Posted on 09/07/2001 4:18:18 PM PDT by Alas
Well the USS Greeneville has made it back into the nightly news. I had hoped that perhaps some of the mighty news men in the major media would start asking some serious questions, such as: Just how high up in the chain of command must one be to order the Captain of a US Nuclear Submarine to not only take non defense department related civilians aboard His boat. And how high must one be to order that Captain to turn control of much of his boat over to those civilians.
Nukem
Let me try to answer that. I'm not a submariner, but I'm a cynic, which in this case is just as good.
No one ordered anyone to do anything.
These guys are too slick for that.
My guess is that some nameless, faceless intermediary called up the skipper of the boat and said: "Some big supporters of the president and his father want to ride on your nuke sub. We want you to treat them like royalty. Give them anything they want. Hell, let them drive the thing if they want to, just be sure they're happy.
And don't worry -- if anything happens, we'll cover it all up and the press won't say a peep."
doesn't look like they coverd it up too well to me.
Has anyone demonstrated that the maneuvers performed by civvies in the driver's seat(s) contributed to the wreck? Were they even in the seats when the emergency ascent took place?
given the antipathy most media types/decision makers have for the military (without having served in it) I have no problem providing junkets for folks.
Wrecking a fishing boat & drowning kids is, however, bad form.
Now that last part is the one thing that would never be said. It would be up to the captain to make sure that nothing happened. Higher-up's aren't going to waste time helping a captain who couldn't control a situation on his own. Back scratching only extends upward in the modern military, never downward.
Nukem
Nukem
My understanding is that a retired Admiral arranged thru CINCPACFLT and COMSUBPAC the distinguished visitors cruise. At no time was control of the boat turned over to these visitors. They were merely standing "under instruction" watches in the Control Room.
This trip was arranged while Clinton was President, IIRC.
The civilians did nothing to make the wreck occur. The CO screwed up.
3 stars?
Nukem
Lt. Cmdr. Dave Werner, the public affairs officer for the Pacific Fleet's submarine force, testified how a group of 16 civilians got aboard the USS Greeneville on Feb. 9 for a ride that had no other purpose than to show off the sub and its crew. Taking visitors on board for no other purpose than a tour is a direct contradiction to both the secretary of the Navy and operational guidelines, said Vice Adm. John Nathman, the president of the court of inquiry. "Do not conduct operations specifically to support DV embarkations," Nathman read.
Werner at first testified that the Greeneville trip was not specially arranged for the visitors because the squadron commanders changed the Greeneville's orders to accommodate them. Werner reasoned that the change, therefore, made the six-hour trip part of Greeneville's regular duties. And that unleashed even more withering questions and commentary by Nathman:
Nathman: "What was her mission on the 9th of February?"
Werner: "To support the visitor program."
Nathman: "The only reason Greeneville was underway was for a DV (distinguished visitor) embark. ... In my view this doesn't fit the criteria, it isn't even close."
Werner responded that rearranging the Greeneville's schedule for visitors was no different than what happens on other Navy ships, such as aircraft carriers. And that made Nathman — a Navy fighter pilot who commanded the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz — sit up straight in his chair. "I don't think we've ever gotten a carrier underway for one day for a DV embark," he said.
The submarine fleet's commander, Rear Adm. Albert Konetzni Jr., asked Werner to organize a distinguished visitor trip at the request of Adm. Richard Macke, former commander in chief of the Pacific Command, Werner testified.
Werner interpreted Konetzni's statement as a directive to see if any submarines were going out on Feb. 8 or 9. "I took it to mean, give them a tour, not a problem," Werner said.
I was under the impression that Clinton's father has been deceased for a few years, and was therefore incapable of asking such a favor.
I see you have not stopped trying to perpetuate the myth that Bush was responsible for the "vistors" when in fact it was published in a number of places that Clinton's Cairman JCS was the one who green-lighted them.
Your hatred of all things Bush must have eaten a hole inside of you the size of a basketball by now.
Nukem
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