Los Angeles: A nuclear-powered US Navy fast-attack submarine was damaged after it “struck an object” while submerged in the waters of the Indo-Pacific region on October 2, the US Navy said in a statement on Thursday.
The Seawolf-class submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) “remains in a safe and stable condition” and its “nuclear propulsion plant and spaces were not affected and remain fully operational,” the US Pacific Fleet said in the statement.
“The extent of damage to the remainder of the submarine is being assessed. The US Navy has not requested assistance. The incident will be investigated,” the statement added.
The statement also said “there are no life-threatening injuries” from the accident. A US defense official told US Naval Institute (USNI) News that about 11 sailors were hurt in the incident with moderate to minor injuries.
The US Pacific Fleet didn’t disclose where the collision occurred, just saying the submarine was “operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The ship has had to transit at the surface and is slated to arrive in Guam on Thursday, the Navy Times reported.
Connecticut is one of the three Seawolf-class subs of the US Navy, said USNI News, calling it one of the US Navy’s most capable and sensitive attack submarines.
