I had done my duty to the best of my ability. I am truly sorry. Those mistakes I made were honest and well-intentioned. The court fell silent, and the legal counsel for the investigative panel, clearly caught off guard, were momentarily without questions. It's the right thing to do.
Somebody has to stand up and say what needs to be said.
Waddle had apologized in person to many of the family members of victims in recent weeks, with many of them pleading for him to testify even without immunity. Waddle was the captain of the ship, that the rest of the submarine force is watching him, his peers are watching him, guys who may be in his shoes in the future are watching him, and it was the right thing to do for those reasons. Waddle has repeatedly stated openly that he was responsible for everything that went on under his command and has acknowledged that the accident will end his 18-year career in the Navy. The inquiry has focused on whether Waddle rushed preparations for surfacing and whether he performed an inadequate periscope search before taking the Greeneville up. Closing arguments in the inquiry are to begin Tuesday.