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The deadly collision between the U.S. submarine Greeneville and a Japanese fishing vessel was caused by equipment and personnel problems capped by a sonar technician’s failure to provide information to the captain that could have averted the tragedy, an admiral testified Monday.
Rear Adm. Charles Griffiths Jr. also told a court of inquiry the sub’s captain, running behind schedule Feb. 9 to provide 16 civilian guests with a demonstration of a rapid surfacing maneuver, took only 80 seconds to scan his periscope for nearby boats.
If the captain had taken more time or brought the sub nearer the surface to give the periscope more range, he might have spotted the trawler, Griffiths said.
Nine Japanese drowned.
