The Warzone column of the US "TheDrive" website published an article on October 22, revealing for the first time satellite photos of the "Connecticut" nuclear submarine after the impact. The U.S. Navy remains tight-lipped about what the nuclear submarine hit in the South China Sea and the damage it caused.
Satellite photo of the USS Connecticut docked at the docks of Guam
On October 2, 2021, the USS Connecticut (SSN-22), one of the U.S. Navy's Seawolf-class attack submarines, collided with an "underwater object." After determining that the situation was stable and the reactor was operating safely, the submarine limped back from the collision South China Sea to a U.S. Naval facility on Guam, where it assessed damage and investigated the accident. The U.S. Navy has been tight-lipped about the Connecticut impact, or has no idea what it hit. To date, no photos of the submarine have been made public, which is somewhat surprising, despite the large number of fake images on social media claiming to show the damaged condition.
Now, the Warzone column has satellite photos showing the Connecticut docked on a dock on Guam, the first public photo of the submarine since the impact.
There are currently two submarines docked at the Guam Pier, and the submarines in the photo above are judged to be the Los Angeles class
This high-resolution satellite photo was taken on October 20, 2021. It shows two nuclear submarines in the port of Guam. One of them, moored at the west side dock, near the SUBMARINE support vessel EMORY S.Land (AS-39), appears to be undergoing some repair work. White tarp-like objects on the bow are not uncommon for submarines calling in ports. Compared to another submarine moored directly on the east side of the harbor, its hull appears to be smaller and it appears to have no pump-jet propulsion system. These factors, along with its overall shape, suggest that this is likely to be an improved Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine. The Seawolf-class nuclear submarines have a 40-foot-wide hull, which is wider than two other U.S. attack submarines— the Los Angeles class 34 feet wide and the Virginia class 36 feet wide. In addition, the submarine is characterized by having pump-jet thrusters instead of propellers.
Satellite photographs of the Guam pier, judged to be "Los Angeles" in the lower left, and "Connecticut" in the upper right
In addition, the Warzone column confirmed with the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet that the Connecticut is indeed still in the guam port. With that in mind, the submarine on the East Pier is almost certainly it.
What's most interesting about this photo is that, although the resolution is limited, the Connecticut (or another submarine) does not appear to have suffered mass damage, nor does the submarine have any dedicated support facilities around the damaged. We did not see any indication of a major impact on the bridge or on the top of the bow and on the sonar dome. Based on the limited information provided by satellite photos, collisions seem more likely to occur below the submarine's waterline, such as the bottom of a hull. This may rule out the possibility of a head-on collision or collision from above, with the bridge colliding from above bearing the brunt of the impact.
Historical photograph of the Connecticut sailing on the surface
Again, these are based on superficial observations that currently have very little information. Minor damage to the superstructure is not visible in the photo. In any case, the good news is that the entire front of the submarine has not been shattered as we have seen in past underwater collisions.
As for the U.S. Navy's response to the disaster, Cindy Fields, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet Submarine Force, told Warz: "The U.S. Naval Marine Systems Command (NAVSEA) is the unit responsible for assessing damage to submarines. NAVSEA sent an assessment team to coordinate damage assessments and develop repair recommendations, which were submitted to the Submarine Force, the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and THE NAVSEA for approval. The PugetSound Naval Shipyard was designated as an agency for evaluation and follow-up repairs. ”
Meanwhile, exactly what the submarine hit remains a mystery. China even demanded that the United States respond to the situation around the incident, bluntly saying that the U.S. Navy's response to the incident was to cover up the facts, which the Pentagon denied.
On October 11, 2021, the Seawolf was also seen sailing from its base in Washington State toward the sea. It was suggested that it would replace the Connecticut in its indo-Pacific mission.
The U.S. Navy only has three Seawolf-class nuclear submarines, so repairing the Connecticut as soon as possible will be a major move. Hopefully, we'll hear soon from the U.S. Navy about the extent and cause of the damage.
【Original title】The first satellite photo after the impact of the Connecticut nuclear submarine was disclosed!
Column Editor-in-Chief: Zhang Wu Text Editor: Song Hui Title Image Source: Visual China (Infographic) Photo Editor: Cao Liyuan
Source: Author: Global Times