Crew Members Answer Questions As Commander Seeks Testimonial Immunity
JASON CARROLL, CNN ANCHOR: Navy admirals still have not heard from Commander Scott Waddle as they continue their probe into last month's submarine collision off of Hawaii. While his attorney tries to cut a deal for a testimony -- testimonial immunity, crew members from the USS Greeneville continue to answer questions about exactly what happened on that fateful day. CNN's Martin Savidge has the details for us.</s>MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The model of U.S. Navy attack submarine Greeneville was just three words repeated over and over by its commander, Scott Waddle: safety, efficiency, backup. Said one crewman on the witness stand, If you don't know these words, you're not on Greeneville. But the court of inquiry seems to be using the commander's own words as a checklist against him. On safety, testimonies revealed reputed orders from Waddle hurry the crew from safety procedures. Efficiency, the court's admirals again and again questioned the crew schedule that, in their eyes, appeared rife with last-minute substitutions and haphazard fixes. And backup, that, the admirals say, failed when an unqualified sonar operator was left unsupervised. When several of the crew said they had no idea how the accident could have happened, it prompted one admiral to say, quote, "I get a sense they're somewhat in denial." So far, the man who might have many of the answers, the sub's captain, isn't talking and won't, according to his attorney, unless the Navy grants Commander Waddle immunity. Thursday, Waddle's attorney gave the Navy a letter, outlining what issues he might address on the witness stand, saying Waddle's testimony was critical to determining the cause of the accident that left nine people missing. Quote, "without his testimony, there will be a number of facts that the court of inquiry can reach only by surmise or speculation," the letter said. The letter also touched on the international pressures surrounding the case, saying Waddle's testimony would, quote, "bring closure to the families of those lost on board the Ehime Maru."</s>CHARLES GITTINS, SCOTT WADDLE'S ATTORNEY: I think it's important because the families need to hear from him. It's important because this investigation can't possibly be complete without his testimony.</s>SAVIDGE (on camera): Navy sources say Commander Waddle's testimony isn't essential to figuring out what went wrong. But any investigation without the words of the man in command could be publicly perceived as less than thorough, especially in Japan. Martin Savidge, CNN, Pearl Harbor.