Two of the civilians aboard a U.S. submarine that collided with a Japanese trawler -- one of whom pulled levers to surface the sub -- denied that they distracted the crew and contributed to the tragedy. Todd Thoman and John Hall praised the U.S. crew for how they conducted themselves before and after the incident last week off Hawaii's coast, and said they believed all the correct procedures had been followed. Nine people are still missing from the Japanese fishing trawler, the Ehime Maru, which sank in about 1,800 ft. (548 m) of water nine miles (14 km) off Diamond Head, Hawaii. Hopes for a rescue are fading. Thoman and Hall were among a group of 16 civilians on board the USS Greeneville, which was on a brief training mission when it surfaced beneath a Japanese fishing trawler.