DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM These civilians were on the USS Greeneville last February when it collided with and sank the Ehime Maru. The civilians were let off the submarine and put on this boat, which took them to shore in Pearl Harbor.

Group to gather
for Ehime Maru

On the anniversary's eve there
still remain questions surrounding
the catastrophe at sea

---

By Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.com

More than 80 Japanese, including four students who survived the worst civilian-military accident in the Pacific, will gather tomorrow at a Honolulu waterfront park to mark the first anniversary of a collision between a nuclear attack submarine and a fisheries training vessel.

Since the Feb. 9 mishap between the USS Greeneville and the Ehime Maru which took the lives of nine people, the Navy has spent a year patching up its relations with Japan by spending more than $60 million in recovering the bodies of eight of the nine people.

One of the big questions that remain a year later is whether the tragic accident made any difference in the way the Navy conducts its vital public relations program, where civilians are allowed to take trips on Navy ships and aircraft.

The numbers tell part of the story.

Last year, the Pacific Fleet reported that only 2,021 people, including business leaders, congressional staffers and educators, spent time at sea on Navy vessels -- a sizable drop from the 11,440 who participated in the Navy's "distinguished visitors" program in 1999 and the 7,836 in 2000.

For nuclear submarines the number of civilian trips dropped to 27 last year from 54 in 1999 and 50 in 2000.

The Navy said the war on terrorism and heightened security since Sept. 11 have resulted in fewer embarkation opportunities.

Jay Fidell, a civilian lawyer with a background in military trials and investigations, said the rare court of inquiry held after the Feb. 9 collision gave the public only a glimpse of how important this program is to the Navy.

Fidell, who monitored the 12 days of testimony while working as a commentator for public television, said he believes "the Navy paved over the details of this program. We don't know the extent and breadth of the policy in this district and in the Navy, but it did give us a meaningful lesson in how the Navy does its business."

Fidell pointed out that 16 civilians, who did not seem to have anything in common, were taken out on a day cruise. Then-Greeneville skipper Scott Waddle, according to the court of inquiry, violated several procedures, including the prohibition of scheduling trips just to entertain civilians.

But supporters of the program disagree, noting that what occurred with the Greeneville was a rare and unfortunate accident.

Attorney Michael Lilly, a retired Navy captain and former president of Pacific Region of the Navy League, said "it's not just CEOs and VIPs that get to visit these ships. It's ordinary citizens who are involved in these ship visitations. It's telling the public where and how their tax dollars are being spent."

Lilly added that these trips also are eye-openers for many civilians who do not realize the caliber of today's sailors.

"The average age on a ship or submarine is 20," said Lilly, "yet they do their jobs so efficiently. It's an important lesson these visitors learn. These kids are important role models. It's important to show the public that."

Campbell Estate trustee Clint Churchill, who has participated in ship visits, said the program is "extremely valuable" to keep citizens informed of what the military can do.

"Our government is one of the people, for the people and by the people, and our military reports to its elected and appointed leadership."

Adm. Thomas Fargo, Pacific Fleet commander who administers the Navy's "distinguished visitors" program here, declined to be interviewed for this story. Instead, his office issued a written statement that said the Navy undertook a complete review of the policy and performance of its civilian guest program. Minor changes, the Navy said, came from that review "to eliminate dated information, inconsistencies and improve clarity." These included:

>> Procedures for nominating and approving civilian guests for embarkation on naval vessels.

>> Procedures for ensuring that civilian guest embarkations are conducted only as part of regularly scheduled operations.

>> Guidelines regarding the operation of equipment by civilian guests on naval vessels.

Last April, Fargo, a former submarine captain, said: "We've been embarking citizens in the Navy for 50 years now. I think it's important to our nation. We can do it safely and will do it safely. It would be a mistake to build a wall between American citizens, the mothers and fathers of our sailors, and its Navy."

Fidell questions whether it was really necessary to take the 16 civilians on the Greeneville on Feb. 9 and wonders why Waddle felt compelled to drive the sub to its classified diving depth and give the civilians samples of water gathered there.

He said because the 16 civilians were never allowed to testify during the court of inquiry, many questions remain unanswered. For instance, did the Navy keep the civilians overnight at the collision site to shield them from the public, especially because some of them were "mildly hysterical"?

The only immediate change in Pentagon policy after the Greeneville incident was a ban on allowing civilians to operate military equipment. That is because one of the 16 civilians was allowed to push the actuators that initiated the emergency surfacing maneuver and the resulting collision.

Fidell believes the biggest change was the way the Navy treated Waddle. "Today's Navy is different than the Navy we grew up with, where the captain's power was absolute, which resulted in absolute accountability.

"The captain once ruled the roost. However, today that power is no longer absolute. Captains are more managers than sea captains. They are now more managers and technocrats."

Fidell continues to wonder why the Navy never court-martialed Waddle.

"Would that had happened," Fidell asked rhetorically, "if he had driven a van down King Street and killed nine people? I don't think if that was the case he would have gotten away with it."

Instead, Waddle was allowed to retire with his 20-year pension intact, drawing about $34,740 annually, Fidell noted. Although Waddle was commended by Navy officials for taking the blame for the collision, he testified before the court of inquiry that his crew failed him in so many ways, Fidell said.

"He told the court of inquiry," Fidell added, "that everything he did was reasonable. That what happened here was just an 'honest mistake.'"

That wasn't accountability, Fidell maintained.

"It is only double-talk."