ANOTHER AMERICAN NUCLEAR SUBMARINE IN ACCIDENT AT SEA

This time it was not the Memphis, but , Greenville, which was involved in a collision with a Japanese vessel carrying school children on a fishing trip. The collision took place near the Hawaiian island of Oahu. 9 children are missing, feared dead. The Japanese vessel, Ahin Maru, was carrying 13 school children on a training trip, together with two teachers and twenty fishermen. 26 people have been saved while the nine missing are reported to be children. The collision provoked slight damage to the American vessel but tore the Japanese ship in half, causing it to sink in ten minutes. The US Navy has apologised to the Japanese authorities for the incident. Normally, equipment of this kind has radar, a system which enables the vessel to see other vessels in the vicinity and to avoid collisions. Normally, vessels which are equipped with radar have personnel on board trained to use the system. It is unbelievable that a US nuclear submarine could have been involved in this type of accident. If they are not capable of using the equipment and if indeed they are posing a danger to other vessels on the seas, they should all stay in port, at home, until they can train the right personnel to use the equipment properly. Otherwise, the US Armed Forces would be well recommended to import foreign sailors to sail their vessels, at a reduced risk to humanity. TIMOTHY BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.RU LISBON