Sub Commander Expresses Regret
The commander of the U.S. submarine that struck and sank a Japanese trawler off Hawaii expressed his “most sincere regret”--but stopped short of an apology.
“It is with a heavy heart that I express my most sincere regret” for the accident, Cmdr. Scott Waddle said in a statement sent by his lawyer to Japan’s NHK public television network and broadcast to a national audience.
Waddle was commanding the Greeneville when it rammed the Ehime Maru on Feb. 9. Nine of the 35 people on board the Japanese vessel are missing and presumed dead.
The families of the missing Japanese have demanded a personal apology from Waddle. However, the statement may do little to cool the anger of the families.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
