[Epoch Times November 02, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Xia Yu comprehensive report) The US Naval Association News Network (USNI News) learned on Monday (November 1) that investigators have completed their work and determined the Navy Seawolf class The submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) collided with an unknown seamount in the South China Sea.
The U.S. Navy confirmed on October 7 that a U.S. fast-attack nuclear-powered submarine collided with an object on October 2 when it dived into international waters in the Indo-Pacific region. Reuters quoted several US officials as saying that the incident occurred in the international waters of the South China Sea.
On Monday, a source in the legislature and two defense officials familiar with the findings told USNI News that the command’s investigation into the incident was completed last week and has now been submitted to the US 7th Fleet Commander Karl Thomas (Karl Thomas). ) Will conduct a review to determine whether any additional accountability actions will be taken for the incident.
Seamounts are submarine mountains that rise from the depths of the ocean. Whether they pose a risk to surface ships depends on the distance between the peak of the mountain and the surface of the water.
On Monday afternoon, a spokesperson for the US Pacific Fleet forwarded the inquiry from USNI News to the US 7th Fleet in Japan. A spokesperson for the US 7th Fleet did not immediately respond.
USNI News learned that the ballast tank at the front of the submarine was damaged, prompting the Connecticut to surface and it took a week to return to Guam from the South China Sea. The Navy has repeatedly stated that the submarine’s nuclear reactor and propulsion system were not damaged.
The submarine is currently undergoing preliminary repairs in Guam. The Navy needs to determine how to repair the submarine enough to safely leave the switch island for subsequent repairs.
As of last Wednesday, the U.S. Navy was still not sure what the submarine collided with; however, defense officials told USNI News at the time that early signs indicated that the Connecticut had collided with seamounts.
The United States and China often wrestle on the South China Sea issue. After the submarine collision incident, Chinese officials accused the United States of covering up the truth, calling it “cunning” and “irresponsible.”
The U.S. military denies the CCP’s accusations. After the CCP’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson made the first accusation, John Kirby, the Pentagon’s press secretary, said: “When you issue a press release, it’s a strange way to cover up things.”
In early October, Carl Schuster, a former U.S. Navy captain and former director of operations at the Joint Intelligence Center of the U.S. Pacific Command, told CNN that the South China Sea is an area with a very poor acoustic environment.
“The environmental noise and inconsistent water conditions generated by the ocean currents passing between the islands affect the acoustic reception.” He said, it is also possible that something from underwater is causing the problem.
“The water environment and the seabed are in a slow but unstoppable state of change. This is an area where the bottom contour map needs to be drawn constantly. You may hit an unknown seamount there.”
“Connecticut” is one of the three “Seawolf-class” submarines in the Navy fleet, valued at approximately US$3 billion. The 9,300-ton, 353-foot-long submarine entered service in 1998 and is powered by a nuclear reactor with 140 sailors on board.
The Seawolf-class attack nuclear submarine was developed for deep-water operations and can fight Soviet submarines on the high seas. Since the end of the Cold War, three submarines have been upgraded and modified to perform some of the navy’s most sensitive missions.
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei#
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