There have been two nuclear submarine accidents in the U.S. Navy in the past three years, including one which killed fourteen sailors. It also caused many injuries. This incident happened in the South China Sea last Oct. This incident comes amid increasing tensions in this region.
The USS Connecticut, which was in South China Sea at the time of this incident, was operating a mission on October 2, 2021. It crashed into an unidentified object while it was at depth and speed. This caused several injuries and resulted in the loss of a part of the boat. The submarine was sent to Guam for an assessment. The U.S. Pacific Fleet released a statement a few more days later.
A thorough investigation was carried out to determine the reason for the crash. According to the report there were numerous mistakes, including failures with risk management and navigation planning. The report also stated that the vessel's leadership failed to properly manage a watch team, which is responsible for safe navigation.
Although the report lays blame on the leadership of the submarine, there are many other areas of blame. The sonar array is a navigation system that aids sailors in navigation, and the crew experienced a variety of issues with it. Numerous sailors claimed that it had significantly degraded.
The investigation also revealed that the Navy's safety stop-down, established after the April 2021 incident, did not address the root causes of the allision. Instead, the Navy aimed to repair the damage.
The US Navy is currently in the process of implementing a number of undersea collision reforms which will help prevent future incidents. The reforms include the development and deployment of new technology that will allow submarines to navigate the ocean. Additional training is also available.
The United States Navy conducted a command investigation and found that the vessel's captain failed to effectively manage a watch team. The quartermasters of the watch also failed to adequately perform their duties.
The Navy said that, despite the extent of the accident it doesn't know of any life-threatening injuries. Additionally, there are no reports of damage to the submarine's nuclear plant. However, it has been discovered that the forward ballast tanks on the submarine were damaged.
The command investigation reports does not give any information about the extent or cost of the damage. It does however note that the submarine will be returning to Washington for repairs.
After the incident, the US Navy fired Lieutenant-Commander Paul Sutherland (captain of the submarine) and two other senior officers. Currently, 13 corrective measures are in progress. They include more training and improvements to the certification process.
Despite all the problems, the Connecticut Submarine will soon return from repairs to Bremerton, Washington. The submarine was lost in international waters on October 2nd. Its leadership is currently working to improve operations.
The US Navy has launched a comprehensive investigation into this accident. The report has uncovered a number of errors in the way the submarine was operated, including a lack of proper navigation planning and unit-level errors in grounding. These issues were found not to meet Navy standards.