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American Nuclear Submarine Hit Something Underwater. Turns Out It Was a Mountain

I know, this is not something one hears every day: an underwater crash between an American Seawolf-class nuclear submarine and an unknown object turns out to be a collision between said vessel and the top of an underwater mountain no one knew was there.
USS Connecticut 9 photos
Photo: U.S. Navy
USS ConnecticutUSS ConnecticutUSS ConnecticutUSS Hyman G. RickoverUSS Maryland (SSBN 738)USS Tennessee (SSBN 734)USS Tennessee (SSBN 734)USS New Hampshire (SSN 778)
Back at the beginning of October, news surfaced of the USS Connecticut (SSN 22) having struck something while submerged and doing secret stuff in its area of operation, the waters of the South China Sea.

The collision caused quite a bit of damage and injured several of the sailors on board, although none of them seriously. As usual when it comes to incidents involving military hardware, an investigation was swiftly launched to determine what went wrong, why, and what can be done about it.

Now, we don’t know the exact details of what the investigation meant in terms of manpower and tactics, but according to USNI News, citing 7th Fleet spokesperson Cmdr. Hayley Sims, it concluded with the finding that the object struck by the submarine was a natural one, more precisely an underwater mountain.

“The investigation determined USS Connecticut grounded on an uncharted seamount while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region,” the official was quoted as saying.

Now, we are also not being told how such a thing could have happened. Sure, the seamount might have been uncharted, but submarines don’t usually swim blind in the water, and they have means of detecting such obstacles and preventing collisions.

The USS Connecticut is a relatively new ship by submarine standards, having been introduced in 1997, and that means it’s equipped with the latest technologies.

According to Sims, the findings of the investigation will be submitted to the commander of 7th Fleet, Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, for review and, if need be, for a decision on whether "follow-on actions, including accountability, are appropriate."
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Editor's note: Gallery also shows other U.S. submarines.

About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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