Report on Sub’ Collision

[GordMay]

NTSB Releases Final Report on Sub’ Collision

The National Transportation Safety Board today released its final report on its investigation into the collision between a U.S. Navy submarine, the USS Greeneville, and a Japanese motor vessel, the Ehime Maru.

The collision resulted in the sinking of the Japanese vessel and the deaths of 9 of her crew.

The accident occurred February 9, 2001, off the coast of Hawaii, when the submarine struck the motor vessel while performing an emergency surfacing maneuver during a demonstration cruise as part of the Navy's Distinguished Visitors Program. The Japanese fishing and training vessel was in the middle of a 74-day training voyage.

The Safety Board determined the probable cause of the accident to be the inadequate interaction and communication among senior members of the combat systems team on the submarine, which resulted in the failure to perform adequate contact analysis, to adhere to proper procedures for moving to periscope depth; and the commanding officer's decision to order an emergency surfacing maneuver.

Contributing to the cause of the accident, the Board found, was the failure of the crew, in particular the commanding officer, to adequately manage the civilian visitors so that they did not impede operations.

Contributing to the loss of life was the rapid flooding and sinking of the Ehime Maru, which occurred when the submarine's rudder tore through the fishing vessel's lower deck spaces.

The NTSB's report is available on its website at: www.ntsb.gov
under "Publications", "Marine."
It describes the Board's factual findings and analysis, as well as corrective actions taken by the Navy since the accident.

[capt lar]

it took 4 1/2 years to figure out the sub "probably" hit another ship due to poor communication ? how long would it take for definitive conclusions ?
i love the Navy's assertion - the "distinguished visitor program should be fully supported". what exactly is the purpose of taking these civilians out for a joy ride ? can we get a list of names ? did madonna make the list ? makes you proud to pay your taxes.

What we have here, is a Failure to communicate.
Glad to see they could figure out that the water rushing into the boat might have contributed to the sinking and loss of life. Of course the giant metal tube rammed through the middle of the Japanese boat might have had something to do with it.
What a gutless way to say that they were showing off for a bunch of tourists, and weren't watching what they were doing.
I wonder how many times this has happened in open water, and only been reported as a dent in the hardware.
RANT RANT RANT!!!!
I'm done .

[CaptainK]

Well guys,

What do you expect from a bunch of bubbleheads. We surface sailors always crack down on them sailors.

100 singles go down. 50 couples come up.

What's long and hard and full of seamen?

A freakin submarine.

Man. They are not regular Navy. That' my imput as a Navy veteran.

Regards,

CaptainK

[sneuman]

ah, captain k.: intra-service rivalry aside, i have known a few submariners and they are a pretty taut lot. mind u, i'm ex-Army and my Navy experience extends to three years in the Sea Cadets ;-)

Some of my best friends over the years have been squids, but I do not know one of them that could see anything more than 8' away by the time he finished his stint.
My gripe is not with the crew, so much as with the policy. How can you expect to take an 18 year old kid, hand him a weapon, teach him to kill, and then expect him to develop good judgement. I know when I was 18, I rode my Harley a whole lot different, drove my car a whole lot different, and generally worried about the consequences of jumping the light to win a race after it became a problem.