As the three-billion USS Connecticut submarine was making her way through unknown waters in October
of 2021, the crew wasn’t aware that the sonar was malfunctioning, and they were very relaxed.
By the time an unidentified object was picked up by the sophisticated sensors of the US Navy
submarine, it was already too late to react. The colossal submarine hit the seafloor and
its entire hull shaked with violence. Then, a brutal and empty cracking noise
was heard. The submarine had just lost its nose, and it was quickly sinking…
Seawolf-class
Submarines The Seawolf class comprises nuclear-powered,
fast attack submarines that were designed to replace the aging Los Angeles-class submarines.
Their design and development began in the early 1980s, before the end of the Cold War.
The Seawolf design responded to Soviet ballistic missiles and attack submarines of the Typhoon and
Akula classes, and is quieter, faster, and more significant than the Los Angeles-class submarine.
The Seawolf-class submarines have a length of 353 feet, a beam of 40 feet,
and a surfaced displacement of 8,600 tons. Fully submerged, they can display between
9,000 and 12,000 pounds depending on the load. The model also multiplies the number of torpedo
tubes and weaponry she can carry and is armed with eight 26.5-inch torpedo tubes for 21-inch weapons.
In addition, up to 50 weapons can be stored in the torpedo room. Harpoon anti-ship missiles,
Tomahawk land attack missiles, or MK48 guided torpedoes are some of them.
General Dynamics Electric Boat was initially tasked with developing a fleet of over
30 submarines in ten years. Still, budget constraints quickly reduced it to just 12.
Each submarine was valued at over three billion dollars during the 1980s. Today’s equivalent would
be about five billion. When the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union was finally dissolved,
the Seawolf submarines were limited even further to just three boats: USS Seawolf,
USS Jimmy Carter, and USS Connecticut. USS Jimmy Carter became the most expensive US Navy
vessel until then, coming at about 3.5 billion. And with good reason. The submarine was 100
feet longer than her sisters due to the insertion of a Multi-Mission Platform,
a section used for launching remotely operated underwater vehicles and Navy SEALs.
USS Connecticut
USS Connecticut was the second Seawolf-class submarine. She was ordered in May of 1991 and
laid down in September of 1992. Moreover, she is one of five US Navy vessels to bear
the name of the American state. The Seawolf-class submarine was
launched on September 1, 1997, by the Governor of Connecticut, John G. Rowland, and his wife.
She was then commissioned in early December of 1998 under the motto “Arsenal of the Nation.”
USS Connecticut displaces over 9,130 pounds while fully loaded, and is 353 feet long, has a 40-foot
beam and a 36-foot draft. She is powered by an S6W PWR nuclear reactor that generates over
45,000 horsepower to one shaft, one pump jet propulsor, and one propulsion submerged motor.
The nuclear-powered submarine has unlimited range and can make her
way through the ocean at 35 knots while submerged.
Her armament comprised eight 26-inch torpedo tubes with a capacity for holding 40 torpedoes,
missiles, or 100 naval mines to engage underwater and on-water threats.
All in all, USS Connecticut has a conventional submarine design with a rounded nose section,
a rounded hull form, and a cruciform rudder arrangement.
And her peculiar sail is fitted forward of midships with its unique sloped area.
Surfacing the Arctic
The submarine had her shakedown cruise and standard patrols before the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
But when the War on Terror began, she and her crew of 101 men and 15 officers were called to help.
Connecticut then became part of the Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group and eventually
returned to the Naval Submarine Base New London for maintenance.
In April of 2003, the submarine had a unique encounter with a polar bear when she surfaced
in the Arctic at the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station.
Footage and pictures from the encounter show the
mammal engaging the submarine’s rudder with curious gnaws.
Four years later, Connecticut was transferred to Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, Washington, where she
was stationed with her two sister submarines as part of Submarine Development Squadron Five. The
transfer followed a Navy strategy to bolster the American submarine force in the Pacific.
USS Connecticut would then participate in the massive
2011 ICEX naval exercises focused on Arctic environment training.
She eventually underwent several modifications that lasted six years
and then surfaced to participate in ICEX 2018. The vessel was deployed to the Pacific
for standard patrols following the exercise. Later that year, the three-billion submarine
underwent maintenance and significant upgrades that cost over 17 million.
Crashing Into A Mountain
In the fall of 2021, USS Connecticut was deployed to the Pacific for standard patrols.
A few weeks into the mission, disaster struck as the submarine collided with a
seamount while making her way through the South China Sea.
Many sailors were injured, and the collision caused extensive damage.
Following the crash, the Seawolf-class submarine made way for Guam for damage
assessment from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
Teams from the Intermediate Maintenance Facility and the crew of the submarine
tender USS Emory S. Land also inspected the damage sustained by USS Connecticut.
After her stop in Guam, the nuclear attack submarine arrived in San Diego after a long
month of surface transit. Following a brief stay at the Californian city,
the Navy explained that the submarine was bound for Bremerton, Washington, to undergo
extensive repairs following the strange collision. However, pictures of the incident’s aftermath told
a larger story. USNI News reported that, according to the official US Navy version,
only the sonar dome had suffered extensive damage, making travel underwater unsafe.
The news network mentioned that: (QUOTE) “The tip of the submarine’s bow had been removed.”
Still, the pictures showed that more than just the tip was removed…
Redacted Report
As the Navy launched an official investigation to determine the cause of the accident,
the US Pacific fleet issued a statement that read: (QUOTE) “The Seawolf-class
fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut struck an object while submerged on the
afternoon of Oct. 2, [...] The submarine remains in a safe and stable condition.
USS Connecticut’s nuclear propulsion plant and spaces were not affected and remain
fully operational, the extent of damage to the remainder of the submarine is being assessed.
The US Navy has not requested assistance. The incident will be investigated.”
Meanwhile, USS Connecticut’s commander, executive officer, and boat chief were
relieved from command. In a press statement, Vice Admiral William Houston said: (QUOTE) “We
have very rigorous navigation safety procedures, and they fell short of what our standard was.”
In May of 2022, a redacted report about the accident was released.
The report stated that the submarine was conducting a humanitarian evacuation
in international waters at the time of the accident. However,
other sources claimed that it was carrying out a classified operation in the South China Sea.
Whichever the case, the Navy noted that there were command climate issues before the
collision incident and a tense relationship between the commander's staff and the crew.
The report mentioned that Commander Cameron Aljilani was not up to the demands of his
post since he assumed command of the submarine in 2019 and had failed to live up to expectations,
leading to the incident that could have proven catastrophic…
A Chain Of Mistakes The optimal path between Connecticut’s initial
location in the Pacific included areas with available and unavailable underwater survey data.
Still, Commander Aljilani believed she would be fully functional by using the
submarine’s Voyage Management System or VMS. He then opted for a temporary route plan and
skipped safety checks, one of which was consulting the VMS.
Additionally, the redactions made it clear that the submarine began to
experience some technical difficulties with her AN/BQQ10 bottom sounders sonar systems.
One of the footnotes said: (QUOTE) “The ship reported that although the aft bottom
sounder was fully operational, its operation degraded at speeds above 16 knots. The Navy…
indicates that at a speed of 24 knots, the bottom sounder transducers should
operate normally up to 8,400 feet beneath the keel before experiencing degradation.”
For unknown reasons, the submarine’s cruising speed was increased from 16 to 24 knots during
the trip. The report noted that there were discrepancies between the information from the
navigation charts and the sounding data collected. Apparently, the watch team debated using the
boat’s fathometer to gather a more accurate reading. Still, they refrained from using it
to avoid detection. The unredacted entry stated that the last underwater grounding said: (QUOTE)
“The Sonar Supervisor identified a trace near the bow. The trace was classified as biologics, a sea
creature, or other underwater fauna. The Sonar Supervisor stated there were no other contacts.”
Before the collision, the crew failed to change the submarine's depth and slow the
speed of the ascent. Once the damage was done, the crew struggled to keep
the ship moving forward but managed to keep her steady and prevent her from sinking back down.
The report concluded that: (QUOTE) “No single action or inaction caused this mishap, but it
was preventable. It resulted from an accumulation of errors and omissions in navigation planning,
watchteam execution, and risk management. Prudent decision-making and adherence to
standards in any one of these three areas could have prevented the grounding.”
The US Congress later authorized 50 million dollars in repair funds, of which 10 million
were for a spare Seawolf-class bow dome and 40 million for USS Connecticut emergent repairs.
Ultimately, the Navy is fully committed to returning her to its fleet.
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