BREAKING: USS Connecticut (SSN 22) Seawolf-class nuclear attack submarine coming into San Diego - note obvious damage to bow - December 12, 2021 #ussconnecticut #ssn22 pic.twitter.com/vNT7sTPzod
— WarshipCam (@WarshipCam) December 12, 2021
A photo of the nuclear submarine of the US Navy Connecticut in the port of San Diego has appeared on the Web. The ship with severe damage - the nose dome of the sonar is missing - came from Guam. Probably, the submarine overcame 6,200 miles on the surface, The Drive suggested - the transition was secret.
A submarine entering the harbor, with its hull open and surrounded by tugs, came into view of the port surveillance camera on December 12.
Recall that on October 2, in the South China Sea, the Connecticut submarine, which was submerged, collided with a seamount. 11 sailors were injured, the ship was seriously damaged, interrupted combat service and headed for the island of Guam. The naval base there does not have dry docks to repair ships of this size. There is a dock in nearby Pearl Harbor, but there are no specialists - the submarine belongs to a rare type of Seawolf. In addition, this base is of strategic importance in the Pacific Ocean and it is hardly justified to load it for a long time - and the repair of Connecticut will be long.
It would be logical to send the damaged submarine to its home base of Washington, Washington - it is 5,600 miles from Guam - but the route to San Diego runs past the Hawaiian Islands, where, if anything, it was possible to make a stop.
The US Navy did not advertise the submarine's passage across the Pacific Ocean in any way. The disappearance of the USS Connecticut from the harbor of Guam was noticed by satellite images. By the way, the destroyer Mustin returned to San Diego after the submarine - in all likelihood, it accompanied the submarine.
Anton Valagin
