The attack sub USS Connecticut, involved in an underwater collision in the South China Sea... 20

[JohnRBaker]

Not yet sure what the precise cause was, but it appears to have been serious as there were injures and the sub's hull shows damage from what appears to have been a collision with something hard. That part of the South China Sea is known for it's treacherous bottom features and outcroppings of rocks and since submarines of this type seldom use active sonar, so as to remain undetected, it's often difficult to spot these hazards.

Attack Submarine USS Connecticut Suffers Underwater Collision in South China Sea

https://news.usni.org/2021/10/07/br...uss-connecticut-suffers-underwater-in-pacific

An excerpt from the above item:

Almost a dozen sailors have been injured after a U.S. nuclear attack submarine hit an unknown underwater object in the South China Sea, USNI News has learned.

The Seawolf-class nuclear attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) suffered an underwater collision while operating in international waters on Oct. 2 and is returning to port in U.S. 7th Fleet, a U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman confirmed to USNI News on Thursday.

“The Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) struck an object while submerged on the afternoon of Oct. 2, while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region. The safety of the crew remains the Navy’s top priority. There are no life-threatening injuries,” Capt. Bill Clinton told USNI News. “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 U.S. Navy has not requested assistance. The incident will be investigated.”

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-'Product Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[WKTaylor]

The mishap investigation should be able to get a definitive picture of the type of object struck... shape, size, orientation, density/mass, type of material, etc. Also, passive oceanic 'listening devices'... such as the sub's own acoustic listening devices and the SOSUS system... should be able to pin-point the collision, the object 'X' and offer added/relevant data regarding the aftermath.

Taking a pure WAG... Unless this damage was caused by a passive stealth military device... it simply might have hit a 'relatively small' neutrally buoyant, hard to detect, steel cargo container... or similar oceanic debris... drifting slowly to the seabed.

Random collisions have happened between satellites and/or orbital junk... and the probabilities of orbital collisions are getting worse by each launch. IT HAPPENS.

An old friend once said... when it came to falling debris from an airplane... "No sweat: big sky, little me". Problem is that the laws of averages only get worse as the sea, air and space get more crowded.

Regards, Wil Taylor
o Trust - But Verify!
o We believe to be true what we prefer to be true. [Unknown]
o For those who believe, no proof is required; for those who cannot believe, no proof is possible. [variation,Stuart Chase]
o Unfortunately, in science what You 'believe' is irrelevant. ["Orion", Homebuiltairplanes.com forum]

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

I suspect its more likely to be the ongoing issues with that fleet with training and leadership which have cost the US taxpayer a rather a lot of money over the last few years

Close second though is a shipping container floating about..

Third is a uncharted sea mount.

 

[waross]

They have probably made enough noise by now that they may turn on the sonar, unnoticed.

--------------------
Ohm's law
Not just a good idea;
It's the LAW!

 

[JohnRBaker]

From the reports, they're already at the Naval base in Guam.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-'Product Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[JohnRBaker]

With respect to the notion that it could have been a collision with a lost shipping container, this is becoming a very big problem:

Huge Spike In Shipping Containers Lost At Sea

https://gcaptain.com/shipping-containers-lost-at-sea/

While this is an older item, it still talks about the problem and cites several incidents where they suspect that there have been collisions with partially submerged containers. There's also a quote in there about the estimate that over 10,000 containers a year are lost at sea:

Could a floating shipping container sink your yacht? How real is the danger?

https://www.yachtingworld.com/news/...the-danger-to-sailors-real-or-imagined-107508

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-'Product Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[JohnRBaker]

Turns out that this is NOT the first time that the USS Connecticut has encountered an unexpected 'obstacle':

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-'Product Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[TugboatEng]

A lost container would certainly be my first thought in an incident like this. The only thing about containers is that they either float or they sink so there is a very small window of time to hit one between those two states. They're a problem for surface vessels because they can float with only an inch above the surface. Otherwise, I don't think subs are skimming 8 ft from the bottom with any speed.

 

[LionelHutz]

I'm finding it extremely hard to believe that a Seawolf class sub that weighs something like 9,000 tons could hit a 40 ton container and have the impact cause a dozen or so crew injuries.

 

[TugboatEng]

I don't think a 40 ton container could be buoyant under any conditions.

However, it doesn't take a whole lot of upset to cause injury. Any sudden changes in speed/direction can knock people over and cause injury.

 

[dik]

I understand the terrain is pretty rough in that area...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[JohnRBaker]

And if that 'Seawolf' class sub was running anywhere near its 'reported top speed', which is 35 knots (40 mph), any sudden change in speed or direction could very well cause crew members to fall and injure themselves. BTW, that's why the three 'Seawolf' class subs are NOT being replaced by the newer 'Virginia' class subs (19 of which have already been placed into service with another 19 currently under construction or planned) because not only is the 'Seawolf' class sub the fastest in the US 'fast attack submarine' fleet, they can also dive much deeper, nearly twice the test depth of the the 'Virginia' or the 'Los Angeles' classes. Note that it's the 'Los Angeles' class subs (28 of which are still in service with 31 having already been decommissioned) which the 'Virginia' class is actually replacing. The reason that only three 'Seawolf' class subs were ever built is because they were so expensive. It was decided that while it was nice to have a sub that could dive to a depth of over 1,600 feet, whereas the test depth for the rest of the fleet was around 850 feet, the extra cost couldn't be justified, but the Navy is going to keep them around because it's still nice to have at least a few subs that can operate at that depth, if need be. And it's top speed, being around five knots faster than the other so-called 'fast' boats, might come in handy as well.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-'Product Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[TugboatEng]

Subs don't have to deal with that wake generating water air interface. They're supposedly the fastest ships in the fleet.

 

[spsalso]

I don't think a 40 ton container could be buoyant under any conditions.

Shipping containers should not be weighing 40 tons. Perhaps the reference should be "40 foot".

A standard 40' shipping container displaces 78 tons. It's empty weight is 4 tons. Maximum loaded is 30 tons.

There are also 20' containers, which would of course displace 39 tons. Empty weight is 2 tons. Maximum loaded is 30 tons.

So they HAVE to float.

How well and how long is another question.

IF a 40' container weighed 40 tons, it would float. IF a 20' container weighed 40 tons, it would sink.



spsalso

 

[FacEngrPE]

The 40 foot container interior, m³ 67.7 (total displacement of 78 tons is possible.
Density of water at 4C = 1000 kg/m³
Weight of water in a flooded container = 67700 kg

Not counting whatever is in the container.

If the container is flooded the inertia of the water in the container counts.

 

[waross]

I'm finding it extremely hard to believe that a Seawolf class sub that weighs something like 9,000 tons could hit a 40 ton container and have the impact cause a dozen or so crew injuries.

My thought also, Lionel.

--------------------
Ohm's law
Not just a good idea;
It's the LAW!

 

[waross]

I can't help it.
A polar bear approached and licked the rudder...
It took a licking and kept on ticking.
Sorry.

--------------------
Ohm's law
Not just a good idea;
It's the LAW!

 

[spsalso]

Yes. A flooded ISO container will not float.

spsalso

 

[MechinNC]

12 crew hurt, that means a hard hit. A container hit would be bad and trash the sonar dome, but not injure 12 crew. Me thinks hit something on the bottom. It happens. Not everything out there is charted. And they don't run active sonar all the time, so kinda flying blind. Running active sonar broadcasts your location and identity.

 

[Comcokid]

There hasn't been a published incident like this since the Los Angeles class USS San Francisco hit a badly charted seamount in 2005. 98 injuries and one death. It took 2-1/2 days to reach Guam at reduced speed.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/r...avy-submarine-hits-underwater-mountain-166703

It was in Guam for weeks to patch-up well enough to return to the US.

I say "published incident" as there were many collisions between US and Russian submarines that were only disclosed years later. This incident involves a Seawolf-class submarine that 2x the maximum depth and move 5 knots faster than any other US sub. So it has a much stronger hull. We don't know exactly where it was operating but it seems to have reached Guam fairly quickly. It may be a part of the large 6-country/4-carrier fleet exercise operating in the Philippine Sea between Guam and Taiwan right now.