US Navy’s Most Expensive Attack Submarine To Rejoin Fleet 5 Years After Undersea Crash

The U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) is expected to return to service in late 2026, five years after it crashed into an uncharted seamount in the South China Sea.

The incident caused serious damage to its bow and ballast tanks, forcing the submarine to sail on the surface to Guam, then to San Diego, and finally to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington State for repairs.

The submarine, which is part of the Seawolf-class, is currently undergoing major maintenance and repairs under a process called Extended Docking Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA). This maintenance phase officially began in February 2023.

A U.S. Navy spokesperson said that Connecticut is now in dry dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) in Bremerton, Washington, where both scheduled maintenance and repair work from the 2021 collision are being carried out.

The spokesperson also said the Navy is continuing to invest in materials, infrastructure, and personnel to meet the operational needs of the fleet.

Initially, the Navy had said that Connecticut could return to service by fall 2025, with the EDSRA expected to last about 31 months. However, the return has now been delayed to late 2026.

The Navy has not shared the full cost of the repairs. In 2021, Congress approved $40 million for emergency repairs and an additional $10 million to replace the submarine’s bow dome, but these were only partial amounts.

Photos taken in 2023 showed the submarine still without its sonar dome and with large areas of its anechoic (sound-absorbing) coating missing from the sail. Experts say that repairing Connecticut is particularly difficult because the Seawolf-class submarines are no longer in production, and only three were ever built.

One of them, USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), is a specially modified version, making it hard to use for spare parts. In the past, the Navy has used parts from retired submarines, but that is not possible this time.

The crash happened in October 2021. An investigation later found that Connecticut hit an uncharted seamount while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific. The submarine grounded on the seafloor, damaging its forward section and ballast tanks, but its nuclear reactor and propulsion system were not harmed, according to Navy officials.

A spokesperson from the U.S. 7th Fleet said the investigation showed that the accident occurred because of a weak command environment and poor performance of critical tasks aboard the submarine.

Following the findings, the Navy relieved three top crew members from their positions: the Commanding Officer Cmdr. Cameron Aljilani, Chief of the Boat Master Chief Sonar Technician Cory Rodgers, and Executive Officer Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Cashin.

The Seawolf-class submarines were originally built during the Cold War and were meant to be powerful and quiet undersea platforms. However, due to post-Cold War budget cuts, only three submarines were completed.

Each Seawolf-class submarine cost around $3.1 billion in 1983, which is over $10 billion in 2025 value, making them the most expensive attack submarines ever built.

Reference: TWZ

Source: Maritime Shipping News