A submarine tragedy: 10 years since the sinking of the Emine Maru by Tony Green

USS Greeneville pulling into Pearl Harbor 

I am proud of being a submariner. Even though there were long hours, stressful times and many nights spent away from home when I reflect on my experience I feel very privileged to have served my country.  I am especially honored to be part of the “dolphin” wearing submariner community past and present.

I remember one occasion where I did not have the inclination to mention while I was in the Navy I served on submarines.  The instance was after the sinking of the Emine Maru off the coast of Pearl Harbor ten years ago by the U.S.S. Greeneville.  I was in Pearl Harbor at the time serving out the final two months of my enlistment before leaving the service and moving to California.

Ten years later I still cannot believe the sinking happened. Submariners take pride in being the best and the reason for this is its disciplined approach to following procedures. In all honesty if a submarine tried to intentionally hit a small boat on the surface after performing an emergency blow I am not sure it could be accomplished. On many occasions submarine skippers and crews entertain civilian guests. During these events the visitors are shown the capabilities of the submarines.  Two of the favorite activities are, “angles and dangles” which are high speed turns and an emergency blow.

An emergency blow is a maneuver a submarine uses to propel to the surface in the event of an emergency. The process involves blowing high pressure air into the submarines ballast tanks providing buoyancy for an ascent to the surface. Procedures are in place to prevent hitting any objects that may be on the surface. A visual look at the surface, in addition, to monitoring potential contacts through sonar and fire control should ensure no vessels in the area before any proposed surfacing.

In this case, though, other factors in play allowed the standard procedures to be bypassed. What followed was after the U.S.S. Greeneville ascended from 400 feet as part of the emergency blow the submarines’ hull comprised on HY-100 steel is designed to slide through the Arctic ice tore clean through the Emine Maru and the trawler sank in five minutes nine miles from Diamond Head beach. Nine people lost their lives including four teenagers.

In the civilian sector there are occasions where no consequences result from deviating from an established procedure. However, in the military world failure to follow protocols can cost you or other people their lives. Unfortunately, not only are the lives of the families affected but the entire submarine community from the skipper who ultimately was held responsible to everyone who has worn dolphins. Perhaps we can all learn from this and the senseless loss of life will not happen again.