Posted on 02/11/2005 9:13:07 PM PST by SmithL
The skipper of the nuclear-powered submarine that crashed into the side of an undersea mountain is quietly being sent before an “admiral’s mast” in Japan this weekend to face charges of endangering his ship, according to several active-duty and retired Navy sources familiar with the case.
Cmdr. Kevin Mooney was slated to appear before 7th Fleet commander Vice Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert in Yokosuka on Saturday morning, the sources said.
The Navy’s highest form of nonjudicial punishment, admiral’s mast falls short of the criminal proceedings of a court martial, but can result in anything from full exoneration to fines, reprimands, and loss of qualifications.
Publicly, Navy officials decline to comment on Mooney’s case.
“It would be inappropriate to discuss any nonjudicial punishment proceedings at this time,” said Greenert’s spokesman, Cmdr. Ike Skelton.
On Jan. 18, the San Francisco, a Los Angeles-class, fast-attack submarine, is believed to have rammed into an undersea mountain 350 nautical miles south of its homeport at Guam. One sailor was killed and another 23 injured in the incident.
The sub suffered massive damage to its sonar dome and bow structure, but was able to limp back to Guam where it is now in dry dock. Navy officials are still unsure if the sub can be salvaged.
Mooney’s mast, however, comes before the detailed investigation into the accident is complete. And unlike most nonjudicial punishment throughout the rest of the military, sailors from sea-going commands cannot refuse mast and demand a court- martial.
At issue, say officials, is whether charts supplied to Mooney provided any clue of dangerous waters. Officials at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Bethesda, told reporters after the accident that the main maps used by the U.S. Navy did not reveal any obstacle anywhere near the sight of the crash.
Officials familiar with case, however, say another, much older chart was believed to be aboard the San Francisco indicating discolored water several miles away.
Early findings of the Navy’s investigation appear to indicate some level of “questionable” practices by Mooney, according to a Feb. 7 letter obtained by Stars and Stripes to Greenert from the commander of Pacific submarine forces Rear Adm. P.F. Sullivan.
Preliminary findings of the grounding, reads the letter, “highlights the questionable Voyage Planning processes and navigation practices Cdr. Kevin Mooney implemented and maintained while in command. He was responsible for the safe surfaced and submerged navigation of the ship, and should be held accountable.”
Still, the vast majority of the three-page letter outlines Mooney’s many accomplishments while in command of the San Francisco.
Sullivan said he had personally selected Mooney “to correct significant command climate and performance issues” aboard the ship.
Since taking command in late 2003, Sullivan said Mooney was directly responsible for transforming a down-in-the-dumps crew into one of the best in the fleet.
The ship, he wrote, got the highest marks of any Pacific submarine in a grueling Tactical Readiness Evaluation, among other top line certifications of its nuclear propulsion system and engineering departments.
Mooney’s “operational planning skill and command presence ensured the ship’s success in dynamic operations of vital importance to national security,” adds Sullivan.
“In the face of huge quality-of-life challenges faced by his ship, including a five-month deployment to San Diego for material repairs and transforming Guam into a viable submarine homeport, retention and reenlistment rates significantly exceed fleet norms” under Mooney, writes Sullivan.
“Despite the intense scrutiny under which he has been placed as a result of this tragedy, Cmdr. Mooney has conducted himself with honor and dignity. I ask that you consider his positive contributions to the U.S. Navy during your deliberations at Admiral’s Mast.”
I think he'll be praised AND torpedoed.
This is no surprise. When the accident happened many of us here guessed that the captain's career was going to be toasted.
Sounds like "We're not saying it's your fault. All we're saying is that we're blaming you."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the sub was doing 30 knots...
at that speed everybody and his brother would have heard him coming for miles.....when you're stealthy, you go slow, very slow..... something called cavitation..
Guess I killed another thread. :(
"Sonar" listens to hear sounds. In active sonar, like bats use, a noise (such as a ping) is created by an agent, such as the bat or the ship. The agent then listens for an echo. The amount of time it takes to hear an echo is a measure of how far away an object creating the echo is. The problem is that goven the right listening equipment, the whole world can listen to the ping. So a submarine travelling in stealth cannot use active sonar.
"Passive sonar" is nothing more than listening for noises. Anything that doesn't make a noise is "invisible" to such sonar.
"I don't think subs have windows"
Be kind of hard to maintain watertight integrity at 1200' with a window huh?
The Navy way. I learned that standing at attention before the Captain. It was painful.
Yes, (active) sonar will detect obstacles, but using it gives away the position of the submarine. Like a flashlight at night, it can be detected long before it lights up the target. Since a submarine's main weapon is stealth, active sonar has limited use.
Passive (listening) sonar detects sounds made by sources nearby, but undersea mountains don't tend to make noise.
Damn.
You put it so succinctly, that I agree he is lucky to get retirement and full-pay, and if he does, he should shut up and be grateful.
SS Bump
It's virtually a rule that if the captain runs his ship aground, he's finished. They don't generally accept excuses or mitigating factors. They expect perfection.
I posted on another link, but since there are two, I think this is something that should be discussed here as well.
Regardless of the case at issue, the recent tsunami reminds us that the sea bed is not static. Soundings after the tsunami show a massive new ridge and canyon system was created by the earthquake. How can the Navy keep up with a changing seabed when some geological changes may occur without being included in our knowledge base?
" How can the Navy keep up with a changing seabed when some geological changes may occur without being included in our knowledge base?"
Good question. A plane can fly "in the dark", but I have never understood how a sub can do it without very good recon of the route. Apparently the Captain is given the charts with no assurance of their accuracy. And apparently he would have hit the mountain at 5 kts as well as 30 kts.
Doesn't smell right.
I was onboard one ship that had a major mishap while I was in the Navy. The commanding officer had been deep selected for every grade up through Captain (O-6). He was brilliant, a great leader, and one of the youngest O-6 grade officers ever in the modern Navy. Rumors were he would be selected for Admiral after that command and would be Chief of Naval Operations one day. The mishap was not his fault other than the fact that the junior officer that gave the command showed he was not properly trained by the stupid command he gave under the circumstances. The commanding officer went to Admirals Mast and received a letter of reprimand. He was transferred to a desk job in the Pentagon where he retired as an O-6.
Was it fair? No. The military operates on the “you have as much authority as you will accept total responsibility for” concept. In the military, you will have much more responsibility at a much younger age than anything you will ever see in civilian life. It is not affair, but it works.
After I got out of the Navy, I went to work for a company with about two thousand employees. My supervisor told me in a performance appraisal meeting that I needed to go to that company’s leadership training program if I ever wanted to be promoted. My reply was, “When can I go?” I was thinking to myself, “At twenty-five, I was qualified as the OOD Underway, in control of an aircraft carrier during combat air operations with thousands of lives in my hands. The most this guy has ever supervised is five people in an office situation. Oh well, shut and go along with the program.” I did get promoted.
Not the way it works in the Navy. He was the Captain, his boat hit the rocks. He takes the fall. Note that sentence ended in a period. He takes the fall period.
It's the Navy way. You pile up a few billion bucks worth of steel and nuclear weapons on the rocks and you do not get another chance.
When someone at City Hall messes up it is the Mayor that takes the heat.
When someone at the State Capitol messes up it is the Governor that takes the heat.
Some as when someone messes up at a company, it is the CEO that takes the heat.
Someone who is in a position of authority knows this, it is just a fact of life.
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