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A civilian who was on the Navy submarine that struck a Japanese fishing vessel said today that he pulled levers for the ascent drill but had a crew member right beside him. He also described how the ship "shuddered" at the impact.
John Hall says a crew member was
next to him and that a periscope was
'most definitely' used to check the
ocean's surface before the exercise
Stepfather: Waddle distraught
By Jean Christensen
Associated Press"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," John Hall told NBC's "Today" show.
"I said, 'Sure, I'd love to do that,'" he said.
Hall said the nearest crew member was "right next to me, elbow-to-elbow. I mean, what's important to know here is, you don't do anything on this vessel without someone either showing you how to do it, telling you how to do it or escorting you around."
Nine people, four of them Japanese high school students, are still missing.
Another civilian, Todd Thoman, told the NBC show that a periscope was "most definitely" used to check the ocean surface before the drill Friday.
"We came up to periscope depth, and another member of the crew took the periscope up and made two complete rotations at 360 degrees," Thoman said.
The captain of the submarine, Cmdr. Scott Waddle, made his own check through the periscope, Thoman said. "We saw no vessel, and at that point he said 'OK,' and he brought the periscope down and we proceeded with the maneuver," he said.Said Hall: "Everything they do involves a procedure. I recall the captain, after he had done his periscope, I recall him calling out ... or a lot of crewmen calling out to him that they had gone through their procedure and the procedures were OK."
As the submarine surged upward, Hall said, "there was a very loud noise, and the entire submarine shuddered."
According to him, Waddle said, "Jesus, what the hell was that?" and looked out the periscope and saw the Ehime Maru.
"Everybody at that point was in shock," Hall said.
Waddle has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
The stepfather of the commander of a nuclear-powered submarine that rammed a Japanese fishing boat off the coast of Hawaii says his stepson is distraught about the accident. Stepfather: Waddle distraught
Star-Bulletin staff and wire reports
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. John Coe said he has spoken with Waddle several times since the collision.
"Obviously he's extremely distraught, particularly because of the loss of life," Coe told the Houston Chronicle. "He did everything he could do procedurally."
SURVIVORS RETURN TO JAPAN:
All 15 rescued crew members of the Ehime Maru returned to Japan yesterday, as did the principal of Uwajima Fisheries High School.The seamen were somber as they marched through scores of cameramen and reporters at Honolulu Airport yesterday. The 14 seamen, who departed for Narita Airport at 10:30 a.m., shown live on TV throughout Japan.
Akira Kagajyo, the 22-year-old crewman who suffered a fractured collarbone in the boat's engine room, departed with Principal Ietaka Horita, later for Kansai International Airport.
FIRST SINKING:
This is the second time a Japanese ship named Ehime Maru was sunk by an American submarine.On Oct. 12, 1943, during World War II, the USS Halibut torpedoed the cargo ship Ehime Maru in the western Pacific. The older version of Ehime Maru is described as a medium freighter, displacing about 4,500 tons.
