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Civilians barred from sub controls during probe
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Navy said Friday that civilians are barred from the controls of U.S. nuclear submarines pending an investigation of a collision between one of its nuclear subs and a Japanese vessel. The Navy has also told submarine commanders not to perform emergency surfacing maneuvers with civilians on board. President Bush, meanwhile, has asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to "review all policy regarding civilian activity during military exercises."
The Navy has said it will continue to allow civilians aboard its vessels during military exercises because the practice is one of the service's most effective public relations tools. Investigators are trying to determine how the submarine missed the presence of a Japanese shipping vessel, which it later struck and sank, leaving nine people, including four high school students, missing. Twenty-six people were rescued from lifeboats after the Ehime Maru sank. Last Friday's accident happened despite what civilians on board the submarine said was a periscope check of the area shortly before the submarine began its ascent. One civilian said the sub hit the boat with such force that the entire submarine "shuddered." NTSB to interview civiliansThe National Transportation Safety Board said it plans to interview all 16 civilians who were on the sub in the next several days. The Navy is also investigating the accident. Two of the civilians on the USS Greeneville insisted their presence had nothing to do with the accident. Still, a Navy spokesman said the fact that civilians were at control stations during the accident should have been revealed sooner. "Clearly in hindsight, we could have done a much better job of making that information known not only to you all, but to the NTSB," Rear Adm. Steve Pietropaoli told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. Off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii, rough weather hampered the search. Some personal effects were recovered and returned to Japanese authorities. Pietropaoli said two civilians were at control stations at the time of the accident. "There's no indication at this point in the investigation that the civilians had any impact on the outcome," he said. The Navy has not released the names of the civilians. Pietropaoli said the submarine was operating within its assigned area during the accident. The Greeneville was outside a submarine "test and trial" area marked on maritime navigation charts, the Navy said, but that area is intended as a warning only, and in no way restricts surface ships or submarines from operating inside or outside its boundaries. 2 civilians describe ascentTwo of the civilians aboard the sub gave interviews with NBC Thursday. John Hall vividly described the moment the ascending sub hit the boat, and the words of the submarine's commander, Scott Waddle, who has been reassigned pending the outcome of the investigations. Submarines doing the maneuver surface so quickly that they bow rises high above the surface. "Just as it was starting to come down, and you could feel a sensation of it coming down, there was a very loud noise and the entire submarine shuddered," Hall said. "I remember his words pretty vividly. He said, 'Jesus, what the hell was that?'" Hall said he was at the submarine's controls as the ascent began. "I was to the left in the control room, and I was asked by the captain if I would like the opportunity to pull the levers that start the procedure that's called the blowdown," Hall said. "I said, 'Sure, I'd love to do that.'" Hall said he was "elbow to elbow" with the nearest crewman. "The seaman that was standing next to me put his hands over my hands and made sure the levers were in a lock, and he said, 'Sit down.' Immediately you sit down and the submarine began to rise." Another civilian on board, Todd Thoman, rejected the suggestion that civilians played any role in the accident. "I adamantly deny that," Thoman said. "The minute we walked on board the USS Greeneville, this was a business, and it was nothing but professional." Thoman said the crew made a visual check of the ocean surface before making the rapid ascent and did not see the Japanese ship. The periscope checks, he said, were also visible on a video screen within the submarine and no one apparently saw the fishing vessel. Recording equipment 'not in operation'Waddle, the commander, could be court-martialed for criminal negligence, Pentagon sources said. In a news conference, the NTSB's John Hammerschmidt appeared to suggest the Navy has not been forthcoming in the initial investigation. Hammerschmidt said the Greeneville was equipped with sonar and periscope recording equipment, but the Navy has said no recordings were made. "We're told it's not utilized that often, it would not be the norm to have that in operation, and it was not in operation ... I am not confirming that's the way it was, but that's what's been indicated to us by the U.S. Navy," he said. "Of course we still entertain hopes that there may be some information pertaining to the sonar system that may have been archived by the computer system," Hammerschmidt said. "And for the record, we have also asked for copies of any internal audio communications in the submarine at the time of the accident," he added. "The Navy has not verified to us if such recordings exist." Hammerschmidt said the civilian interviews will be conducted over the next week, adding there was some initial "inconsistencies" between what submarine crew members told authorities and the broadcast account of the civilians. "In the interview process, we have encountered a few roughly minor inconsistencies, and the more people you talk to and the more information you obtain, the clearer the picture becomes. It's very straightforward," he said. One official said the NTSB was interested in whether the civilians' hands were on the controls alone or intertwined with crew members. Pietropaoli addressed that issue at the Pentagon briefing. "In a technical sense, they had their hands on control surfaces at the control station," Pietropaoli said. "In a real sense, they have a fully qualified, very interested watch-stander standing directly behind them over their shoulder, with their hands on your hands, ensuring that you don't have a sudden spasm and do something you should not do." Hammerschmidt said the Greeneville will go into dry-dock shortly to determine the extent of its damage. CNN Correspondents Jamie McIntyre, Martin Savidge and Gary Tuchman contributed to this report. RELATED STORIES:
First report on sub collision could come this week RELATED SITES:
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