In the last three years, there have been two nuclear submarine incidents in the U.S. Navy. One of these accidents resulted in the deaths of fourteen sailors. Many people were also injured. The latest incident took place in the South China Sea last October. This incident occurs amid increased tensions within the region.
The USS Connecticut was carrying out a mission to the South China Sea on October 2, 2020. It struck an unidentified object at depth and speed, causing several injuries and the destruction or a section of its boat. The submarine was then sent to Guam by the U.S. Pacific Fleet for further assessment. A few days later, the U.S. Pacific Fleet released a statement on the incident.
To determine the cause of the accident, an investigation was done. A number of errors were identified in the report, including those related to risk management and navigation planning. A watch team is responsible for maintaining safe navigation and was not properly executed by the vessel's leader team.
Although the report blames the leadership of the submarine for the incident, there are many other areas. The sonar array is a navigation system that aids sailors in navigation, and the crew experienced a variety of issues with it. Several of the sailors reported that it had severely degraded.
Additionally, the investigation revealed that the Navy’s safety stand-down after the April 2021 crash was not intended to address the underlying causes. Instead, the Navy aimed to repair the damage.
The US Navy has begun to implement a series of reforms for undersea collision, which will help avoid future accidents. Some of the reforms include new technology to enable submarines to navigate through the ocean. Additional training is also being offered.
The United States Navy discovered that the watch team's leader trio failed to properly execute it as part of the command investigation. Quartermasters on the watch failed to perform their duties as well.
The Navy maintains that the incident was not life-threatening despite its severity. The submarine's nuclear reactor has not been damaged. It was discovered, however, that the forward ballast tanks of the submarine had been damaged.
The command investigation report does not provide meaningful details on the extent of the damage and the costs of the repairs. However, the report notes that the sub is returning to Washington state for repairs.
Following the incident the US Navy fired Lieutenant Commander Paul Sutherland, the captain of submarine, as well as two other senior US Navy officers. Currently, there are 13 corrective actions in progress. They include more training, and further improvements to the certification system.
Despite all the problems, the Connecticut Submarine will soon return from repairs to Bremerton, Washington. The submarine was grounded in international waterways on October 2. Its leadership is taking steps to improve its operations.
The US Navy has launched a comprehensive investigation into this accident. This report reveals a variety of errors in how the submarine was operated. These include a lack in navigation planning and unit-level errors when grounding. These issues were found below Navy standards.