US submarine hit underwater seamount in South China Sea

[Zsari]

Probably hit by another submarine. China must make it public. Did they lost a submarine? hahaha.

You mean the seawolf didn't detect the presence of another submarine?

 

[Arsalan345]

You mean the seawolf didn't detect the presence of another submarine?

Yes probably a collision with massive damage on Chinese submarine. Problem here is the lack of reporting from China. Firewall blocks everything. They control information.

 

[ejaz007]

Eleven Sailors Injured After US Nuclear-Powered Submarine Hits Unknown Object in Indo-Pacific
8 hours ago

© Wikipedia / Thiep Nguyen
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Eleven sailors were injured after a US submarine struck an object in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region on Saturday, USNI News outlet reported on Thursday citing a Navy official.

The submarine stuck an object while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region and there are no life-threatening injuries as a result of the incident, the Pacific Fleet Public Affairs Office said on Thursday.

The Navy added that 11 sailors received moderate to minor injuries in the incident. The vessel will now sail to Guam, where it is expected to arrive within the next 24 hours.

"The Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) struck an object while submerged on the afternoon of Oct. 2, while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region. The safety of the crew remains the Navy’s top priority. There are no life threatening injuries," the Pacific Fleet Public Affairs Office said in a statement.

The US Navy’s Pacific Fleet said in a statement that the submarine remains in safe and stable condition, and that the nuclear propulsion plant remains unaffected and fully operational.

https://sputniknews.com/20211007/eleven-sailors-injured-after-us-nuclear-powered-submarine-hits-unknown-object-in-indo-pacific-1089750312.html

 

[Zsari]

Yes probably a collision with massive damage on Chinese submarine. Problem here is the lack of reporting from China. Firewall blocks everything. They control information.

Yeah? Are Chinese submarines supposed to be noisy?

 

[SD 10]

Yes probably a collision with massive damage on Chinese submarine. Problem here is the lack of reporting from China. Firewall blocks everything. They control information.

ah yes you just make assumptions kido!

 

[SuperStar20]

Probably hit by another submarine. China must make it public. Did they lost a submarine? hahaha.

That is impossible scenario/case, China does not have balls to go closer to US navy.

 

[Falconless]

Knowing the Americans, they grounded it.

 

[serenity]

India's balls are so big they sink their own submarines before fighting.

If collision is with Chinese submarine, the US would already say that at once. It is probably with a geographic landmark like undersea mountain. Maybe sensors failure or human error.

 

[alimobin memon]

Yeah? Are Chinese submarines supposed to be noisy?

Chinese subs have come close to US carrier group without them noticing. So, its highly likely they are not noisy, besides nuclear subs can't be as stealthy as normal AIP diesel electric don't know if that is true.

 

[antonius123]

How about hitting underwater military drone?

 

[serenity]

How about hitting underwater military drone?

Underwater drone cannot cause such damages to report on it. A heavy submarine would sail through drones like nothing. Maybe it sailed into active mine.

 

[Shabi1]

Underwater drone cannot cause such damages to report on it. A heavy submarine would sail through drones like nothing. Maybe it sailed into active mine.

These don't look small. We will find out eventually what it got hit with but even if hit by a unmanned sub, smart move by China, will make Americans know they can't just openly roam around displaying their might.

US hasn't been playing nice either. China has been finding unmanned subs as well as discovered US secretly uses fishing vessels (even Chinese) for spying. For all we know could even be a US own unmanned sub deployment/recovery gone wrong.

Why are Chinese fishermen finding so many 'submarine spies'?

Fisherman are catching foreign "spy drones" – giving us a rare insight into covert sea surveillance.

www.bbc.com

Why are Chinese fishermen finding so many 'submarine spies'?
By Owen Amos
BBC News

Published16 January 2020
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Image caption,A screengrab of a Chinese TV report on the drone findings
At first it seems like a quirky, what-are-the-chances-of-that headline: "China rewards fishers who netted foreign spy devices."
But behind that headline in Chinese state media, there is a different - and more intriguing - story.
Firstly, this wasn't two or three fishermen receiving awards. It was 11 - one woman, the rest men - who found seven devices in total.
Secondly, this wasn't the first time fishermen from Jiangsu had found "spy drones". In 2018, some 18 were rewarded for finding nine devices. There was also a ceremony a year earlier.
And thirdly, the rewards were huge - up to 500,000 yuan ($72,000; £55,000) - around 17 times the average disposable income in China.
So where do the "submarine spies" come from? What do they do? Why are they valuable?

And why are Chinese fishermen finding so many?

IMAGE SOURCE,WEIBO
Image caption,The 11 award-winners in Jiangsu
Jiangsu is a province in eastern China, with a coastline more than 1,000km (620 miles) long.
It faces Japan and South Korea, while Taiwan is around 500 miles south. This geography - and the huge US presence in the region - begins to explain why fishermen keep finding these devices.
China has not revealed where the devices came from, merely saying they were "made in other countries".
But regional expert and consultant Alexander Neill says they probably came from "the US Navy, the Japan Self-Defense Forces, or potentially Taiwan - this is a big area of rivalry".
So what are the Americans, the Japanese, or the Taiwanese hoping to learn?

In 2009, the US Navy sponsored research into underwater drones, broadly known as "unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs)". The research recommended seven ways UUVs could be used, including:

• Tracking "potentially adversary submarines"
• Looking for and dealing with underwater bombs - particularly in other countries' waters
• Deploying surveillance equipment
• Monitoring "undersea infrastructure", such as communication cables

The research also highlighted the strengths of UUVs. Gliders - a smaller UUV, likely to be what the Jiangsu fishermen found - can be deployed for "months" and are "cheap enough to be considered expendable".
In this instance, cheap means "only tens of thousands of dollars".
Their cost, range, and capability mean "submarine spies" are increasingly important - Mr Neill estimates the number worldwide is "certainly in the upper hundreds".
So this explains - in part - why they keep turning up in Chinese nets. The country has a huge fishing fleet, and the law of averages suggests it will scoop up the occasional drone.
But it's also true that China's fleet is different to other countries'. Some fishermen, themselves, are part of the military - and understanding how this unique unit works could explain why they keep finding military hardware.


Media caption,BBC News looks at how powerful China's military is, compared to that of the USA
The Chinese Maritime Militia is part of the national militia - that is, the reserve civilian forces.
It is "virtually unique and publicly obscure", according to Professor Andrew S. Erickson from the US Naval War College - but it is well-known to the United States military.
According to a 2017 report by the US Department of Defense, the CMM has played "significant roles in a number of military campaigns and coercive incidents over the years".
In the past, the CMM rented vessels from companies or fishermen. But now, the DoD says, "it appears China is building a state-owned fishing fleet for its militia force".

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Indeed, Mr Neill says many boats are merely "masquerading as fishing vessels - they're actually doing naval and maritime surveillance against China's rivals".
"On paper they look like sophisticated, modern trawlers," he says. "But they are actually, essentially, military-type vessels - steel-hulled, not wooden-hulled, with increasing tonnage.
"If you look at photographs, it's clear they're networked in - because of their signalling capabilities - with the [regular navy] command and control network."
In effect, the fishing fleet can provide a low-level, first line of defence or surveillance - a military force working under a civilian cloak.
"A very significant swathe of China's fishing fleet is co-opted into the militia," says Mr Neill.
"I would have thought, with a little digging, you would find these guys [the Jiangsu fishermen] may well be part of it."

IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,The HSU001
China doesn't just find underwater drones - it operates them, too.
At the military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the HSU001 was unveiled - a large UUV, possibly capable of launching smaller drones.
And five months earlier, another Chinese UUV was revealed in a less formal way, when Indonesian fishermen caught a "missile" with Chinese markings in the Riau Islands.
"It's not a missile, but a sea drone, which is usually used for underwater research," said police.
Although its origin was not confirmed, experts suspect it was part of China's vast sub-surface surveillance - the so-called "Great Underwater Wall of China".
So, as UUV technology develops, more fishermen - whether in China, Indonesia, or beyond - can expect to find more drones.
"They [drones] are extending the range of surveillance capacity for all of the modern navies in the region," says Mr Neill.
And - as the Jiangsu prize-winners discovered - they can be a valuable catch.

IMAGE SOURCE,POLRES BINTAN
Image caption,The Chinese drone found in Indonesia was around two metres long

 

[Oldman1]

Highly possible

As Dungeness mentioned, its possible to hit something underwater like a underwater mountain.

 

[serenity]

These don't look small. We will find out eventually what it got hit with but even if hit by a unmanned sub, smart move by China, will make Americans know they can't just openly roam around displaying their might.

No disclosed underwater drone has the size to damage a large nuclear submarine. They said many crew injured. That is a lot of force required and unless this was actually war time shooting where Chinese side fired on the Seawolf and used a drone as a weapon like explosion, it cannot do that much damage. The speeds are too slow for real damage to even first layer hull. It will not even make crew fall over.

It could be warning shot or collision with another submarine or collision with ground surface or underwater mountain which means human error. Or maybe the Americans have not told the truth at all.

I bet PLAN has a lot of underwater loitering drones with small to large warheads. Maybe small warheads during peacetime and directed to take a warning shot who knows but I doubt this is the case unless the Seawolf was inside Chinese waters otherwise it is act of war.

 

[antonius123]

As Dungeness mentioned, its possible to hit something underwater like a underwater mountain.

So you mean the US submarine failed to detect an underwater mountain?