Kaua’i residents who have accepted U.S. Navy invitations to cruise aboard nuclear-powered submarines are confident the civilians had no role in the accidental sinking of the Ehime Maru boat last week. Furthermore, some said a decision by President George W.
Kaua’i residents who have accepted U.S. Navy invitations to cruise aboard nuclear-powered submarines are confident the civilians had no role in the accidental sinking of the Ehime Maru boat last week.
Furthermore, some said a decision by President George W. Bush to ban civilians aboard military transports would be a disservice to both the armed forces and the public.
Numerous people invited by the U.S. Navy to go aboard nuclear-powered submarines as they conducted exercises in ocean waters off O’ahu said the experiences was something they’d never forget.
Paul Douglass and David Boucher both sailed aboard the USS Alabama, the ship depicted in the movie “Crimson Tide,” which starred Denzel Washington. They recalled it being a cruise which lasted the better part of a day, touring the ship and even pushing the button to launch a simulated torpedo (actually a torpedo tube filled with compressed air).
They also recalled meeting experienced sailors at every station of the tour, with systems in place to prevent civilians from being able to take over any critical functions of the sub.
Still, Douglass questioned how such an accident could have happened.
“How could they not know that there was a ship on the surface?” he asked. I’m not technically qualified to even comment on that, except that that’s the obvious, that’s a screw-up.
“If they’d known there was a surface ship there, they wouldn’t have surfaced, right? It’s hard for me to comprehend how they could not know there was a surface ship up there,” Douglass said.
All the Kaua’i civilians interviewed for this story also found it hard to believe published reports that civilians were actively in control of the Greeneville when it made an emergency ascent drill and plowed into the Ehime Maru.
“Based on our experience, it’s hard for me to even conceive that the Navy would allow the civilians to in any way interfere with or distract them in the performance of their duties, especially at a critical time like that,” Douglass said.
“They certainly don’t let you man the controls, as some of the press has ran away with lately on the story,” said Boucher. “You might experience where the controls are, and sit in the seat of the controls, but you certainly don’t take over operations.
“They don’t let you run the boat, so to speak,” Boucher said. “This was a terrible mishap, but I’m certainly convinced in my mind that civilians on board didn’t contribute to the accident.”
There were reports of civilians seated at key operational positions during the Greeneville surfacing, something that didn’t happen during the Kaua’i residents’ cruise aboard the Alabama.
“That just doesn’t compute based on my limited experience,” Douglass said. “Even though the people were there, they were there as witnesses. They weren’t calling the shots or controlling the ship.”
Bush hinted Thursday that he may end the practice of allowing civilians aboard underway Navy ships and submarines.
Ending the practice of civilians aboard active Navy vessels, as Bush is reported to be considering, isn’t a good idea, Douglass said.
“Find out what went wrong and fix it,” he suggested. “But don’t overcompensate and stop what is basically a very good program for the Navy and for the civilian community.”
“I believe in the value of the exposure to civilians to not just submarines, but Navy vessels in general,” Douglass continued. “I think that’s a valuable experience, good PR for the Navy, good for the right group of civilians.”
“I think that would be a shame” to end the practice of allowing civilians on board ships and submarines, said Boucher, who has also cruised from Maui to O’ahu aboard a Navy destroyer.
Gregg Gardiner, a member of the U.S. Navy League Kaua’i chapter, cruised aboard the USS Ohio, a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. A former Marine, Gardiner remains impressed by the total professionalism of the crew.
“The folks that are out there are well-trained. They care about their mission,” he said. “They care about their country, and they have the right attitude. They are the best that America has to offer.
“I’m at a puzzlement as to what happened last week,” Gardiner said. “Obviously, a tragedy, and I wait for the NTSB like everyone else to get the final synopsis of what happened.
“But I can assure you that, if it was anything at all like the ride I had, there’s absolutely no way that the Navy personnel would ever compromise a mission by letting an untrained civilian do anything that he shouldn’t be doing, or without direct supervision. It just wouldn’t happen,” he added.
None of the Kauaians were aboard a submarine during an emergency ascent that reportedly brought the Greeneville roaring to the surface and into the bottom of the Ehime Maru.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
