USS Connecticut's Sonar Navigation Wasn't Working

 

Artwork of a submarine operating its short-range, faintly "active", seafloor (and mine) imaging navigation sonar (NavSon) (Artwork courtesy

 https://blog.assemblrworld.com/how-submarine-works/ dated May 5, 2021)
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ARTICLE

After covering USS Connecticut (SSN-22) since October 8, 2021 I have some new thoughts. Connecticut would use an active Navigation Sonar (NavSon) (see artwork above). The NavSon is narrow "beam",  narrow band and very short-range, hence quiet/faint and usually undetectable. It is used to obtain a navigational "picture" of the seafloor that Connecticut is about to move over. 

Again, although an active sonar, the NavSon's subtle nature makes it usable and undetectable in normal submarine operating conditions.

However, to theorize about Connecticut's collision:

A.  If, for some reason, Connecticut is moving very quickly it might hit a seafloor / seamount before it has an adequatee NavSon picture. Although the relatively low damage in this case suggests a slow speed collision.

B.  If an opponent, eg. a PRC Navy ship, sub or seafloor sound emitter project noise - then that may effectively drown out/jam Connecticut's NavSon functionality.

or

C.  Connecticut may have chosen to turn off its NavSon because this sub needed to operate in "Stealth Mode". This would be appropriate in highly sensitive sea-space - protected by seafloor sensors. I'll leave it up to people's imagination where may be sensitive. In no NavSon Stealth Mode Connecticut would be "flying blind". 

And, a big "and", if, in conjunction with possibilities A, B or C, Connecticut encounters an uncharted seamont (or other obstruction on the seafloor) Connecticut could collide.

SOURCES

1.  Australia’s 9News reported November 5, 2021

[David Sandwell, Professor of Geophysics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California, told CNN.]

“Those sonar pings — so ubiquitous in submarine movies — also give away the sub's position to opposing forces.

"Sonar is your only way to look at the bottom, but you don't want to put out more sound than you have to," Mr Shugart said.

"You'd have to do that about every 20 seconds or so," to get an accurate picture…”

2.  https://blog.assemblrworld.com/how-submarine-works/ scroll ½ way down to

"How submarine works underwater"

3.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonar Sound Navigation and Ranging

and

4.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_navigation#Deep_water_navigation
     footnote 2. which is: 

     "Lesson 14: Electronic Navigation". Navigation and Operations I. University of Kansas, Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. pp. Slides 19 [especially 20 mentioning "SSBN"] to 21. Archived from the original (Microsoft PowerPoint) on September 11, 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-14.

Pete

China's Nuclear Gambit Deterring the US: Taiwan?

A great essay by distinguished academic and researcher Valérie Niquet for The Diplomat,

November 6, 2021, at https://thediplomat.com/2021/11/chinas-nuclear-gambit/

As she is writing at that essential reading paysite here is the first sentence only:

"Don’t be distracted by the aerial incursions and naval build-ups - the real action is China’s

 nuclear build-up, in the hopes of deterring any U.S. intervention in a regional conflict."

USS Connecticut: Sackings as Expected

Regarding chain of command responsibility for USS Connecticut's seamount encounter, on October 12, 2021, I commented:

"Pete said...

Hi KQN [your Oct 12, 2021, 2:53:00 PM]

I think the USN will hold a Board of Inquiry given the likely US$millions taxpayer money repair bill.

To justify sacking Connecticut's Commander, Officer of the Watch and possibly some Petty Officers reasons will likely be published. After a Judicial and Public Relations pause.

If a Chinese ship/"fishing boat" rammed it - then that might change things.

Pete"
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On November 5, 2021 The Sydney Morning Herald reported:

"As a result, the statement said [Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, commander of the US 7th Fleet, based in Japan] relieved Commander Cameron Aljilani as commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Patrick Cashin as executive officer, and Master Chief Sonar Technician Cory Rodgers as chief of the boat, “due to loss of confidence.” The chief of the boat is the senior enlisted adviser to the commander and the executive officer.

The Navy has yet to publicly explain how or why the USS Connecticut, a Seawolf-class submarine, struck a seamount, or underwater mountain, or to reveal the extent of damage to the vessel."

UK Trafalgar-class Submarine Reactor End Leaks

A famous nuclear submarines for Australia exponent has apparently suggested Australia actually buy aging UK Trafalgar-class nuclear submarines. 

Beware, submarine reactors and the complex pipes connected to them, wear out, sometimes needing urgent inspection.

Trafalgar-class Service Problems

"In 1998, [HMS] Trenchant experienced a steam leak, forcing the crew to shut down the nuclear reactor. [HMS Trenchant suffered an earlier seafloor accident off Australia's west coast in 1997]. 

In 2000 a leak in the PWR1 reactor primary cooling circuit was discovered on [HMS] Tireless, forcing her to proceed to Gibraltar on diesel power.^[17] The fault was found to be due to thermal fatigue cracks, requiring the other Trafalgar-class boats, and some of the remaining Swiftsure-class boats, to be urgently inspected and if necessary modified.^[17]

In 2013 the UK Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator [see nuclear "hazards"] reported that the reactor systems were suffering increasing technical problems due to ageing, requiring effective management. An example was that [HMS] Tireless had had a small radioactive coolant leak for eight days in February 2013.^[18]"

From UK Government reports via Wikipedia and the The Guardian. 

Macron vs Morrison: All About Their Huge Coming Elections

Why are President Macron and Prime Minister Morrison still bitterly fighting over an Australian decision already made - to cancel the Attack-class program?

Macron and Morrison are actually cooperating in order to improve their chances as they go into their  national elections in April 2022. 

Macron knows he must look patriotic as he goes into France's first round April 2022 Presidential Election.

Equally Morrison (behind in the polls) knows he must look even more patriotic as he goes into Australia's next Federal Election likely to be held in April 2022 (or May 2022 at the latest). 

Fighting with Macron has also been serving Morrison as a distraction from Morrison's poor climate policies that Morrison has brought along to the Glasgow COP26 Summit Conference.

USS Connecticut DID Hit "Rising" Seafloor/Seamount

Regarding what USS Connecticut hit on October 2, 2021 to cause major bow damage.  

On October 8, 2021 I wrote:
 
 “But I’d put my money on [Connecticut] hitting the seafloor, a rock or islet.” 

On November 1, 2021, USNI News reported:   

"Investigators have determined USS Connecticut (SSN-22) hit an uncharted seamount that grounded the nuclear attack submarine on the underwater feature in the South China Sea Navy, USNI News has learned....” 

A “seamount” is defined as “a large geologic landform that rises from the ocean floor but that does not reach to the water's surface”.