USS Connecticut arrives in San Diego with visible damage

US Navy Seawolf-class attack submarine USS Connecticut arrives in San Diego with visible damage to its bow after crashing into an underwater mountain in the South China Sea in October

• The fast-attack submarine was damaged after it struck an unmapped seamount while submerged in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region
•  On the day the USS Connecticut struck the underwater mountain there were soaring tensions with China after 39 warplanes breached Taiwanese airspace
•  But the 7th Fleet, which operates in the western Pacific, determined after an investigation that there had been no foul play in the incident
•  The vessel traveled across the Pacific Ocean to Southern California on its surface because it was not safe for it to be submerged following the crash
• Three people were fired following the collision ‘due to lack of confidence’
• It will be repaired at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Washington

A U.S. fast-attack, nuclear-powered submarine arrived in San Diego on Sunday with visible surface damage following a collision earlier this year in the South China Sea.

The USS Connecticut landed at the California coast with a blemished bow after it struck an unmapped seamount October 2 while submerged in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region.

There were no life-threatening injuries and the US Pacific fleet said at the time that the submarine remained in stable condition.

WarshipCam posted a photo on Twitter of the submarine returning to US soil.

The US Navel Institute (USNI) News reported that the vessel traveled across the Pacific Ocean on its surface because it was not safe for it to be submerged following the crash.  

The USS Connecticut landed at the California coast with a blemished bow after it struck an unmapped seamount October 2 while submerged in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region. It is pictured in a file photo

WarshipCam posted a photo on Twitter of the USS Connecticut submarine returning to US soil Sunday, more than two months after it was damaged in the South China Sea

USS Connecticut

The Connecticut is a Seawolf-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine.

It is the the fifth active United States Ship to be named for the U.S. state of Connecticut, going back to 1776. 

It was constructed by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation at Groton, Connecticut, and launched on September 1, 1997. 

Class and type: Seawolf-class submarine

Displacement: 7,568 tons light, 9,137 tons full, 1,569 tons dead

Length: 353 ft

Beam: 40 ft

Draft: 36 ft

Propulsion: 1 S6W pressurized water reactor (PWR) 57,000 shp (43 MW) 

Complement: 15 officers, 101 men 

‘The boat’s sonar dome became inoperable as a result of the collision, making it unsafe to travel underwater,’ the outlet said, adding the ballast tanks and forward section of the boat were also damaged.

It will be repaired at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Washington, the outlet reported.

It’s not clear why it entered the US through San Diego; the Navy did not respond to a DailyMail.com request for comment.

It also isn’t known how long it will take – or how much it will cost – to repair the vessel.

On the day the USS Connecticut struck the underwater mountain there were soaring tensions with China after 39 warplanes breached Taiwanese airspace.

A record 56 aircraft flew into the zone two days later in a 24-hour period.

But the 7th Fleet, which operates in the western Pacific, determined after an investigation that there had been no foul play in the incident, concluding in November that the Connecticut smashed into a mountain rising from the sea bed.

‘The investigation determined USS Connecticut grounded on an uncharted seamount while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region,’ a spokesman said.

The Navy remains on high alert in the South China Sea where Beijing continues to make threats to Taiwan and lays claim to other smaller disputed islands, valued for their strategic and historic significance. 

Taiwan’s president confirmed for the first time in late October that American troops were stationed on the island – just days after President Joe Biden publicly confirmed he would defend the nation from China should it come under attack.

The accident came amid rising tension in the region. Some 150 Chinese warplanes violated Taiwan’s ‘air defense zone’ at the weekend, including 52 which flew in the single-largest mission to date (pictured) triggering warnings of war

The Seawolf-class fast marine will be repaired at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Washington. It is pictured in a 2016 file photo

Three people were fired following the USS Connecticut crash ‘due to lack of confidence,’ the US 7th Fleet said in a November 4 statement. 

Fleet commander Vice Adm. Karl Thomas relieved Cameron Aljilani as commanding officer , Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Cashin as executive officer, and Master Chief Sonar Technician Cory Rodgers as chief of the boat.

‘Thomas determined sound judgement, prudent decision-making and adherence to required procedures in navigation planning, watch team execution and risk management could have prevented the incident,’ the statement said.

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