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

[zeusfaber]

A redacted version of the investigation report has been released. Inevitably, a lot is blacked out, but there's enough left to get an idea of what happened and of why the investigators thought Command and the bridge team should have done better.

Note para 292: "The bow dome detached during the transit" - guess that means "the front fell off".

A.

 

[btrueblood]

It's ok though, they were outside the environment.

 

[electricpete]

14. (U) On 2 October 2021, CONNECTICUT grounded on an uncharted bathymetric feature while operating submerged in a poorly surveyed area in international waters. This mishap was preventable. It resulted from an accumulation of errors and omissions in navigation planning, watchteam execution, and risk management that fell far below U.S. Navy standards. Prudent decision-making and adherence to required procedures in any of these three areas could have prevented the grounding...

So he's chalking it all up to human error (throw the crew under the sea bus)

Later in the report they talk about a broken forward bottom sounder which sounds like it could render them partially blind, but the author doesn't think that was a cause.

I think it's probably reasonable that subs should be able to see and avoid large slowm moving objects like containers etc in their path.... unless it is something specially crafted by an enemy to be invisible to sonar! (I can weave conspiracies with the best of 'em)


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(2B)+(2B)' ?

 

[moon161]

My understanding was that the crew could have acted differently knowing that they were lacked map and instrument information about the surroundings. Sort of like not slowing down when you're driving at night and one headlight and then the other goes out.

 

[electricpete]

moon - I agree completely.

I think it's probably reasonable that subs should be able to see and avoid large slowm moving objects like containers etc in their path....

Just to clarify, I meant that is a reasonable requirement for the sub with all its systems. NOT that it was necessarily a crew human error to miss those objects.

I'm not qualified to directly dispute anything he said. But my gut reaction is always to be skeptical of any investigation which blames everything on human error of the people on-scene. It very conveniently relieves the investigator of the need to take any meaningful corrective actions beyond disciplining those involved and training maybe a wider audience.

I tend to suspect that the things which challenged the crew (like that broken bottom forward sounder) deserve more attention. I didn’t read about lack of suitable map but that would fall in the same category. Especially in peace time, what’s such an important mission that you have to do it without having these types of things resolved (rhetorical question was just for effect, no doubt there is a lot of importance to the missions carried out during peacetime beyond just "deterent" that I'm not aware of).


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(2B)+(2B)' ?

 

[moon161]

I listened to the sub brief podcast on it rather than go through the report. Podcasts seem to limit my pursuit of other distractions when I'm working.

IDK what his source for information not in the report was, not sure he mentioned it. <edit> he said he was only discussing things found in the report </edit>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPr7Yrwgly4

 

[spsalso]

That Youtube thing was VERY good!


spsalso

 

[Compositepro]

Yes, well worth the the time to watch.

 

[electricpete]

Podcasts seem to limit my pursuit of other distractions when I'm working.

You should try mindfulness. Maybe something in the Buddhist tradition.

Juuuust kidding! I was remembering our previous conversation that you are well versed in those areas.

I'm convinced mindfulness is a way to break away from distraction by technology though. Now if I can only put that into action...

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(2B)+(2B)' ?

 

[moon161]

XD