but would not say how much. He also said a portion of the sales will go to students at Saint Louis Schools to help them continue maintenance of a Kaka'ako memorial for the nine people who died on the Ehime Maru.

On the inside flap of the book cover, an excerpt of the book details an exchange of comments between Waddle and his attorney during the Navy's Court of Inquiry:

"'I'll kill you before I allow you to take the stand to testify without immunity,' my lawyer Charlie Gittins railed. 'On second thought, I won't have to ­ you'd be killing yourself!'

"I smiled slightly at my defense counsel's impassioned plea. I knew Charlie wanted to protect me, but I felt compelled to take the witness stand. I believed that the truth should be known about the sorrowful events in which I had played a part.

"'I have to, Charlie, I did it. Nine people are dead because of me.'"