The incident occurred on Saturday, October 2, in an area claimed by China. The “USS Connecticut”, nuclear-propulsion, participated in an international naval exercise.
Le Monde with AFP
An American nuclear submarine hit an unidentified object while patrolling last weekend at the Southern China Sea, according to information from the US Navy and Independent Source. The region is widely claimed by China.
“The USS Connecticut hit an object in the afternoon of October 2nd as it navigated in immersion in the international waters of the Indo-Pacific region,” the US Navy indicated in a statement. “There is no fatal injury,” says the communiqué, suggesting that sailors could be injured slightly.
The USS Connecticut, which is a nuclear propulsion submarine of the Seawolf class, has been damaged but remains in working order, added the US Navy.
According to the Naval Institute, a Reflection Center close to the US Navy, USS Connecticut participated in an international naval exercise at the Southern China Sea during the incident.
The freedom of Navigation into play
China almost claims the entire Southern China Sea and built military outposts on small islands and atolls in the region.
The United States and their allies patrol regularly in the international waters of the region to assert their rights to the freedom of navigation, to the large displeasure of China.
Mid-September, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia have entered into a new strategic alliance in the Indo-Pacific. It plans, in particular, the delivery to Canberra of a fleet of nuclear propulsion submarines by Washington. This agreement, which led to the rupture of a major contract between France and Australia, created significant diplomatic tensions.