-Caveat Lector- Monday March 5 10:06 PM ET Navy Submarine Was in Hurry to Surface, Court Told By Dan Whitcomb HONOLULU (Reuters) - The crew of the USS Greeneville (news - web sites) was rushing through an emergency surfacing maneuver when it struck the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru because lunch for a group of VIPs on board had taken too long, the first witness told a U.S. Navy court of inquiry on Monday. Charles Griffiths Jr., the Navy admiral in charge of the initial investigation after the crash, said it appeared that the captain of the Greeneville, Scott Waddle, was behind schedule and hurried through a sonar search so he would not get his VIP guests home late that day. Griffiths said main purpose of the trip that day was a civilian tour. He added that a key piece of equipment on the sub was broken and that one of the ship's sonars was being operated by a trainee. He said that in normal circumstances the sub's crew should have seen the Japanese fishing vessel. ``That ship should have been seen given enough time by the periscope operator. Time is a great ally in these events,'' he said. He said that one crew member -- a fire control technician -- saw evidence of a ship nearby but failed to notify his superiors. ``What I can't understand is that he did have indications that there was contact ... it seems to me the operator figured out that this guy (the Japanese ship) was getting pretty close and did not make that report .... There is no reason he should not have spoken up, no matter how busy he was,'' he said. Nine people aboard the Ehime Maru, a Japanese vessel used to teach high school students about the fishing industry, were killed in the Feb. 9 accident. The incident has strained relations between Japan and the United States. A Japanese admiral is hearing the case along with three U.S. admirals but cannot take part in the decision. Griffiths said the mission was predominantly designed to provide a tour for VIPs and that they were running about 45 minutes behind schedule. He said the reason for the delay was that the civilian guests had to eat lunch in two shifts because the mess room only held 10 people at a time. ``The Greeneville's mission predominantly was to embark distinguished visitors and operate for a time in local waters,'' Griffiths said. Running Behind Schedule He said it appeared to him that the crew of the Greeneville did not take enough time to do their sonar searches because they were running behind schedule because they wanted to get the VIPs back in time. ``I have a statement from the officer of the deck that indicates the captain wanted to be at periscope depth in five minutes'' -- about half the time he said was needed to perform a sufficient sonar search. Griffiths said it normally takes at least two legs or 10 minutes of searches to do an adequate job. ``That would imply he wanted to get to periscope depth in a hurry and I can surmise that's because they were late.'' He also said that during the morning of the mission, a key piece of equipment called a sonar repeater was found to be broken. He said that when he was a submarine commander, ``I felt somewhat naked without it, it was a big deal.'' Griffiths also said that one of the ship's sonars was being operated by a trainee who should have been supervised by a senior sonar operator. But that senior sonar operator was busy acting as a tour guide instead. ``Somebody qualified should have been overseeing that operator,'' Griffiths said. Shortly after the hearing started, attorney Charles Gittins, the lawyer for the Greeneville's commander Scott Waddle, objected to the presence of Admiral Isamu Ozawa of Japan as a non-voting member of the court. Gittins said attorneys were unable to challenge Ozawa as they can the other three voting members. The other three judges can be questioned, challenged and potentially removed. The Japanese representative, even though he can't vote, cannot be removed. Inquiry Could Lead To Courts Martial Gittins said Navy rules did not appear to allow the Japanese admiral to deliberate with the other three judges. He also objected because the Japanese admiral is not part of the U.S. Navy and has never taken an oath under the U.S. Constitution. The Court of Inquiry could also lead to courts martial for three or more officers of the Greeneville who will be asked to explain how they failed to notice the 190-foot (58-meter) fishing boat before surfacing off Diamond Head near Honolulu. The Greeneville was practicing emergency maneuvers on the afternoon of Feb. 9 when it shot out of the water and plowed into the Ehime Maru, sinking the trawler -- which was packed with Japanese high school students. Nine people from the vessel died and 26 were rescued. The tragedy sparked a furor in Japan that intensified after Navy officials disclosed that 16 civilians were on board the Greeneville at the time of the collision. Two were operating the submarine's controls. Some analysts think the Court of Inquiry will be key to restoring good relations between the United States and Japan. The hard feelings have yet to fully mend despite apologies by President George W. Bush (news - web sites) and his envoys. Three of the Greeneville's senior officers -- Waddle, Lt. Cmdr. Gerald Pfeifer and Lt. Michael Coen -- have been named as subjects of the inquiry, which the Navy has repeatedly stressed is a search for the truth and not a criminal prosecution. Ambassador Shunji Yanai, Japan's envoy to the United States, said on Monday that Waddle had not adequately apologized for the accident, and asked for a formal apology. ``He expressed his apologies in front of the Japanese officials in Hawaii. But what we need is that he -- he will explain thoroughly what ... really happened,'' said Yanai on CBS ''The Early Show.'' The ambassador also pressed for the fishing boat to be raised from the ocean floor. The hearing, which is expected to last several weeks, could end with a recommendation of discipline against the three men, ranging from a letter of reprimand to courts martial. ANOMALOUS IMAGES AND UFO FILES http://www.anomalous-images.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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