Seawolf class hulls are constructed from HY-100 steel, which is stronger than the HY-80 steel employed in previous classes, in order to withstand water pressure at greater depths. The Seawolf design was intended to combat the threat of large numbers of advanced Soviet Navy ballistic missile submarines such as the Typhoon class and attack submarines such as the Akula class in a deep ocean environment. The Seawolf class cost about $3 billion ($3.5 billion for USS Jimmy Carter) making it the most expensive SSN submarine and second most expensive submarine ever after the French SSBN Triomphant class. This, in turn, led to the design of the smaller Virginia class. The end of the Cold War and budget constraints led to the cancellation in 1995 of any further additions to the fleet, leaving the Seawolf class limited to just three boats. At one time, an intended fleet of 29 submarines was to be built over a ten-year period, later reduced to twelve submarines. The class was the intended successor to the Los Angeles class. The Seawolf class is a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines ( SSN) in service with the United States Navy. After a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson first made the allegations, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said, 'It's an odd way of covering something up when you put a press release out about it.Surfaced: 8,600 tons Submerged: 9,138 tons, 12,139 tons full, USS Jimmy Carter Ĩ × 660 mm torpedo tubes (50 Tomahawk (missile)/ Harpoon (missile)/ Mark 48 torpedo)

The US military denied it was trying to cover up the incident. Those can also pose a risk to ships on the surface, depending on how close its summit is to the surface.Ĭhina, often at odds with the US in the South China Sea, has capitalized on the limited information provided by the Navy about the incident, with Chinese officials accusing the US of a cover-up and calling it 'cagey' and 'irresponsible.' The sea service did not say where the incident occurred, though Navy officials speaking on the condition of anonymity told some reporters it happened in the South China Sea after the release of the statement.Īs of Wednesday, the US Navy was not quite sure what the submarine hit, though defense officials told USNI News that early indications suggested that the Connecticut crashed into a seamount, an undersea mountain that rises from the ocean's depth. It said the submarine struck something while operating in international waters, there were no life-threatening injuries, the submarine was in stable condition, and the nuclear-propulsion systems were not damaged. The earlier Navy statement on the incident left a lot to the imagination. Haley Sims saying: 'The investigation determined USS Connecticut grounded on an uncharted seamount while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region.' The 7th Fleet confirmed the USNI News report to Insider, with its spokesperson Cdr. Investigators have determined the submarine ran aground on an undersea mountain, the location of which was previously unknown, USNI News said.

The Seawolf-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Connecticut collided with an unidentified object on October 2, the Navy said five days after the incident. US Navy investigators have determined what a nuclear-powered attack submarine hit in the South China Sea last month, USNI News reported Monday, citing defense officials familiar with the investigation and a legislative official.

Seawolf submarine