A series of errors onboard the USS Greenevilledoomed the Japanese fishing boat Ehime Maru, a top Navy investigator testified last night.
According to the testimony of Admiral Charles Griffiths, a top navy submariner who began his inquiry a day after the February 9thdisaster, the sub's crew committed a cascade of mistakes that ended when the sub's hardened steel rudder sliced through the fishing boat and sent it to the bottom of the ocean off Hawaii.
Nine passengers and crew are still missing after the collision and are presumed dead.
Among Admiral Griffiths's accusations are: the sub was behind schedule;crucial instruments in the control room were broken; civilians inthe control room were hindering the crew's performance; unqualifiedpersonnel were operating the sub; an incomplete sonar search of the area was performed and a periscope sweep of the area was conducted in haste and at too shallow depth.
The accusations came during the first day of the navy's investigation into the accident that has strained relations between Japan and the US.
Admiral Griffiths, who has overall command of submarines on the US west coast and carried out the initial investigation into the accident, began his testimony reciting maritime law: a submarine must always "accept responsiblity for avoiding collision with a surface ship."
Then the veteran officer gave four hours of studied, damaging testimony while the sub's captain, Commander Scott Waddle, took notes.
The hearing continues today.