The Navy is defending its practice of inviting civilian visitors on warships to sit in control positions during exercises. Officials do admit that civilians may have been a distraction aboard the submarine U.S.S. Greeneville during the sub's fatal surfacing maneuver last Friday. The sub collided with a Japanese fishing trawler, sinking the ship. Nine people are still missing and presumed drowned in the incident off the coast of Hawaii. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.
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