US nuclear submarine collided with unknown object in South China Sea

A US Army nuclear submarine collided with an unknown object in the waters of the South China Sea on October 2.. The crash left several US sailors injured, sources reported in Washington.

The submarine crash USS Connecticut (SSN-22), of the class sea ​​bass, occurred while navigating in this body of water which includes an area of ​​approximately 3,500,000 km² and share the geographic space with Indonesia and Malaysia at the strait of Taiwan, the islands of Borneo and the archipelago of Philippines.

“The Seawolf-class fast attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) struck an object while submerged on the afternoon of October 2, while operating in the region’s international waters indo-pacific.. Crew safety remains the Navy’s top priority. There are no fatal injuries, ”Captain Bill Clinton told the site. USNI News.

“The submarine remains in safe and stable conditions. The nuclear power plant and spaces of the USS Connecticut have not been affected and remain fully operational. The extent of the damage to the rest of the submarine is being assessed. The US Navy did not request assistance. The incident will be investigatedHe added.

The US Navy source reported that at least 11 sailors were injured after the crash, all with minor injuries. The submarine is now heading for Guam, an island in the United States located in Micronesia., in the Western Pacific.

The last similar case and before this recent incident occurred in 2005 when he USS San Francois (SSN -711), which was sailing at high speed, collided with a submarine mountain near the island of Guam. On this occasion a sailor died.

As reported USNI News, Connecticut is one of three class submarines sea ​​bass, which was designed and built at the end of the Cold War in order to hunt down soviet submarines in the deep blue waters of the ocean peaceful. This ship, along with the USS Sea Wolf (SSN-21) and USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), is part of the the most sophisticated and largest in the United States military.

High voltage zone

The South China Sea is an area that keeps Washington and Beijing in tension, as the giant shows every time less repairs by revealing its intention to seize almost all of this geographical space, a strategic sea route where precious oil and gas deposits are believed to be present, and which is also claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Japan and Vietnam. An international tribunal ruled in 2016 that the Chinese claim it has no legal basis.

For years, China has had a territorial dispute with Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines over several islands in the South China Sea.. Significant oil reserves have been discovered on the continental shelf of these islands, particularly in Xisha (Paracel Islands), Nansha (Spratly Islands) and Huangyan (Scarborough Reef) Islands.

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