USS Connecticut’s South China Sea accident was preventable, report concludes
- Inquiry blames failings that ‘fell far below US Navy standards’ for the collision with an underwater mountain
- The South China Sea is one of the most sensitive waterways in the world, and Beijing accused the US of ‘irresponsible’ behaviour after the accident last October
The command investigation report published on Monday identified a series of failings, including in navigation and risk management, “all of which fell far below US Navy standards”.
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Eleven crew members were injured and the Seawolf-class fast attack sub was damaged when it hit an underwater mountain while submerged in the northern part of the disputed waters on October 2.
China’s claims to the bulk of the resource rich waters are disputed by five other countries and Beijing has been building up artificial islands and military facilities to consolidate its claims.
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In turn, these activities have prompted the US military to increase its presence in the waters to challenge China’s claims, conducting regular missions it calls “freedom of navigation” operations.
“The investigation determined the grounding was preventable,” said the US Navy report, written by Rear Admiral Christopher Cavanaugh, commander of the Japan-based Seventh Fleet.
“The ship conducted a safety stand-down to address these problems, but it was not adequately focused on addressing the root causes.
“Failure of the [commanders] to identify, self-assess and hold personnel accountable for previous navigation deficiencies led to low standards.”
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The report said the investigation highlighted 28 specific areas for improvement, half of which had already been completed.
The US Navy confirmed the incident a week after it took place. It was reported that the crash damaged the sub’s forward ballast tanks and forced it to surface and return to Guam for repairs, although its nuclear reactor and propulsion plant were not damaged.
Earlier this month the sub was reported to have docked in San Diego.
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The US Navy report said the Connecticut had hit an “uncharted seamount” while submerged in a poorly surveyed area in “international waters in the Indo-Pacific region” but did not disclose the exact location or the nature of the ship’s mission.
The incident highlights the scale of US military activities in the waters, according to the Chinese think tank South China Sea Probing Initiative. It said open source information suggested that at least 11 US nuclear-powered attack submarines entered the South China Sea last year.
