Topic: The USS Greeneville, a fast-attack submarine, surfaced beneath a Japanese fishing vessel, sinking the ship and leaving nine people dead. Where we stand: The Greeneville commander failed by letting civilians take the controls of a submarine. Following proper procedures would have saved lives. It was bad enough that a U.S. Navy submarine surfaced beneath a Japanese fishing vessel off Hawaii, sinking the ship in minutes and leaving nine of her 35-person crew lost at sea. Now we learn that civilian guests were at two of the subs key control stations when the fatal incident occurred. That certainly gives the impression that the USS Greeneville, a 362-foot fast-attack, Los Angeles-class submarine, was on a joyriding trip for public relations purposes. Regulations call for the crew to use sonar to check for other vessels, then to rise to a depth of about 60 feet to make a visual check through the periscope. The sub then dives to 400 feet before blowing its ballast tanks, causing it to pop rapidly back to the surface. Had these regulations been followed, the submarine almost assuredly would have sighted the 180-foot trawler, which was operating in broad daylight, nine miles off the coast of Oahu. It took four days for the Navy to admit that two of the 16 civilians aboard the Greeneville were manning critical controls: the helm that operates the vessels rudder and bow planes and the levers that blow the ballast tanks. Navy officials say that the two civilians couldnt have caused the accident because they were under the very close supervision of a qualified watch-stander. The question of who was at the controls is less crucial, of course, than why, as one naval officer said, the submarines crew didnt know a ship was up there. Nevertheless, the practice of letting civilians take the controls of a submarine, which the Navy says is common during demonstration cruises, only contributes to the notion that the Greenevilles commander was more interested in showing off its capabilities and was insufficiently attentive to where the sub was in relation to other vessels. The sinking has caused an international incident, with President Bush having to make the first public apology of his new administration to the government of Japan. Its one thing for the commander in chief to have to apologize for an accident but quite another to own up to negligence. The cardinal rule for the skipper of any vessel under way is dont hit anything, and dont let anything hit you. The Greenevilles commander apparently failed on both counts.