HAWAII
Sinking of Japanese fishing boat exposes U.S. military
recklessness
By Chris
Fry
Honolulu
On Feb. 9, a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine sank a Japanese
fishing trawler in waters off the coast of Hawaii. Four high
school students, two teachers and three crew members are
missing and presumed drowned.
On Feb. 12, during a "mock invasion" by 4,000 U.S. Army
troops, two military heli copters apparently collided,
killing six soldiers.
The Navy has disclosed that the submarine, the USS
Greenville, performed an "emergency blow" in a busy shipping
lane just 10 miles from Pearl Harbor. In this maneuver the
boat flies up out of the water with tremendous speed.
The rear of the submarine collided with the fishing boat
Ehime Maru, sinking it within minutes. Survivors reported
being "sucked in" by the trawler as it sank in the ocean to a
depth of 1,800 feet.
The Navy later disclosed that 16 civilian and military
"observers" were on board the submarine when the accident
occurred. News commentators noted that the "emergency blow"
procedure is often used to impress dignitaries, business
executives and other wealthy guests. One of these guests was
reportedly actually at the submarine's controls when the
collision occurred.
Coast Guard spokespeople revealed that the collision
occurred two miles outside of the designated submarine
training area. So far, the Navy has not lodged charges
against the captain of the submarine; it has only convened a
board of inquiry.
After the Ehime Maru sank and the passengers and crew were
thrown in the water, the trawler's captain told reporters
that the submarine circled around and came within a few feet
of the survivors but did nothing to help them. The victims
had to wait more than 45 minutes for the Coast Guard to
rescue them.
Preparing for new conquests
The two helicopters that crashed were part of a large
military exercise, called "Lightning Thrust Warrior." This
exercise involved 4,000 troops. The helicopters apparently
collided and crashed on the north side of Oahu. The accident
occurred at night in heavy rain.
To the military brass, peacetime is merely an interlude
between wars. Because of its strategic position in the
Pacific Rim, Hawaii is bristling with U.S. Navy, Army, Marine
and Air Force bases.
Live-fire exercises are conducted on the west, the
"leeward" side of Oahu. Missiles are fired from Kauai.
Military parachutists have landed in neighborhoods on the
east or "windward" side of Oahu.
Tourists on Hawaiian beaches report seeing commandos
jumping from helicopters into the ocean.
On land, in the air, on or under the ocean, Hawaii is a
staging area to plan and practice for new military
adventures. This is why the U.S. military participated in the
overthrow of the legal Hawaiian government a century ago.
The two recent events expose that the U.S. military and
its big-business backers are always preparing for new
conquests.
To protect and extend their vast wealth, whether in East
Asia, the Middle East, Latin America or Southern Europe, they
are perfectly willing to endanger civilians, as well as
service women and men.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME
:: U.S. NEWS ::
WORLD NEWS ::
EDITORIALS
:: SUBSCRIBE ::
DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page