The US nuclear submarine damaged last month in the South China Sea hit an uncharted seamount, USNI News reported, an explanation that would ease concerns that it had collided with a foreign vessel in the contested waterway.
An investigation into the Oct. 2 collision involving the USS Connecticut found the submarine had struck a previously unknown submerged feature, the US Naval Institute Web site reported, citing a legislative source and two defense officials familiar with the findings.
The matter has been sent to US Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, the 7th Fleet commander, for review whether further actions are warranted.
In response to a question about the report, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday repeated its demand for a “full account” of what happened, citing concerns about the crash’s location, any possible nuclear leakage and damage to the marine environment.
“This fully shows the irresponsibility of the US,” ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) told a regular news briefing in Beijing.
Eleven sailors were injured in the incident, which damaged the Connecticut’s forward ballast tanks and forced the crew to make a weeklong voyage on the surface to return to port.
The vessel is currently in Guam undergoing repairs, and the US Navy has repeatedly said the nuclear reactor and propulsion system were not affected in the incident.
The US Navy’s surface fleet has suffered several accidents in the western Pacific, including back-to-back collisions involving two guided-missile destroyers in 2017, prompting the dismissal of the 7th Fleet’s commander and investigations into naval training, policies and equipment. The latest incident had caused renewed attention about a backlog in maintenance for the US’ attack submarine fleet.
The Connecticut collision initially fed speculation about whether it had been damaged in some interaction with China, since the two nations have stepped up naval activities in the disputed water body.
It is one of three Seawolf-class submarines, which the US Navy describes as “exceptionally quiet, fast, well-armed and equipped with advanced sensors.”
The vessels have eight torpedo tubes and can hold as many as 50 weapons in its torpedo room.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
RSS