Navy finds wreck of Japanese ship sunk by sub

In this story: Family members seek answers Interviews continue with crew, civilians Final report will take at least a year RELATED STORIES, SITES

HONOLULU, Hawaii (CNN) -- Unmanned underwater vehicles found the wreckage of a Japanese ship that sunk after a nuclear-powered U.S. Navy submarine surfaced underneath it, Pentagon officials said Saturday.

The sunken ship was found in one piece 610 meters (2,000 feet) below the surface of the Pacific Ocean off the Hawaiian coast.

IN-DEPTH Collision at sea  • Key facts  • Look inside the sub  • Sub-ship size comparison  • How a submarine works  • Description of ascent maneuver    VIDEO A chiropractor who went on the Greeneville in 1997 shows his home video of the journey (February 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) The first officer of the boat sunk by the sub talks about his ordeal (February 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Frank Buckley reports on NTSB recommendations for submarines to use active sonar (February 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) A retired U.S. Navy admiral talks about the issue of civilians working on submarines (February 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Marina Kamimura talks with a family hoping for the recovery of their son after the sinking of his ship (February 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Jamie McIntyre reports on the investigation of the USS Greeneville collision (February 15) 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)   LINK Demonstration of a Navy submarine's emergency surface

Nine people from the 57-meter (190-foot), 500-ton Ehime Maru, which was carrying Japanese high school students on a research trip, are still missing; 26 others were pulled from life rafts soon after the collision. Missing and presumed dead are four students, three teachers and two crew members.

The Navy dispatched the remote-operated vehicle (ROV) Scorpio II to the scene on Friday -- the first day since the accident that the weather was calm enough to bring the submersible to the collision site. A second ROV was also at work searching for the ship.

Officials were uncertain whether the Japanese ship could be recovered from the ocean floor. The Japanese government, however, has stressed its strong desire to have the ship brought to the surface.

Family members seek answers

The ROVs would help recovery teams discover if the bodies of the nine people still are still on board.

"We are doing what we can and are cooperating with the Japanese government," U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Conrad Chun told CNN.

Family members of those still missing held an emotional news conference on Friday, expressing both their sadness and anger.

"My son was a kind and peace-loving person. One of his wishes was that the world could live in peace," said Ryosuke Terdada, father of 17-year-old Yusuke Terdada, one of the missing. "To be killed by a submarine was the worst possible thing that could happen to him."

Earlier in the day, the family members were taken by bus to the Honolulu Coast Guard station, where they viewed items found from the vessel. Many of the relatives broke down, as did some Coast Guard personnel.

The USS Greeneville hit the Ehime Maru about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of Diamond Head, near Honolulu, on February 9.

At the time, the Greeneville was performing a rapid ascent, or "emergency blow," with two civilians in key watch positions on the sub. They were allowed to operate controls on the sub under the supervision of Navy crew members, the Navy said.

Interviews continue with crew, civilians

National Transportation Safety Board official John Hammerschmidt said drug and alcohol tests done on the crew of the Japanese vessel and on 25 Greeneville crew members were negative.

Testing of the Japanese crew was requested by the U.S. Coast Guard as part of the investigation, Hammerschmidt said.

He also said that interviews were completed with four of the 16 civilians who were on board the Greeneville, a 7,000-ton Los Angeles-class nuclear attack vessel, when it hit the Japanese ship. He said those interviews were conducted by telephone.

Investigators hope to finish interviewing the Greeneville's crew members by Monday, Hammerschmidt said, but he didn't know when the interviews with the civilians would be complete.

The NTSB said it will interview Cmdr. Scott Waddle, who has been relieved of his command of the Greeneville and reassigned, pending the outcome of the investigation, on Sunday or Monday.

Final report will take at least a year

The Navy has ordered submarine commanders not to allow civilian visitors to sit at sub control panels and also has told the commanders not to perform emergency surfacing maneuvers with civilians on board, pending completion of its investigation.

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.

The NTSB predicted it will issue a final report on the incident in 12 to 15 months.

If the investigation reveals that proper safety procedures were not followed, Waddle could be court martialed for criminal negligence, Pentagon sources told CNN.

CNN Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre and Correspondent Gary Tuchman contributed to this report.

Civilians barred from sub controls during probe
February 16, 2001
First report on sub collision could come this week
February 15, 2001
Search to end for 9 missing from submarine collision
February 14, 2001
Two civilians were at controls of sub during collision
February 13, 2001
Hope fades for submarine collision survivors
February 12, 2001

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
National Transportation Safety Board

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.