Date of Incident: 09 February, 2001
Returned to Service: Yes
While hosting a "Distinguished Visitor" cruise for the Chief of Staff, Submarine Forces Pacific and sixteen civillian guests, USS Greeneville (SSN-772) conducted an Emergency Main Ballast Tank Blow (despite the name, this is a procedure regularly conducted by American submarines, especially in light of the Thresher disaster).
Just before conducting the exercise, Greeneville conducted a sonar and periscope search of the surface, to ensure that no vessels were in the area.
However, upon reaching the surface at approximately 1:50 p.m. Hawai'i Standard Time, Greeneville's hull struck the Japanese vessel Ehime Maru, a fishing and high school training vessel. Seconds later, the vertical fin of Greeneville's rudder also struck Ehime Maru in the aft port quarter. Greeneville's vertical rudder fin sliced through Ehime Maru's engine room and Ehime Marusank in less than 10 minutes.
Nine of the 35 personnel onboard Ehime Maru were lost when she sank. The survivors were able to climb into life rafts that deployed automatically after the Ehime Maru sank and were quickly rescued (nuclear-powered attack submarines lack flat decks and are completely unsuited to conduct rescue operations. However, Greeneville stood by, ensuring that the survivors were not in danger until rescue forces arrived.)
Damage to Greeneville cost over $2 million to repair and required two months in drydock.
Greeneville's Commanding Officer, CDR Scott Waddle was removed from command immediately after the accident. A Board of Inquiry was convened and thoroughly investigated all aspects of the accident. The Board of Inquiry found that, while there was no deliberate misconduct on the part of Greeneville's officers and crew, the accident would have likely been avoided had Greeneville followed standard Navy procedures. CDR Waddle accepted complete responsibility for the accident. He was given career-ending non-judicial punishment (including severe fines) and was forced to retire. A number of Greeneville's officers and men, including the Chief of Staff who was aboard at the time of the accident, the Executive Officer, and the Officer of the Deck at the time were all given various levels of punishment, and their chances for future promotion were destroyed because of the accident.
(Official Website, Pacific Fleet; Official US Navy Press Releases; Waddle; Various Media Reports)
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The Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) and Submarine Development Squadron 5 (SUBDEVRON 5) located the Ehime Maru in 2,003 feet of water at latitude 21-04.95N, longitude 157-49.58W on 17 February, just eight days after the collision.
Ehime Maru was later lifted from the ocean floor and towed to a shallow-water recovery site close to the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. On 14 October 2001, Ehime Maru was set down in 115 feet of water. On 15 October, the first team of divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit One (MDSU ONE) began assessing the safety of the sunken vessel. This represented the first time an object with the mass of Ehime Maru was recovered intact from such a depth. (The sunken submarine Kursk was at a MUCH shallower depth).
Working in low to zero visibility conditions, divers from MDSU ONE, as well as Japanese divers, conducted 534 dives over 29 days, searching every compartment of Ehime Maru. Eight of the nine missing crewmembers were recovered. Additionally, a significant number of personal effects, as well as items unique to the ship, such as its nameplate, bell and helm, were recovered.
On 25 November 2001, Ehime Maru was again lifted, towed back to sea, and laid to rest in 8,500 feet of water 12 nautical miles south of Barbers Point. Representatives of three of the crewmember's familes witnessed the event.
The total cost of the Ehime Maru salvage and recovery operation was approximately $60 million. The total cost of the accident, including the recovery, repairs to Greeneville, and compensation to both the Japanese government (for the loss of Ehime Maru) and the families of the men killed, totaled over $100 million.
Ehime Maru Recovery - U.S. Pacific Fleet Offical Site