US nuclear submarine hits underwater ‘object’ in South China Sea
- Submarine damaged after hitting an unidentified object, but is in a ‘safe and stable’ condition
- Vessel now headed to the US base at Guam, its nuclear propulsion plant not affected
A US Navy attack submarine “struck an object while submerged” in international waters in the South China Sea, officials said on Thursday.
They said there were no life-threatening injuries and the sub was still fully operational.
In a brief statement providing few details of an incident that happened on the afternoon of October 2, US Pacific Fleet said the USS Connecticut remained in a “safe and stable condition”.
The Seawolf-class submarine’s nuclear propulsion plant was not affected, it added.
“The extent of damage to the remainder of the submarine is being assessed,” the statement said, adding that the incident will be investigated.
The statement did not specify the location of the incident, but two US Navy officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details not announced publicly, said it happened in the South China Sea while the Connecticut was conducting routine operations.
The officials said the sub then headed toward port at Guam.
They said the incident was not announced before Thursday to maintain operational security.
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The officials said it was not yet clear what object the sub had struck but that it was not another submarine.
One official said it could have been a sunken vessel, a sunken container or other uncharted object.
Two sailors aboard the Connecticut sustained moderate injuries and about nine others had minor injuries like scrapes and bruises, the officials said. All were treated aboard the sub.
A US Naval Institute News report said the last known incidence of a US submarine striking an underwater object took place in 2005, when the USS San Francisco struck an underwater mountain in a collision that killed one sailor aboard.
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The incident with the Connecticut comes just weeks after Australia, the UK and the US announced a new security arrangement. The so-called AUKUS pact also created a rift with France, which saw a US$66 billion deal to provide Australia conventional submarines voided in favour of a deal for American-made nuclear-powered ships.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended the deal as a “game changer” for Australian security in the face of China’s military assertiveness, saying it would add to Indo-Pacific stability.
● A witness on Thursday told an inquest in London into the mysterious sinking of a French trawler that rescuers saw a submarine in the area of the type used by the Dutch navy.
A High Court judge is examining the death of fishermen from the Bugaled Breizh fishing boat, based in Brittany, which sank swiftly in fair weather conditions off the coast of Cornwall in January 15, 2004.
Family members of the five crew who died hope the three-week investigation that started on Monday will confirm their belief that the trawler was dragged down by a submarine.
Nato and Royal Navy exercises were taking place in the area at the time.
Associated Press and Bloomberg
