A US Navy submarine collided with an underwater mountain in the South China Sea back in October
This accident happened on October 2. This caused the nuclear submarine to surface and return to a port in Guam for inspection and repairs. It is said that the submarine was in international waters when the incident happened.
The mountains that are underwater are called seamounts. They appear after an underwater volcanic development and most of them are uncharted. According to NPR, it is said that there are more than 100,000 seamounts that have a height of more than one kilometer above the ocean floor.
“The investigation determined that [USS Connecticut] grounded on an uncharted seamount while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region,” a Navy statement said. “Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet will determine whether follow-on actions — including accountability — are appropriate.”
Other useful information like the depth of the vehicle at the time of the collision or the damage caused to the submarine is yet to be disclosed.
Defense Department officials have stated that the nuclear section of the vehicle is not damaged. “The extent of damage to the remainder of the submarine is being assessed,” the office of the 7th Fleet said in a statement to NPR about a week after the collision was first reported.
The same incident happened in 2005 when the USS San Fransisco hit a seamount at full speed near Guam.
The collision threw some crewmembers 20 feet upon the accident that led to around 137 injured sailors. One death was reported as well.
