US appoints envoy over sub tragedy

Relatives want sunken trawler raised

US President George W Bush has appointed a special envoy to Japan amid growing speculation that civilians distracted the crew of the US submarine which sank a Japanese trawler two weeks ago.

The envoy, Admiral William Fallon - vice-chief of naval operations - will travel to Tokyo next week to apologise in person over the incident which left nine people missing, feared dead.

Distraught relatives want speedy answers

He will also deliver a personal letter from President Bush to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori as well as briefing the Japanese authorities on the progress of the investigation.

Japan has reacted angrily to the revelations of civilians obstructing the work of the submarine crew. Mr Mori has called for an intensive probe.

This is extremely deplorable

Yoshiro Mori

On Friday, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ordered a moratorium on allowing civilians to operate any item of military equipment, including ships, aircraft and vehicles, to avoid causing "an increased safety risk".

More revelations

Although it has not been proven that civilians were at the controls of the submarine during the time of the accident, newspapers have been publishing accounts of how their presence hindered communication between members of the crew.

The Washington Times and the Washington Post reported on Friday that an officer responsible for tracking nearby ships by sonar had located a vessel closing in to within 1,800 metres (6,000 feet) of the submarine.

Victims hope the hearings in this room will establish what happened

The reports allege that the officer decided he must have been wrong as the captain had just swept the area with the periscope and found nothing.

So he arbitrarily adjusted the position to 9,000 metres and, more significantly, failed to notify the captain, allegedly because of the presence of civilians in the control room.

The Washington Times also quoted the submarine's executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Gerald Pfeiffer, as hesitating, in front of civilians, to challenge the captain for what he though was a hasty emergency surfacing manoeuvre.

The US Navy and the Pentagon have declined to comment on the newspaper reports.

Commander Waddle could face a court-martial

However, a former US submarine commander has sharply criticised the crew's behaviour.

Retired admiral Bud Kauderer - former commander of US submarine forces in the Atlantic - described as "totally irresponsible" the breakdown in communications among the crew members.

He said: "It wouldn't have made a difference if it was the President of the United States talking to the captain. It's the responsibility of the officer to break in and say I've got contact."

Japan, dismayed at the revelations, has demanded disciplinary measures if it is proved that civilians had contributed to the 9 February accident off the Hawaiian coast.

Court of inquiry

Tokyo has said it will wait until the US Navy completed its court of inquiry - the navy's highest administrative investigative body - which begins on Monday.

Among those to appear before the court will be the submarine's Commander Scott Waddle, who has remained tight-lipped over the incident on his lawyer's advice.

Relatives of the missing Japanese have continued to press for the stricken Ehime Maru to be raised from its seabed grave, 600m (2,000 feet) below the surface, to confirm whether it is a tomb for their loved ones.

The US envoy is to discuss this possibility with the Japanese authorities.