Sub skipper's lawyer disputes Navy report

In this story: Rushed maneuver questioned Waddle could testify RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

HONOLULU, Hawaii -- The admiral who led the Navy's initial probe into the collision between the USS Greeneville and a Japanese teaching vessel said on cross-examination that at least one of his assumptions about the incident might not have been correct.

RESOURCES   • What is a U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry?   • U.S. Navy hearing unofficial transcript    VIDEO CNN's Martin Savidge says 21-day search leaves 9 missing in wreck of Japanese fishing vessel and U.S. sub Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)    GALLERY See images of the sunken Ehime Maru    IN-DEPTH Collision at sea  • Key facts  • Look inside the sub  • Sub-ship size comparison  • How a submarine works  • Description of ascent maneuver  • Waddle's statement  • Key players  • Civilians on board    MESSAGE BOARD Sub collision     RESOURCES   • Challenges of the salvage mission   • Where sunken craft lie     ALSO

Rear Adm. Charles Griffiths Jr. Wednesday listed five main factors:

  • A rush to complete an emergency surfacing drill, which was pushed back nearly 45 minutes because of delays including a long lunch for civilian guests.

  • A lack of qualified sonar operators.

  • Broken equipment that could have helped detect the Japanese ship.

  • The number and location of 16 civilians aboard the Greeneville.

  • A command climate in which crew members were unaccustomed to questioning Waddle because they trusted his skills.

During the emergency surfacing maneuver on February 9, the nuclear-powered submarine hit and sank the Ehime Maru. Twenty-six people were rescued, but nine people, including four teen-agers, remain missing and presumed dead.

Rushed maneuver questioned

Griffiths acknowledged Wednesday under cross-examination that Cmdr. Scott Waddle might already have decided to return to port late and made arrangements to do so, which would challenge Griffiths' assumption that the crew cut corners to catch up to its schedule.

"My logical connection to being generally behind schedule and trying to catch up was my assumption," he said. "Maybe that's not the case."

"If your assumption is wrong," Waddle's civilian attorney, Charles Gittins, noted, "that places the commanding officer's action in a different light."

Griffiths also backed off his testimony that a senior officer visiting the Greeneville, Capt. Robert Brandhuber, thought Waddle was moving too fast to prepare for the drill. He said a better characterization was the commander was doing things more quickly than Brandhuber would have. Griffiths said Brandhuber didn't necessarily consider what Waddle was doing unsafe.

Gittins challenged the Navy's preliminary investigation into the accident as incomplete and inaccurate.

"You had some time constraints placed on you that made it difficult ... to do a thorough and complete investigation," Gittins said to the admiral during his third day on the witness stand.

Griffiths also acknowledged on cross examination that the submarine's fire control technician knew the Ehime Maru was within close range of the Greeneville and never told the commander.

"He made no report," Griffiths said.

"No report whatsoever?" asked Gittins.

"Whatsoever," the investigator replied.

The technician, who analyzes sonar data, said he didn't report the presence of the ship to Waddle because the visiting civilians blocked his access to the commander.

Waddle could testify

The court of inquiry will help determine the fate of Waddle, 41, executive officer Lt. Cmdr. Gerald Pfeifer, 38, and Lt. j.g. Michael Coen, 26, the officer of the deck at the time of the collision. They could face courts-martial.

The inquiry is expected to last several weeks.

Whether Waddle testifies depends on whether he's offered testimonial immunity.

Under testimonial immunity, Waddle's testimony could not be used against him in possible court-martial procedures.

His lawyer indicated Tuesday Waddle would not testify, because the Navy had deferred a decision about the immunity and Gittins interpreted that as a negative response.

But the Navy says it is considering the request, so the possibility of Waddle taking the stand is still on the table.

CNN Correspondent Gary Tuchman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Commander of USS Greeneville will not testify
March 6, 2001
Skipper seeks immunity, sub maneuvers surface
March 2, 2001
Navy switches from search to salvage operations
March 2, 2001
Navy looks at role of escort officer in collision probe
February 24, 2001
Navy probe faults sub crew, sources say
February 23, 2001
Navy grants delay of sub court of inquiry
February 22, 2001
Civilians ordered hands off control
February 21, 2001

U.S. Coast Guard
Japanese Prime Minister
CINCPACFLT :: USS Greeneville (SSN 772) incident
City of Uwajima's memorial site
U.S. Navy
 • CINCPACFLT statement on the USS Greeneville incident
 • Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet
 • USS Greeneville
National Transportation Safety Board

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.