A U.S. nuclear submarine hit an object in the South China Sea last Saturday, CNN reported, citing two defense officials.
A Navy official confirmed to The Hill that multiple people were injured and characterized the injuries as bumps and scrapes. The Navy declined to confirm the location of the incident, but in a statement said the incident occurred in “international waters in the Indo-Pacific region.”
“The Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) struck an object while submerged on the afternoon of Oct. 2,” the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement on Thursday. “The safety of the crew remains the Navy’s top priority. There are no life threatening injuries.”
More from published reports..
There are also no indications that the mishap was hostile or that the sub collided with another vessel, according to the official, who cautioned that information on the incident is preliminary at this point.
While two crew members suffered moderate injuries, no one required evacuation from the boat, according to the official, who declined to provide a total number of sailors injured but described those injuries as “bumps, bruises and lacerations.”