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Saturday Morning News

How Did the U.S. Submarine-Japanese Research Ship Collision Occur?

Aired February 10, 2001 - 9:29 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Nuclear submarines don't surface on a whim. It's a carefully orchestrated procedure that includes electronic and visual checks to make sure the surface is clear of vessels. But as we've seen, accidents happen.

For some perspective on the collision off the Hawaiian Islands, we're joined by retired captain, Navy captain Alec Frasier, who is currently affiliated with Turner Properties. Thanks for being with us, Alec.

And let's talk about something that we just had a conversation with one of our producers on. One of the Navy SEALS called in and told us that there is a procedure, routine training procedure, known as an emergency blow, which would have created a scenario where the submarine would have had to rise to the surface. Why don't you explain what that is and what precautions are taken in a situation like that?

CAPT. ALEC FRASIER (RETIRED), U.S. NAVY: I think many people have seen an emergency blow because it's where a submarine is coming rapidly out of the water and then crashes down with a big splash. It's an emergency surface in case there was a -- some reason that it would be sinking, and they need to get to the surface quickly.

Those on practice missions are very controlled evolutions. The area around the ship is cleared, because we know that as the ship -- the submarine is coming to the surface, it can't clear itself, there has to be some help.

O'BRIEN: All right. So at this point, however, we probably can't rule out the possibility that it might have gone -- something gone wrong on that ship which would have caused them to have an emergency surface, right?

FRASIER: I think that is a possibility. However, there was not an emergency that's evident today, because the submarine was still in the vicinity helping in the relief efforts of trying to identify survivors in the water.

O'BRIEN: And certainly that information hasn't come out just to this point. This is obviously a very unusual circumstance. I can't recall covering a story like this in recent memory. What that tells you is a couple of things. First of all, the Navy takes a lot of precautions. The other thing is that the ocean's a pretty big place.

Nevertheless, there are places in the ocean where mariners need to beware of submarines surfacing, correct?

FRASIER: There are submarine transit lanes on most nautical charts, in which submarines surface, and in which they transit on the surface into port. Those are warnings to mariners. They're not required to stay out of those areas, but it is a way of determining where submarines might be coming to the surface.

O'BRIEN: All right. Once a submarine has committed to rising to the surface, there are still blind spots despite all of the electronic measures, visual measures that a captain might take?

FRASIER: As many people will remember in the movie "Hunt for Red October," submarines are always looking for submarines behind them or other ships. So a submarine can detect via passive sonar other ships, other submarines, up in front of it. Behind it, it has to alter course to be able to look behind. So it's a challenge.

O'BRIEN: Take us inside the Navy investigation right now. Typically, following something like this, what is the procedure? How does the Navy handle a situation like this?

FRASIER: Navy regulations are very specific. There is a naval investigative team that will be charged by the commanding officer of the unit that the submarine reports to. They will do an investigation. The Coast Guard will do an investigation to determine who was at fault. And accountability will be placed.

O'BRIEN: All right. Retired Navy captain Alec Frasier, thanks once again for your insights on all this, we do appreciate it.

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