US nuclear submarine crashes into 'object' in Asia-Pacific

The incident did not cause any life-threatening injuries and the submarine continued to operate normally, Reuters news agency quoted the US Navy's October 7 announcement as saying.

In a brief statement detailing the incident that occurred five days ago, the US Pacific Fleet said,submarineUSS Connecticut remains “safe and stable.” The nuclear reactor on the Seawolf-class submarine is unaffected.

“The extent of damage to the rest of the vessel is being assessed,” the statement said, adding that the incident would be investigated.

The Navy did not specify where the incident occurred. However, two Navy officials, who asked not to be named, said it occurred in the South China Sea while the ship was conducting routine operations. The ship then headed to port in Guam. According to these officials, the incident was not announced before October 7 to maintain operational security.

It was not immediately clear what the submarine hit, but it was not another submarine. One of the officials said it could have been a sunken ship, a sunken container or an unknown object.

Two sailors aboard the USS Connecticut were injured and nine others suffered bruises and scratches. All were treated aboard the ship.