Posted on February 28, 2001
Escort of guests may be called in Navy inquiry
The possibility that a senior Pearl Harbor officer aboard the USS Greeneville could have helped prevent the submarine from accidentally ramming a Japanese fishing vessel will be investigated by the Navy's court of inquiry Monday.
U.S. apology by Bush emissary apparently well received in Japan
Acting as a special envoy for President Bush, the Navy's No. 2 officer apologized yesterday to the families of the nine people missing and presumed dead after a surfacing U.S. submarine hit and sank a Japanese high school's training ship.
Posted on February 27, 2001
Japanese researchers get look at Ehime Maru
In the same place where victims' families threw flowers a week ago, Japanese researchers sent to map the ocean around the sunken Ehime Maru took a look yesterday at the wreckage.
Isle musician honors Ehime Maru in song
Jake Shimabukuro, Hawai'i's award-winning 'ukulele soloist, has written an instrumental piece honoring the memory of those lost in the Ehime Maru tragedy and plans to donate proceeds from the song to a fund to help their families.
Posted on February 26, 2001
Sub crew actively attempted to lend aid
Interviews with a federal investigator, a civilian aboard the USS Greeneville and a source close to the investigation show that the Navy did far more to assist the rescue of the Ehime Maru than previously disclosed.
Skipper sends condolences in statement
The commander of the U.S. submarine that sank a Japanese fishing vessel off Hawai'i expressed his "most sincere regret" yesterday — but stopped short of an apology.
Navy shows crowded controls of Columbia
Navy officers yesterday conducted media tours of the USS Columbia, the Greeneville's sister Los Angeles-class submarine.
Posted on February 25, 2001
Greeneville officers' lives, careers will never be same
The three men at the center of the USS Greeneville all were rising stars in their careers as submariners until they accidentally struck and sank the Ehime Maru, a Japanese fishing vessel, Feb. 9.
Sub case consumes safety board member
For 10 days after the USS Greeneville sank the Ehime Maru, John Hammerschmidt the face — and voice — of the National Transportation Safety Board, which was in charge of figuring out the seemingly unfathomable tragedy.
Navy's change of course saluted
It took pressure from Congress, the White House and the Japanese to get the Navy to open up its investigation of the USS Greeneville accident.
Ship captain again demands apology from sub commander
Hours after returning home from Hawai'i yesterday, the captain of the Japanese fishing vessel that was rammed and sunk by the USS Greeneville repeated his demand for an apology from the Navy submarine's commander.
Posted on February 24, 2001
Navy may widen Greeneville probe
U.S. officials say reports of serious crew errors aboard the USS Greeneville right before the submarine struck a Japanese fishing vessel raised the possibility that the investigation could spread beyond three officers.
Posted on February 23, 2001
Sub captain said to have been aware of ship
The captain of the USS Greeneville told Navy investigators he was aware of sonar soundings indicating that the Ehime Maru was in the vicinity, a newspaper reported.
Japan still pushing for salvage of Ehime Maru
The Japanese vice minister for foreign affairs yesterday urged the U.S. government to salvage the Ehime Maru and thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident.
Rumsfeld prepares order to limit civilian participation
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld readied an order for a moratorium on civilians in control positions on all military equipment.
Posted on February 22, 2001
Distracted sailor still plotted ships
Although distracted by civilian guests aboard the USS Greeneville, a sailor plotting surface ships with pencil and paper still continued to update the submarine's computer system so others would know if vessels were in the way during an emergency surfacing drill.
Sub's crew showed 'grave negligence,' Japan says
The crew of the U.S. submarine that collided with a Japanese fishing vessel may have shown "grave negligence" by surfacing despite having detected a ship in the area, a top Japanese government official said today.
Greenville incident scripted into 'JAG'
The USS Greeneville incident Feb. 9 , in which a U.S. submarine hit a Japanese training ship, got a dubious mention in Tuesday night's episode of the CBS-TV series, "JAG," in which art briefly imitated life.
Posted on February 21, 2001
Sub heard ship an hour earlier
The crew of the USS Greeneville identified a sonar contact — since determined to be the Ehime Maru — more than an hour before the submarine crashed into the Japanese fishing vessel during an emergency surfacing drill.
'Really, really big bang' shocked sub commander
Susan Nolan of Hawai'i Kai stood at the weapons panel in the control room of the USS Greeneville as it hurtled to the surface of the ocean at an incline that felt steeper than a 747 airplane on take off.
Navy must decide just whom to squeeze into courtroom
The Navy faces the delicate task of deciding which of the grieving family members, Japanese dignitaries, Navy brass, members of the public and journalists will be allowed inside a Pearl Harbor courtroom that seats only 50.
Posted on February 20, 2001
Sub captain chooses silence
The captain of the fast-attack submarine that rammed a Japanese training vessel met with NTSB investigators last weekend but declined to answer questions pending the outcome of an unusual court of inquiry at Pearl Harbor on Thursday.
Periscope depth, timing may be key factors in inquiry
In trying to unravel the mystery of how the USS Greeneville rammed a large Japanese fishing vessel, the Navy likely will focus on whether the submarine raised its periscope high enough or spent too much time submerged.
Court of inquiry's admirals bring broad range of expertise
Three admirals will enter Pearl Harbor's Navy Trial Service Office on Thursday to begin providing what Adm. Thomas Fargo called "a full and open accounting for the American and Japanese people."
Case presents unusual challenge for interpreters
Sue Zeng, an instructor for UH's Center for Interpretation and Translation Studies, said her office had been swamped with requests from news organizations needing immediate help translating between English and Japanese.
Posted on February 19, 2001
Sub commander refuses to talk to NTSB
The commander of the U.S. submarine that sank a Japanese fishing vessel has refused to discuss the accident with investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board until the Navy completes its investigation, officials said today. Meanwhile, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said on Tuesday that Tokyo is ready to assist the United States in recovering the ship if asked.
Civilian at helm position says he heard thump
A sports writer who was at a helm control position on board the USS Greeneville described hearing a thump when the attack submarine surfaced, apparently hitting a Japanese training vessel, the Ehime Maru. Jack Clary, of Stow, Mass., said today on "Good Morning, America" that he was one of two civilians who were at the submarine's controls when the accident happened.
Pressure to raise vessel mounts
Despite political pressure from the Japanese government and the families of those lost at sea, the U.S. Navy isn't ready to commit to raising the Ehime Maru.
Japan turns focus to court of inquiry
The court of inquiry that begins here Thursday on the sinking of the Ehime Maru will have a profound effect on Japanese attitudes toward the United States, leaders of Japan's largest opposition party said yesterday.
Civilians plan to contact relatives
Three of the civilians who were aboard the USS Greeneville when it rammed the Ehime Maru hope to speak directly to the families of Japanese men and boys who are still missing.
Posted on February 18, 2001
• Navy video of the submerged Ehime Maru
Greeneville officers to face highest-level court inquiry
The captain of the USS Greeneville, its executive officer and the officer of the deck will go before a court of inquiry on Thursday at Pearl Harbor and face the Navy's highest form of investigation.
Civilians' names break the surface
Yesterday, the Navy released the names of the civilian guests aboard the Greeneville when it burst out of the water and crashed into the Ehime Maru fishing vessel, leaving nine missing as the Japanese ship sank.
Admiral tells court to scrutinize collision
The three officers from the submarine USS Greeneville now facing a court of inquiry will be subjected to the U.S. military's most serious investigative body, in what will amount to a public trial of those considered most responsible.
Accidents devastate military families
In homes of about 53,000 active military personnel and their families stationed here, and for thousands of retirees and people who know those involved, two recent deadly military accidents have been heartbreaking.
Couple extends sympathy to those involved in accident
Susan and Michael Nolan said they were "innocent bystanders" who had joined the Greeneville excursion to learn about Navy subs. Here is a letter from them offering their sympathies to survivors and families and friends of the victims.
Incident may harm Okinawa presence
A thorough investigation of the USS Greeneville accident and swift action would prevent long-term damage to the Navy's credibility and U.S.-Japan relations, military experts say.
Posted on February 17, 2001
Navy calls for top-level inquiry into sub commander; civilian names released
The captain of the USS Greeneville, its executive officer and officer of the deck will go before a Court of Inquiry on Thursday at Pearl Harbor and face the Navy’s highest form of investigation, Adm. Thomas Fargo, commander of the Pacific Fleet, said this afternoon. The Navy also disclosed the names of the 16 civilians who were aboard the USS Greeneville when it collided with the Japanese training vessel, the Ehime Maru.
Wreckage of Ehime Maru found; No bodies detected yet
The Navy's deep sea robot found the sunken Ehime Maru late Friday, but no bodies of the nine crewmen and students missing since their boat was struck by a nuclear submarine Feb. 9 have yet been detected, a Navy spokesman said this morning.
Greeneville heard other ships before accident
The fast-attack submarine USS Greeneville had "at least some sonar contacts" with surface vessels before it rose and slammed into a Japanese fishing vessel, NTSB investigators confirmed.
• Graphic: Searching for the Ehime Maru
Relatives of those missing want sunken vessel raised
Wiping away tears and struggling with anger and frustration, relatives of the nine missing people pleaded with officials to continue the search and to raise the sunken fishing vessel.
• Video of victims' families news conference
NTSB investigators use publicity to force changes
For the National Transportation Safety Board, the spotlight of publicity is the only real power it has to force changes meant to prevent accidents.
Japanese town leaders demand U.S. apology
Officials in Uwajima, Japan, today demanded a direct apology from the U.S. military and support for the victims of the sinking of a fishing boat owned by a local high school.
U.S.-Japan alliance not threatened, says official
The U.S. ambassador to Japan said yesterday that the military alliance between Washington and Tokyo would survive the furor over the sinking of the Ehime Maru by a U.S. submarine.
Kaua'i Visitors Bureau makes, accepts donations for families
The Kaua'i Visitors Bureau and the office of Mayor Maryanne Kusaka have each donated $1,000 to the families of victims in the sinking of the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru.
Posted on February 16, 2001
Families of victims plead for continued search
Wiping away tears and struggling with anger and frustration, relatives of the nine missing since the submarine USS Greeneville burst out of the water and collided with the Japanese fishing vessel pleaded tonight with officials to continue the search.
Underwater search begins for Ehime Maru; Navy puts curbs on civilian presence aboard submarines
A support ship lowered a remotely operated deep-diving vehicle into the ocean this afternoon to begin a search for a Japanese fishing vessel that sunk in last week’s deadly collision with a surfacing Navy submarine. In addition, submarine commanders are being ordered not to allow civilians at control stations, Navy officials said today.
Bush may halt VIP cruises
President Bush yesterday suggested that the military review its practice of allowing civilians to ride aboard warships like the submarine that sank a Japanese fishing vessel seven days ago.
Sub crew not at fault, say civilians who were aboard
Two civilians who were aboard the USS Greeneville yesterday gave vivid accounts of the collision with a fishing vessel, largely supporting the actions of the submarine's crew and commander.
Sinking exacerbates U.S. troubles in Japan
For those in Japan, the collision at sea that left four Japanese school students and five adults missing and presumed dead is the latest in a series of gaffes by the U.S. military.
Crucial question could be answered today
How did the crew of the USS Greeneville miss spotting the Ehime Maru? That question may be partially answered today, when Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Thomas Fargo expects to get a report from investigators.
U.S. Navy responds to questions
At a briefing in Washington yesterday, Rear Adms. Stephen R. Pietropaoli and Craig R. Quigley, along with Navy salvage director Tom Salmon, answered questions about the USS Greeneville accident.
Fund for Ehime Maru hits $17,645
Several Hawai'i community groups with ties to Japan have raised more than $17,000 for families of the victims of the Ehime Maru accident and for the Uwajima Fisheries High School.
Posted on February 15, 2001
Bush calls for review of civilian tours; NTSB to interview civilians
President Bush said today the Pentagon should review its policy on civilian participation in military exercises like the emergency ascent drill a Navy submarine was performing when it sank a Japanese fishing vessel. The National Transportation Safety Board said it will interview the civilians on board, including two who were at helm positions at the time of the collision.
Coast Guard reverses self; says search to continue
U.S. Coast Guard officials retracted a mid-day announcement that they had ended a search for the missing crew members of the Ehime Maru and this afternoon vowed to continue the search “until further notice.” A spokesman said the search will continue because of expected "government to government" requests that the effort continue for the missing nine.
Civilian says he pulled levers on submarine
A civilian who was on the Navy submarine that struck a Japanese fishing vessel said today that he pulled levers for the ascent drill but had a crew member right beside him. He also described how the ship "shuddered'' at the impact.
Hawai'i Kai couple among those aboard sub
A Hawaii Kai couple was among the 16 unidentified guests who were on board the USS Greeneville Friday afternoon when it smashed into a Japanese research and fishing boat.
Passengers' hands were on sub controls
A civilian passenger’s hands were on the controls that sent the USS Greeneville into its "emergency ballast blow" that shot the submarine out of the water and into a Japanese fishing vessel, the National Transportation Safety Board said last night.
Collision to be focus of Navy's inquiry
The Navy's probe of an attack submarine's fatal collision with a Japanese training vessel on Friday could lead to serious disciplinary action against members of the sub's crew or even top officers on land, military legal experts said.
Calling off search to yield endless grief
Pressure to salvage the Ehime Maru is more than political. It is heightened by Buddhist tradition of mourning that touches the core of the families of the missing.
Civilian sub guests strictly supervised
Taking civilian guests on trips aboard Navy submarines is common in Hawai'i and at other U.S. naval stations.
Navy rejected active-sonar recommendation in '90
More than 10 years ago, the National Transportation Safety Board urged the Navy to require surfacing submarines to use active sonar in hopes of avoiding collisions.
• See an interactive graphic on how a submarine's active and passive sonar work.
(Flash Player plug-in required)
Posted on February 14, 2001
NTSB: Supervised civilians had hands on sub's controls
A civilian passenger’s hands were on the controls that sent the USS Greeneville into its “emergency ballast blow” and shooting out of the water into a Japanese fishing vessel that sank in minutes, the National Transportation Safety Board said tonight.
Two civilians were at sub's controls
Two civilians sat at control stations of the nuclear-powered submarine USS Greeneville as it rocketed to the surface and smashed into a Japanese fishing vessel, the Navy confirmed yesterday.
• Graphic of Los Angeles-class control room
Sub crash happened outside training area
The submarine Greeneville was two nautical miles outside the Navy's official submarine training area when it slammed into a Japanese ship during an emergency surfacing drill Feb. 9, Navy Times has learned.
Navy: Weighing criminal inquiry; civilians could have distracted sub crew
The admiral investigating the U.S. submarine collision with a fishing boat is considering an inquiry that could lead to criminal charges against the sub’s captain or members of his crew, Navy officials said today. The officials said they cannot rule out the possibility that civilians aboard the USS Greeneville, including two at control positions, were a distraction to the crew and contributed to the sinking of the Japanese fishing vessel.
Rescued crew's plea: Find the others
One by one, weary Japanese crewmen who survived the submarine accident that sank their fishing vessel pleaded yesterday for nine of their missing to be found.
• Video of yesterday's press conference with the crew of the Ehime Maru
Incident likely ends commander's sterling career
When the Navy wanted to show off one of its finest nuclear-powered submarines to the citizens of Santa Barbara, Calif., last fall, their choice was the USS Greeneville with Cmdr. Scott Waddle in command.
Pentagon insists submarine could not rescue survivors
The crew of the USS Greeneville could not have helped the people aboard the Japanese fishing vessel the submarine rammed off the Honolulu coast, a Pentagon spokesman insisted yesterday.
Navy withholding identity of civilians aboard sub
The U.S. Navy has declined to release the names of 15 civilian guests who were aboard the USS Greeneville at the time it struck and sank a Japanese fishing boat.
Surviving students return to Uwajima
Appearing sad and tired, nine teenagers who survived a fatal collision between their fishing vessel and a surfacing U.S. submarine off the coast of Hawai'i returned home to Japan yesterday.
Posted on February 13, 2001
Harrowing details add to anger
Some thought of the doomed Titanic as their own, ill-fated training vessel sank stern-first beneath them. Others clambered from deck to deck, clinging to the stricken Ehime Maru as best they could until the ocean overwhelmed them.
Somber trips for families, survivors
At the same time a group of survivors from the Ehime Maru quietly boarded the passenger jet that would take them back to Japan yesterday, a sightseeing vessel with families of the missing arrived at the deep waters where the ship sank.
Navy to survey ship's wreckage
An attempt to salvage the Ehime Maru from its resting spot 1,800 feet below sea would be a risky and uncertain operation that could cost from $1 million to $10 million, experts say.
Hopes fading, but search continues
Hope is dimming that any of the nine people missing from the sunken Ehime Maru will be found alive, but it is politically vital that the United States make every effort to search as long as a chance remains.
Students on minds of guard rescuers
When Coast Guard helicopter pilot Jim Seeman heard that a Navy submarine had collided with a Japanese training ship last Friday, his first thought was, "I hope that rafts got deployed."
Lee Cataluna: Tragedies a challenge to Island spirit
International attention is fixed on Hawai'i, on the efforts to explain how the world's most sophisticated military could have made such horrible mistakes.
Posted on February 12, 2001
NTSB reviewing sub's reliance on 'passive sonar'
Federal investigators are examining the details of a fatal 1989 submarine accident that bears some resemblance to Friday's collision between the USS Greeneville and a Japanese training vessel, the National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday.
 Video of last night's NTSB briefing in small (1.5 Mb), large (8.7 Mb) and streaming format.
Coast Guard video of Saturday's discovery of a life raft and yesterday's finding of an oil slick from the sunken ship in small (956 kb), large (6.6 Mb) and streaming format.
Missing students hoped to carry on tradition
Toshiya Sakashima, Yusuke Terata, Takeshi Mizuguchi and Katsuya Nomoto were learning to fish on the open ocean. Now the four boys, each 17, have become the youngest of nine people missing at sea since Friday.
Retiring crewman among missing
Sixty-year-old Hirotaka Segawa was going to retire when he returned home to Japan. But then tragedy struck the Ehime Maru, and the communications crewman is among nine people missing in the Pacific.
Probe to re-examine where subs should train
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said an investigation into the Greeneville accident with a Japanese fishing vessel will examine whether the Navy should conduct future submarine training farther from shore.
Posted on February 11, 2001
NTSB recommended better sonar use after previous submarine collision
Federal investigators are examining the details of a fatal 1989 submarine accident that bears some resemblence to Friday's collision between the USS Greeneville and a Japanese training vessel that left nine people missing, the National Transportation Safety Board said tonight
• Flash presentation: What happened when the USS Greeneville surfaced? (Flash Player plug-in required)
Family members arrive to await outcome of search
Families of Japanese fishermen and students whose ship was sunk by a U.S. submarine arrived in Hawai'i today to anxiously await the outcome of a search for their missing loved ones and to ask the Navy why the collision happened.
Coast Guard promises to keep searching until hope runs out
After covering 5,000 square miles of ocean off O'ahu in three days, the Coast Guard told worried families today it will continue to search for nine persons missing off the Ehime Maru until they are found or there is no hope that any of them are alive.
Defense secretary to investigate submarine training
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today that an investigation into the U.S. Navy submarine collision with a Japanese training vessel will include an examination of whether the Navy should conduct future submarine training further away from shore.
Four young mariners among the missing
Yoshiya Sakashima, Yusuke Terata, Takeshi Mizuguchi and Katsuya Nomoto were learning to fish on the open ocean. Now the four boys – each of them 17 years old – have become the youngest of nine people missing at sea since Friday.
Crew had to stay put, Navy says
When the Ehime Maru slipped beneath the waves 10 minutes after colliding with the USS Greeneville Friday afternoon, the nuclear submarine, with more than 100 personnel aboard, did not send a single sailor overboard to rescue survivors.
Anger engulfs village by the sea in Japan
In a Japanese village where people gaze out to a seemingly endless sea, one town focused its anger yesterday on a faraway spot in the Pacific they saw on television screens – where their sons disappeared.
Tragedy unites seaman, principal
The ship captain and the school principal, two men of contrasting style, sat shoulder to shoulder last night at a small table in a hopelessly crowded room and broke down in the emotional backwash that overcame them as they talked of the loss of nine of their charges.
Sub's skipper quickly reassigned
It took the Navy less than 24 hours to remove the captain of the USS Greeneville from his sub following Friday's collision.
Federal investigative team arrives
It will be up to a team of five investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board to determine why the Greeneville collided with a Japanese training vessel causing the smaller ship to sink within minutes.
Powell expresses regrets to Japan
Secretary of State Colin Powell called the Japanese foreign minister yesterday morning to express regret on behalf of the Bush administration for Friday's deadly collision at sea between a U.S. submarine and a Japanese training vessel.
U.S.-Japan relations expected to survive fallout from tragedy
Local Asia Pacific experts said the collision of the USS Greeneville with a Japanese training vessel is unlikely to harm the diplomatic relationship between the United States and Japan.
Vessel sank in high-use sub zone
The Ehime Maru sank in a well-traveled area and most likely settled on the ocean floor not far from where it went down, according to local oceanographers.
Posted on February 10, 2001
Navy apologizes as hope for more survivors fade
U.S. Adm. Thomas Fargo met with a top Japanese foreign ministry official in Honolulu this morning and formally apologized for the accidental sinking of a Japanese fishing training ship, the Ehime Maru. No new survivors from the collision have been found by this afternoon.
Damaged ship sank within 10 minutes
In the frantic final moments of the Ehime Maru, crew members heard a loud thump and felt a shudder move through the hull. The power was lost, the lights went out and water poured into the ship, nine miles off Diamond Head.
Japanese school anxiously awaits news of students on boat
At the school of 200 students, Principal Ietaka Horita went down the phone list of parents of those on the ship and called to tell them what he knew: that it had been struck by a U.S. Navy submarine. He also told them what he didn't know: whether their children were alive or dead.
Accident while surfacing a real fear
A temporarily blinded periscope. A boat sitting idle on the surface that sonar cannot detect. Rough seas. Human error. All can be factors that help steer a state-of-the-art Navy submarine into a collision. It has happened before.
Investigation into collision promised
The Navy promised a thorough investigation into the collision between the Ehime Maru and the submarine USS Greeneville, but the rarity and complexity of the incident left commanders at Pacific Fleet headquarters last night with more questions than answers.
In Japan, hope is fading as search continues
The families of four students missing after a U.S. submarine surfaced under their fishing boat huddled in the school principal's office in a small Japanese town on Saturday and nurtured fading hopes that their loved ones might survive.
Posted on February 9, 2001
Sub collides with Japanese training boat; 9 missing
The U.S. Navy submarine Greeneville collided with a Japanese high school fishing training boat about 10 miles south of O'ahu this afternoon, a Coast Guard spokesperson said. Nine of 34 people aboard the boat are missing.
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