USS Connecticut’s Bittersweet Homecoming
USS Connecticut (SSN-22)
The Seawolf-class nuclear attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) suffered an underwater collision while operating in the South China Sea, on 2 Oct, and has finally returned to it’s home port in Bremerton, WA.
No loss of life, fortunately, but not bloodless. 11 injured and a bent nuke boat. After an incident review, the Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, and Chief of the Boat were fired.
David sends, apologies for the delay.
USS Connecticut, damaged in crash with underwater mountain, arrives in Bremerton
Josh Farley, Kitsap Sun
BREMERTON — A dome-less USS Connecticut sailed into its homeport of Bremerton on Tuesday, the end of a 7,000-mile mission to bring the submarine home following a harrowing collision with an underwater mountain.
The elite sub, one in a three-boat class that’s the most advanced the Navy has ever built, pulled into Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton for what’s expected to be a lengthy period of repairs at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
The Connecticut struck an uncharted seamount in the disputed waters of the South China Sea on Oct. 2. Eleven sailors suffered injuries in the crash, and two sustained what the Navy described as “moderate” injuries beyond cuts and scrapes. Both crew members were treated and didn’t require hospitalization.
The Navy, with the help of personnel from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, made repairs in Guam prior to the boat’s arduous crossing on the surface of the Pacific to get back home. The Navy confirmed the boat’s nuclear reactor and propulsion plant were not damaged in the collision.
Kitsap Sun
Welcome home, bubbleheads. That patrol is in your wake.
Thanks David.
Category: China, Guest Link, Navy
Kinda like its namesake, but instead the state steps on rakes known.
I’m presuming it was done surfaced, couldn’t imagine crossing the vast ocean bobbing and heaving…
Some R&R for her crew is more than called for!
As I recall they had to surface transient from the incident location to Guam, slap on repairs, and cross the Pacific surfaced to San Francisco. Wayyyy fun on a round hull.
I had to research it, of course, and found this gem:
CDR Fields is Going Far in her career.
But were they wearing their masks…..
Scary when things go bump in the night. Glad the boat and crew are OK. At least USS CT is not as big a wreck or “sinking ship” as Her Namesake.
Could not have happened, if all crew were wearing their reflective belts…
The USS Annapolis is back in service ahead of sked:
https://bangordailynews.com/2021/12/22/news/york/maine-shipyard-delivers-sub-to-navy-fleet-ahead-of-schedule/
Austin, Milley, and McKenzie get to keep their jobs though. Accountability? Well, it depends on who you are, and if you like sucking dicks. I guess they must be part of ‘The Club’ Carlin once talked about.
Shit is generally produced much further uphill from where it settles. I’m sure there are aspects of this crap that I’m neither privy to nor understand, but the scapegoat is the only goat I know of that doesn’t create his own shit.
At first blush, that’s how I feel about how that boat’s command team is being treated.
I had some thoughts on that, and why the Navigation Team, the OOD/JOOD, NAV, and the Quartermaster were not found responsible as well, at least that I’ve seen.
This is a command purge.
Perhaps they should stock up for the next deployment…
Was this underwater mountain not previously charted? I would think anything permanent would have already been mapped out years ago.
It’s almost as if they gave someone from a completely different background the chance to drive the boat while while they wandered off to do whatever you do on subs.
Ol’ Poe has been wondering about that ever sice the collision occurred. Satellites have been mapping the ocean floor for many years so how the hell do they miss an entire mountain, especially one in an area patrolled by our subs?
Something doesn’t add up here and the relief of the three command figures supports that belief.
“ever since” of course…OFD strikes again.
“struck an uncharted sea mount”
Sounds like whoever is in charge of charting those things should be relieved.
“Captain, you should’ve known that that uncharted object was there.”
“Sorry sir, I guess I was out the day they taught psychic navigation at sub school”
I finally had a moment to find this guy, Sub Brief on youtube. I’m subbed to his channel (get it!) and as an amateur ‘sub-curious’ guy his videos are freakin great: