Search for 9 missing from sub collision set to end Thursday

In this story: Submarine struck Japanese vessel Sub captain reassigned RELATED STORIES, SITES

HONOLULU, Hawaii (CNN) -- The search for nine people still missing from the Japanese fishing trawler that sank after being hit by a U.S. nuclear submarine will continue at least until Thursday, U.S. officials said.

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Joseph McClelland, Jr. had said he was going to call off the search at nightfall Wednesday -- but after discussions with the families of the missing and representatives from the Japanese government, he decided to keep it going.

He said the United States and Japanese governments would make the final call on when the search would end, and that will most likely be Thursday.

IN-DEPTH SPECIAL Collision at sea    VIDEO CNN's Jamie McIntyre reports on the investigation of the USS Greeneville collision (February 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Aerial video of the USS Greeneville reveals superficial damage to the submarine (February 10) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   RESOURCE Recent Incidents have strained US-Japanese relations     AUDIO Hear the distress call issed by the Navy after the collision 1.7Mb/20 sec. AIFF or WAV sound (Transcript) CNN Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre comments on procedures a sub should undertake before an emergency ascent 2500K/30 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     LINK Demonstration of a Navy submarine's emergency surface    MESSAGE BOARD Sub collision

"This was the most thorough search we have ever conducted," McClelland said at a news conference. "That patch of ocean was repeatedly searched, exhaustively, and with great care."

He said even when the active search is called off, the Coast Guard will maintain a presence in the area where the Ehime Maru went down.

At that point, the U.S. Navy will take over search and recovery operations, and will send a remote operated vehicle (ROV) known as Scorpio II underwater at the site of the collision to determine the location of the ship and the feasibility of a recovery operation.

Submarine struck Japanese vessel

The search began Friday after the USS Greeneville surfaced in the Pacific Ocean, roughly 10 miles off the coast, and struck the Japanese vessel, which was carrying 35 people. Twenty-six people from the ship were rescued from lifeboats.

Despite an extensive search that covered an area as large as the state of Connecticut and involved equipment and personnel from both the Coast Guard and the Navy, there have been no signs of the missing nine, including four high school students.

McClelland said 12 ships and 11 aircraft from both the Navy and Coast Guard covered 72 search areas, totaling 38,000 square kilometers.

The ship was carrying the high school students on a field trip to learn about commercial fishing.

In Tokyo, foreign ministry officials said the head of Japan's North American Affairs Bureau contacted a top official at the U.S. embassy there to strongly request that Washington reconsider the Coast Guard's earlier decision to call off the search and rescue mission.

Fifteen crew members from the Japanese trawler arrived back in Japan on Thursday.

Sub captain reassigned

When asked how the families of the nine missing reacted to news that the search was going to be suspended shortly, McClelland said they took it well.

"They were very understanding and there was no disagreement to that," he said.

But Japanese television reported the families were very upset with the news.

The accident is being investigated by both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Navy.

If the investigation reveals that proper safety procedures were not followed, USS Greeneville Cmdr. Scott Waddle could be court martialed for criminal negligence, Pentagon sources told CNN. He has been reassigned pending results of the investigation.

An official with the National Transportation Safety Board questioned whether the large number of civilians could have distracted the crew. "We're of course interested in their whereabouts, where they were, what they were doing, if they were doing anything," said board member John Hammerschmidt, who added that the civilians might be interviewed.

Pentagon: No proof that crew was distracted

But Pentagon officials emphasized there was no proof that the civilians distracted the crew or contributed in any way to the accident.

Government sources said the civilians were part of a group of 15 members of an organization that supports the USS Missouri Battleship Memorial in Hawaii.

Sources said one civilian guest was seated in the helm position, or the right-hand seat in the control room, from which the submarine's bow planes and rudder are controlled. Those controls govern the angle of ascent and the direction of the sub.

A second civilian operated the ballast control mechanism, said a Pentagon source. The ballast control blasts water out of tanks in the submarine and pushes air into them, allowing the sub to rise. The source said the both civilians were under the close supervision of Navy personnel.

Navy officials said it is routine to allow guests to experience the thrill of a rapid ascent or "emergency blow," while holding the steering wheel, but only under the close and direct supervision of a qualified helmsman.

Japanese official asked for search to continue

In Honolulu, Navy and Coast Guard officials met with Japanese government officials, including Yoshitaka Sakurada, the parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs. Lt. Gen. Thomas Case, the deputy commander in chief of the Pacific Command, was the top U.S. military official at the meeting. A salvage expert also attended, but officials wouldn't describe the agenda.

Japanese officials said Sakurada was told at that meeting that the Coast Guard would call off its search for the nine missing from the Ehime Maru, and he asked that the search continue.

Memberships in the USS Missouri Memorial Association range from $35 dollars for individuals to more than $500,000 for corporate sponsorships, according to the memorial's Web site, ussmissouri.com.

The sources say the group was referred to the Navy by retired Adm. Richard Macke, former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command.

CNN Correspondents Jamie McIntyre, Martin Savidge, Gary Tuchman, Marina Kamimura and Producer Chris Plante contributed to this report.

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U.S. presses search for ship survivors into Monday
February 11, 2001
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December 21, 2000

USS Missouri Memorial - WWII Battleship
U.S. Coast Guard
Japanese Prime Minister
U.S. Navy
 • CINCPACFLT statement on the USS Greeneville incident
 • Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet
 • USS Greeneville

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