Tokyo, 8 October, /AJMEDIA/
A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine collided with an unidentified object while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region last weekend, the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet said Thursday, while reporting no life-threatening injuries.
The Connecticut struck an object while submerged Saturday afternoon, but the fast-attack submarine remains in a “safe and stable condition,” according to the press release. CNN said the incident took place in the South China Sea and a number of sailors on board were injured.
While the submarine’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 Pacific Fleet said.
The announcement came as tensions have been growing between Washington and Beijing over the Chinese military’s increasingly frequent incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.
The United States, Japan and other U.S. allies also engaged in military exercises over the past weekend in waters southwest of Okinawa, which involved three U.S. and British aircraft carriers as well as Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers and other ships, according to the MSDF.
