High-level inquiry into trawler sinking

The trawler on the sea floor - but no bodies found yet

Commanders of the American nuclear submarine that sank a Japanese fishing boat could face trial in a US military court.

The court martials are one of a range of options open to the members of an inquiry announced by the US Pacific fleet commander, Admiral Thomas Fargo.

The seriousness with which I view this tragic accident is reflected in the level of investigation

Admiral Thomas Fargo

The US navy has released video footage of the wreck, lying 600 metres below the sea surface, after showing it to families of those on board.

Nine Japanese nationals almost certainly died in the accident, which happened off Hawaii on 9 February.

The inquiry panel will meet in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, on Thursday, and will be open to the public and the media.

Admiral Fargo said the court of inquiry, the navy's highest form of administrative investigation, would provide a full account for the US and Japanese people.

'Tragic accident'

A high-ranking Japanese naval officer will be invited to advise the inquiry.

The submarine's commander, Commander Scott Waddle, has been named a party to the inquiry, along with executive officer Lieutenant Commander Gerald K Pfeifer and officer of the deck Lieutenant Michael J Coen.

"The seriousness with which I view this tragic accident is reflected in the level of investigation and the seniority of the court members," Admiral Fargo told a news conference on Saturday.

The decision came after the Navy concluded its preliminary investigation of the incident, which happened when the surfacing 7,000-tonne US submarine Greeneville struck the Japanese fishing ship Ehime Maru, causing it to sink in minutes.

No sign of bodies

The video released by the US navy on Sunday shows the Ehime Maru sitting virtually upright in the water.

The Super Scorpio II: Steered from the surface via remote control

It was located by a remote-controlled submersible on Friday, but there is no word on whether any of missing were located on board.

A second remote-controlled craft has been deployed as the US navy assesses the chances of salvaging the wreck.

The BBC's Charles Scanlon in Tokyo says Japan is exerting enormous pressure on the US to bring the boat to the surface and to return the bodies of the drowned seamen to their families.

Four teenage boys and two teachers are among the missing.

Civilians at controls

Relatives have been deeply angered by what they see as an inadequate American response to the disaster and by revelations about what was happening on board the submarine at the time of the collision.

This follows the admission by the US navy that 16 civilians were in the submarine and even sat at its controls at the time of the collision.

The submarine performed the emergency surfacing drill as a demonstration for the civilians, said Admiral Fargo.

Two of them, John Hall of Texas and Todd Thoman, have appeared on US television, denying their presence played any part in the collision.