The reason for the damage to the US Navy’s nuclear submarine could be a collision with an industrial underwater facility such as an oil drilling rig, the commander of the Baltic Fleet (2001-2006), Admiral-submariner Vladimir Valuev, told RIA Novosti.
On the eve of the media reported that the Seawolf-class nuclear attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) collided with an object while submerged, on the afternoon of October 2 in the international waters of the Indo-Pacific region, 11 crew members were injured.
“The cause of the collision, most likely, could be a recently erected or still being built oil drilling industrial installation, information about which has not yet been brought to the attention of the command of the American fleet,” Valuev said.
He emphasized that this submarine belongs to the class of the most modern nuclear submarines of the US Navy, therefore it seems unlikely that the boat’s navigation equipment failed and it collided with an underwater reef or rock.
“A collision with another submarine is permissible, but in this case, taking into account the injuries of the crew members, the two submarines had to emerge and inspect the damage. However, this did not happen. In addition, one can hardly imagine that such a modern submarine of the Seawolf class did not notice approaching another submarine”, – concluded the submariner admiral.