Martin Savidge - Court of Inquiry on U.S. Navy Submarine Collision

Martin Savidge

Q: Why is a court of inquiry necessary?

Savidge: Well the court of inquiry is designed to inquire into the facts of the collision at sea between a U.S. Navy sub and a Japanese training vessel. Its primary purpose is to also assess responsibility, so, in the words of the inquiry’s president, to prevent reoccurrence.

Q: How long will the inquiry proceedings take?

RESOURCE What is a U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry?    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

Savidge: The court of inquiry has been ordered to move along as quickly as possible. However, it also has the power to take as long as it believes in necessary to arrive at the facts. In the past, courts of inquiry have taken weeks, or even months. And right now, there is just no clear timetable.

Q: What is the purpose of having the family present at these proceedings?

Savidge: The proceedings are open to the public. As a result, opportunities are made for the public to attend. There has been a strong effort on the part of the U.S. Navy to include the Japanese government, as well as family members who lost loved ones in the accident. These family members have expressed a deep desire to understand what went wrong, and their presence is part of the Navy’s commitment to help them try to understand.

Q: What changes might come out of this inquiry?

Savidge: A focus of the inquiry will be a program called "the distinguished visitor embarkation program." It is the system that allows civilians on board Navy vessels. In the past, the navy has felt the program has been very beneficial -- educating the public on it’s defense roll and how their tax dollars are spent. This program has come under heavy criticism after it was learned civilians were at some controls of the sub when the accident happened. This court of inquiry could recommend that the program be changed or even halted.

Another aspect that is frustrating for the Navy is how is it possible one of it’s most sophisticated submarines was not able to know that the Japanese vessel was there above it when it surfaced. Preliminary investigations indicate that the submarine’s equipment functioned properly but that the submarine’s crew may have failed, either miscommunicating or misunderstanding the nearness of the Eheme Maru.

In addition to the Navy inquiry, the national transportation safety board is conducting its own separate investigation. The fieldwork in Hawaii is complete. But their report could still be a year away. For the Japanese people, that report is very important because, in their minds, it will not be influenced by a chain of command or impacted by a possible bias.

Soon after the proceedings began, the attorney representing the commander of the USS Greenville, objected to the presence of a Japanese rear admiral who is acting as an advisor to the court of inquiry. Civilian attorney Charles Gittins objected to the presence of rear admiral Isamu Ozawa of the Japanese maritime self defense force noting that he did not take an oath at the start of the proceedings and, obviously, has not sworn allegiance to the US constitution. That, Gittins claims, created a situation not contemplated in the rules of the inquiry and could deny his client a fair hearing. The objection was noted by the court but the inquiry moved on.

Q: Any final thoughts to share?

Savidge: The court of inquiry has generated a tremendous amount of interest in the United States and Japan. Locally, it is referred to as the most significant court of inquiry held since the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. As one observer put it, someone has a lot of answering to do. And it remains to be seen what those answers will be.

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U.S. Coast Guard
Japanese Prime Minister
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

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