Bow of U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Submarine “Seriously” Damaged in South China Sea Collision Incident

The U.S. Navy’s Seawolf-class nuclear-powered submarine that collided with an unknown object in the South China Sea has reportedly suffered damage to its bow.

“Initial report I have is (that) the USS Connecticut bow dome is severely damaged,” read a tweet posted on Sub Brief page run retired U.S. Navy Submariner Aaron Amick.

USS Connecticut (SSN 22) struck an object while submerged on the afternoon of October 2. The Navy said in a statement soon after that the “submarine remains in a safe and stable condition” and its “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 incident will be investigated, the service had said.

The Seawolf-class can each accommodate 140 crew including 14 officers. These vessels are “quiet, fast, well-armed, and equipped with advanced sensors”. They also have eight torpedo tubes.

This submarine accident brought back bitter memories of the USS San Francisco submarine’s accident in 2005 that left just about the entire crew injured– some of them quite severely – and took the life of one sailor on board.