U.S. sub collides with Japanese fishing vessel: 10 missing

A coast guard vessel transport some of the injured

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- At least 10 people were reported missing from a Japanese fishing vessel after a collision with a U.S. submarine off Hawaii.

Life rafts were reported in the water, and a rescue operation was under way involving both U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels, according to Lt. Cmdr. Dave Warner, a spokesman for the Commander of Submarine Forces Pacific Fleet.

A Navy spokesperson at the Pentagon said as many as 25 Japanese crew members were taken aboard the submarine. Two torpedo retriever vessels were on scene to help with rescue efforts, said Lt. Cmdr. Dave Warner, a spokesman for the Commander of Submarine Forces Pacific Fleet.

The accident involved the USS Greeneville, a Los Angeles-class attack submarine based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The Navy said the submarine was on a routine operation when it surfaced at 1:45 p.m. nine miles south of Diamondhead near Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Navy says it appears the stern of the submarine made contact with the commercial ship.

There was no damage to the submarine. President Bush was notified about the Navy accident shortly before 9 p.m. ET, said White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer.

VIDEO CNN's Bill Hemmer reports on the collision between a U.S. submarine and a Japanese fishing boat Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Fleischer said National Security Council adviser Condoleezza Rice telephoned the president from the White House situation room, where top military advisers were collecting information on the accident. Bush is spending the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md.

The protocol for bringing a submarine to the surface is typically stringently followed, said Alec Fraser, a retired Navy captain.

The waters in front of the submarine are searched by sonar, and then the submarine alters course so that the propellers don't disrupt a search of the area behind the submarine, he said.

If all appears clear, the submarine then rises to periscope depth -- about 20 to 30 feet below the surface -- and the waters are surveyed visually to ensure they are clear, he said.

Only then does it rise, he said.

Weather in the area was stormy, with strong trade winds, showers and thunderstorms. A small craft advisory was in effect, with seas at 4-5 feet.

USS Greeneville
Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet
U.S. Navy
U.S. Coast Guard

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