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. The incident occurred last October in the South China Sea. This accident occurred amid tensions high in the region.
On October 2, 2021, USS Connecticut was conducting a mission in the South China Sea. It crashed into an unidentified object while it was at depth and speed. This caused several injuries and resulted in the loss of a part of the 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.
A thorough investigation was carried out to determine the reason for the crash. According to the report, there were many mistakes made including in navigation planning and risk management. The vessel's leadership team failed in their responsibility to properly implement a watch group, which is responsible of maintaining safe navigation.
Although the report lays blame on the leadership of the submarine, there are many other areas of blame. The sonar array is a navigation system that aids sailors in navigation, and the crew experienced a variety of issues with it. Numerous sailors claimed that it had significantly 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 focused on repairing the damage.
The US Navy is currently implementing several undersea collision reforms that will help to prevent 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 conducted a command investigation and found that the vessel's captain failed to effectively manage a watch team. The quartermasters of the watch also failed to adequately perform their duties.
The Navy said that, despite the extent of the accident it doesn't know of any life-threatening injuries. A report has not yet been made about damage to the submarine's nuclear plant. The forward ballast tanks were however damaged.
The command investigation does not include any meaningful information on the extent and cost of the damage. However, the report notes that the sub is returning to Washington state for repairs.
After the incident, the US Navy fired Lieutenant-Commander Paul Sutherland (captain of the submarine) and two other senior officers. Currently there are 13 corrective action in progress. They include more training, and further improvements to the certification system.
Despite the aforementioned issues, the Connecticut submarine will soon return to Bremerton, Washington for repairs. 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. A number of mistakes were found in the operation of the submarine, including poor navigation planning and errors at the unit level in grounding. These issues were found not to meet Navy standards.