Ehime Maru incident

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Ehime Maru incident
The Japanese high school fishing training ship Ehime Maru
The Japanese high school fishing training ship Ehime Maru
Date: February 6, 2001
Place: off Oahu, Hawaii
Cause: Ship collision
Result: Ehime Maru sunk,
9 Ehime Maru crewmembers killed

The Ehime Maru Incident was a ship collision between the United States military submarine Greenville and the Japanese fishing training boat Ehime Maru on February 6, 2001. As a result of the collision, Ehime Maru sank and nine of its crewmembers were killed, including four high school students. The aftermath of the collision highlighted differences between the cultures of Japan and the United States (U.S.), the relationship between the U.S. and Japanese governments, and placed much media attention on the United States Navy's public relations events procedures and efforts to place blame for the accident.

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[edit] Incident

On 9 February 2001, while hosting a "Distinguished Visitor" cruise for several civilian guests, Greeneville conducted an Emergency Main Ballast Tank Blow, a dramatic maneuver that brings the boat to the surface so rapidly her bow rises high out of the water. Two of the civilian guests were at the submarine’s controls during this maneuver.

USS Greeneville in dry dock following collision.
USS Greeneville in dry dock following collision.

At about 1350 HST, Greeneville’s rapidly-rising stern struck the aft port quarter of Ehime Maru (えひめ丸), a Japanese fishing and high school training vessel operated by the Ehime Prefectural Uwajima Fishery High School [1] (宇和島水産高等学校 Ehime Kenritsu Uwajima Suisan Kōtōgakkō), a secondary school in Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, Japan that is operated by the Ehime Prefectural Board of Education. The specially reinforced upper blade of Greeneville’s rudder sliced through Ehime Maru’s engine room. Ehime Maru sank in less than ten minutes. Nine crewmembers of Ehime Maru drowned, including four high-school students.[2]. Shortly after the incident, Japanese media expressed considerable anger, especially at the perceived failure of the Greeneville to try to help the Ehime Maru crew after striking the ship. Rescue operations were left to US Coast Guard, which did not arrive until more than 1 hour later.

[edit] Aftermath

Eight days after the sinking, 17 February, the Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) and Submarine Development Squadron 5 (SUBDEVRON 5) located Ehime Maru in 2000 ft (610 m) of water.

The Navy contracted the Dutch company Smit International and Crowley Maritime Corp., headquartered in Washington, to salvage the wreck of Ehime Maru. It was lifted and carried, still submerged, closer to Oahu. On 14 October 2001, the wreck was set down in 115 ft (35 m) of water. This operation was the first time such a massive object was recovered intact from such a depth. On 15 October, the first team of divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1 (MDSU 1) began assessing the sunken vessel. Working in low-to-zero visibility conditions, divers from MDSU 1, aided by Japanese divers, conducted 534 dives over 29 days, searching the wreck. The divers recovered the bodies of eight of the nine missing crewmembers, many personal effects, and several items unique to the ship, such as its nameplate, bell, and helm.

The Ehime Maru memorial is located in Kakaako Waterfront Park in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Ehime Maru memorial is located in Kakaako Waterfront Park in Honolulu, Hawaii.

On 25 November, Ehime Maru was again lifted, towed back out to sea, and scuttled in 8,500 ft (2,600 m) of water south of Barbers Point, witnessed by three of the crewmembers' families. The total cost of salvage operations was about U.S. $60 million. A memorial [3] in Hawaii to Ehime Maru and her dead has been constructed.

The school acquired a new Ehime Maru ship with settlement money from the U.S. Navy. The new ship sailed to Hawaii in 2003. In Hawaii, the principal of Uwajima Fishery at the time of the disaster, Kazumitsu Joko (上甲一光 Jōkō Kazumitsu), read a message from Moriyuki Kato, the governor of Ehime Prefecture, addressed to the Hawaiian people [4].

Book cover of The Right Thing with President George W. Bush's praise: "This fine American patriot ... is taking the heat .. that says something about his character."
Book cover of The Right Thing with President George W. Bush's praise: "This fine American patriot ... is taking the heat .. that says something about his character."

Commander Scott Waddle, who commanded Greeneville during the collision, accepted full responsibility for the incident. A court of inquiry found that there had not been a sonar or periscope scan of the immediate vicinity before surfacing. Waddle was reprimanded, but Navy officials decided against a court-martial and let him retire honorably with his rank and pension intact.

Waddle's apology to the victims' families was delayed, because, as he wrote in The Right Thing published in 2003, "the [Navy's] settlement process ... would have been interrupted. It was decided while I was on active duty before I retired in October of 2001 that visiting Japan was not in the best interest. After I retired in October, it took me some time to find employment. I finally found employment in August and from that time, the resources were not available to get me to Japan. But at the earliest opportunity I did make that trip when I could ..."

In his own book, printed by a religious publisher, Captain Waddle presented himself as an honorable Christian who chose to face the torment rather than committing suicide.[5]

[edit] References

[edit] Books

  • Diehl, Alan E. (2003). Silent Knights: Blowing the Whistle on Military Accidents and Their Cover-Ups. Potomac Books. ISBN 1574885448. 
  • Waddle, Scott; Ken Abraham (2003). The Right Thing. Integrity Publishers. ISBN 1591450365. 
  • Strauch, Barry (2004). Investigating Human Error: Incidents, Accidents, and Complex Systems. Ashgate Pub Ltd. ISBN 0754641228. 

[edit] Web

[edit] Notes

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