The US Navy revealed on Thursday that one of its attack submarines was damaged after striking an "object" in international waters on October 2. The US Navy operates only nuclear-powered attack submarines.
The website of US Naval Institute (USNI) was among the first outlets to report the incident.
"The Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) struck an object while submerged on the afternoon of Oct. 2, while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region. The safety of the crew remains the Navy’s top priority. There are no life-threatening injuries. The submarine remains in a safe and stable condition. USS Connecticut’s nuclear propulsion plant and spaces were not affected and remain fully operational. The extent of damage to the remainder of the submarine is being assessed. The U.S. Navy has not requested assistance. The incident will be investigated," Captain Bill Clinton of the US Navy told USNI News.
The US Navy announced the Connecticut was sailing on the surface to Guam, where it was scheduled to reach on Friday.
USNI News reported that 11 sailors on board the Connecticut sustained "moderate to minor injuries" in the incident, which occurred in the South China Sea. Military Times quoted an official as saying the injuries were "bumps, bruises and lacerations".
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The nature of the accident had led to speculation on what kind of object the USS Connecticut collided with. Military Times quoted an official as saying, "the area’s topography at the time did not indicate there was a land mass in front of the boat". The official added there were no indications the "mishap was hostile or that the sub collided with another vessel".
The US and its allies have been carrying out exercises in the South China Sea, and the USS Connecticut was in the vicinity of the drills. "The Connecticut was operating in the waters around the South China Sea as the US and its allies have been carrying out a major multinational show of force in the region led by the United Kingdom's Carrier Strike Group 21. The ongoing operations saw exercises with ships from the US, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands, including three aircraft carriers," CNN reported.
What is the USS Connecticut?
The USS Connecticut is one of only three ships of a class of submarines known as Seawolf. The Seawolf class design is significantly larger and faster than other attack submarine classes of the US Navy. However, budget cuts at the end of the Cold War led to its production being curtailed to just three units from the originally planned force of 29 submarines.
The USS Connecticut, which entered service in 1998, can carry up to 50 weapons—such as torpedoes to sink ships and submarines and Tomahawk cruise missiles to hit ships and targets on land. The vessel is also capable of carrying out intelligence gathering and deployment of commandos.
