The damaged nuclear attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) departed San Diego, Calif., on Wednesday, a Navy spokesperson confirmed to USNI News.
Connecticut arrived in San Diego on Sunday after an almost month-long surface transit from Guam, USNI News reported. The Navy has said the submarine is ultimately bound for Bremerton, Wash., to undergo repairs following the collision.
The attack boat struck an underwater mountain on Oct. 2, according to a summary of the investigation previously reported by USNI News. The impact into the seamount in the South China Sea resulted in damage to the sonar dome, making travel underwater unsafe, several Navy officials told USNI News.
Connecticut arrived in Guam to undergo a damage assessment with teams from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility and the crew of the Guam-based submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS-39).
A bow view of the attack boat, published by the ship spotting account WarshipCam, showed the tip of the submarine’s bow had been removed.
The boat’s commander, executive officer and the chief of the boat were relieved from command following the completion of an investigation by U.S. 7th Fleet commander Vice Adm. Karl Thomas in early November.
“We have very rigorous navigation safety procedures and they fell short of what our standard was,” Naval Submarine Forces commander Vice Adm. William Houston said last month.
Connecticut is one of three Sea Wolf-class nuclear attack boats – the Navy’s most capable and secretive submarines.
