Two nuclear submarine accidents have occurred in the U.S. Navy over the past three-years, one of which resulted in 14 deaths. It also caused many injuries. This latest incident occurred in the South China Sea in October. This accident comes amid heightened tensions in the region.
USS Connecticut was conducting a South China Sea mission on October 2, 2021. It struck an unidentified object at depth and speed, causing several injuries and the destruction or a section of its boat. The submarine was immediately sent to Guam for evaluation. A few days later the U.S. Pacific Fleet released a statement about 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 vessel's captain failed to properly lead a watch crew, which is responsible in maintaining safe navigation.
Although the report lays blame on the leadership of the submarine, there are many other areas of blame. The crew had issues with the sonar antenna, which helps them navigate. A number of sailors complained that the system had become 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 was focused on fixing the damage.
The US Navy is in the midst of implementing a series of undersea collision reforms, which will help prevent future accidents. The reforms include the development and deployment of new technology that will allow submarines to navigate the ocean. Additional training is also available.
The United States Navy conducted a command investigation and found that the vessel's captain failed to effectively manage a watch team. Quartermasters on the watch failed to perform their duties as well.
The Navy states that it is unaware of any life-threatening injuries, despite the severity of this accident. There are no reports of any damage to the submarine’s nuclear power plant. However, it has been discovered that the forward ballast tanks on the submarine were damaged.
The command investigation report does not provide meaningful details on the extent of the damage and the costs of the repairs. However, it does note that the submarine is heading back 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 these issues, the Connecticut submarine will soon be returning to Bremerton in Washington for repairs. The submarine was stranded in international waters October 2, and the leadership of the vessel is working to improve its operation.
The US Navy has conducted a wide-ranging investigation into the accident. The report has uncovered a number of errors in the way the submarine was operated, including a lack of proper navigation planning and unit-level errors in grounding. These issues were found below Navy standards.