Japanese training ship sinks in waters off Hawaii after collision with U.S. submarine
February 09, 2001
The Ehime Maru, a training ship from Uwajima Fisheries High School in Ehime Prefecture, sank in waters off Hawaii after a collision with the USS Greeneville submarine (Feb. 10, Japan time), leaving nine crew members dead, including four high school students.
Ehime Maru Captain Hisao Onishi fights back tears as he responds to reporters' questions on Feb. 10, 2001, in Honolulu about the collision between his ship and the USS Greeneville. Ietaka Horita, principal of Uwajima Fisheries High School, also attended the news conference.
Damage to the USS Greeneville is visible after it was brought back to its base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii. The collision took place when the Greeneville conducted an emergency main ballast blow that brings the vessel to the surface in a matter of seconds.
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, left, meets with family members of the missing crew of the Ehime Maru on Feb. 22, 2001. Mori was criticized because he continued a round of golf after receiving word about the collision between the Ehime Maru and the USS Greeneville.
Family members throw flowers into the waters where divers searched the interior of the Ehime Maru. The training ship was moved to shallow waters to allow the divers to search for the missing crew members. Eight of the nine missing were eventually found.
Bereaved family members present leis on Feb. 9, 2011, at a monument constructed for the Ehime Maru victims at the Kakaako Waterfront Park in Honolulu. Similar ceremonies have been held every year at the Uwajima Fisheries High School on the anniversary of the accident.
