Damaged USS Connecticut Likely Had A "Nightmare Voyage" To San Diego Says Veteran Submariner (Updated)
Why the injured USS Connecticut's secretive Pacific crossing would have been an arduous one for its crew.
By Tyler Rogoway December 13, 2021
The War Zone
The U.S. Navy's damaged nuclear fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) made a secretive journey from Guam to San Diego over the last few weeks, with the submarine arriving unannounced in San Diego harbor on the morning of Dec. 12, 2021. The voyage was likely incredibly uncomfortable and fraught with danger. To give us a better idea of the risks involved and what this ordeal would have been like for Connecticut's crew, we talked to our friend and veteran submariner Aaron Amick who spent 20 years on submarines as a Sonarman and now runs the excellent website Sub Brief that covers all matters regarding submarines and naval warfare.
A little background first. The Seawolf class submarine, of which there are only three in existence, slammed into an underwater seamount on Oct. 2, 2021, in the South China Sea and subsequently limped its way to Guam where the damage was assessed. While the full extent of the damage is unknown, the boat's entire forward sonar dome was ripped off as a result of the impact. Connecticut will now need major repairs, likely spending years in dry dock, in order to return to sea, if indeed she is able to do so. Still, just getting her to a place where she can receive this level of attention was a major undertaking, with the stricken sub traveling over 6,000 miles in what would have been a marathon in endurance for her crew, the leadership of which was quickly replaced following the accident.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/43481/damaged-submarine-likely-had-a-nightmare-voyage-to-san-diego-says-veteran-submariner
