The USS Greeneville was converted into a special-purpose submarine for rescue operations and covert missions. The U.S. Navy officials said that adverse weather conditions prevented the USS Greeneville from offering any assistance to the drowning crew of the Japanese trawler. 11 Fine, we can easily check what were the weather conditions at the time and place of the accident. According to the National Weather Service, on Feb. 9 weather around the island of Oahu was mild. Average wind speed was around 8 mph, it was partially cloudy with occasional light rain.
All available facts paint a very grim picture indeed.
We have a nuclear submarine that just overturned a civilian vessel. Good weather, daylight conditions, the submarine's crew specially trained and equipped for rescue operations. The submarine slowly floats by the sinking ship, as its commander and senior officers gaze at the drowning people without even attempting to help them, consumed by one persistent thought of how to cover their asses and save their careers. Fortunately, the electronics-packed Japanese ship had an advanced automatic emergency radio transmitter coupled with a satellite positioning system, which transmitted the ship's exact coordinates to the U.S. Coast Guard. 13 Most of the Ehime Maru's crew and passengers were rescued.