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US nuclear sub struck uncharted seamount in South China Sea

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Agence France-Presse

<p>WASHINGTON - A US Navy nuclear submarine that was severely damaged in an accident while submerged in the South China Sea last month struck an uncharted underwater seamount, the US Navy said Monday. </p><p>The US 7th Fleet, which operates in the western Pacific, said an investigation had concluded that the USS Connecticut smashed into a geological formation and not another vessel on October 2.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Statement regarding <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USSConnecticut?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USSConnecticut</a> (SSN 22):<br/><br/>The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USNavy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USNavy</a> Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine struck an object while submerged on Oct. 2, while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region. There are no life threatening injuries.<br/><br/>More: <a href="https://t.co/2ojR5arcd4">https://t.co/2ojR5arcd4</a> <a href="https://t.co/VNSQI5XJet">pic.twitter.com/VNSQI5XJet</a></p>— U.S. Pacific Fleet (@USPacificFleet) <a href="https://twitter.com/USPacificFleet/status/1446189911686582313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2021</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>&quot;The investigation determined USS Connecticut grounded on an uncharted seamount while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region,&quot; a 7th Fleet spokesperson said in an emailed statement.</p><p>The conclusions of the probe have been handed over to Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, the commander of the US 7th Fleet, to &quot;determine whether follow-on actions, including accountability, are appropriate,&quot; they said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/10/08/21/us-nuclear-sub-damaged-in-underwater-collision">US nuclear sub damaged in underwater collision in South China Sea</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/10/20/21/beijing-demands-end-to-us-operations-in-south-china-sea">Beijing demands end to US operations in South China Sea</a></li></ul><p>The Navy confirmed the incident a week after it took place, only saying that the Connecticut, a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, &quot;struck an object while submerged.&quot;</p><p>USNI News, published by the US Naval Institute, a thinktank close to the Navy, reported that there were some moderate and minor injuries in the accident.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/10/28/21/us-conducted-2000-spying-missions-vs-china-this-year">US ships, planes conducted 2,000 spying missions aimed at China this year: analyst</a></li></ul><p>It said the crash damaged the sub&#x27;s forward ballast tanks and forced it to sail on the surface for a week back to Guam for repairs.</p><p>The ship&#x27;s nuclear plant was not damaged, the publication said.</p><div><strong>pmh/to</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K0qQBH7g7Go?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

A US Navy nuclear submarine that was severely damaged in an accident while submerged in the South China Sea last month struck an uncharted underwater seamount.