![]() Submarines do have their own sonar, but using it comes at a price - loss of stealthiness. Officially, the Navy says Seawolf-class subs have a maximum depth of more than 243 meters (800 feet), although some experts put their maximum depth around double that. “These are places where the gravity predicts there is something shallower than 400 meters (1,312 feet), around the depth where a submarine might run into it,” he said. Using a method called vertical gravity grading - taking satellite altimetry measurements of the Earth’s gravitational field - and overlaying those results with mapping of the bottom of the South China Sea, he was able to identify 27 places where the Connecticut could have hit a seamount that was not on US Navy charts. Officially, the service says it was in Indo-Pacific waters, but US defense officials had previously told CNN it occurred in the South China Sea. The US Navy has not said exactly where the Connecticut hit the seamount. “It’s not surprising that you could run into something,” he said. In the busy South China Sea, through which a third of the world’s maritime trade passes and where China has been building and militarily fortifying man-made islands, less than 50% of the sea bottom has been mapped, David Sandwell, a professor of geophysics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California, told CNN. Submariners use their compasses and charts.Īccurate charts (with a resolution of 328 feet) of the sea bottom are compiled by sending surface ships over an area and bathing the bottom in sound waves - a method called multi-beam sonar.īut the process is expensive and time consuming, leaving as much as 80% of Earth’s seafloor unmapped. Surface ships or a sub operating at periscope depth can relay on global positioning satellites to give sailors a very accurate location, said Shugart, now an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.īut at depth, the GPS systems are not available. Not everything goes right all the time,” said Thomas Shugart, who spent more than 11 years on US submarines, including commanding an attack sub. The undersea environment is unforgiving and even small mistakes can have huge consequences. Karl Thomas, commander of US 7th Fleet, determined that “sound judgment, prudent decision-making and adherence to required procedures in navigation planning, watch team execution and risk management could have prevented the incident,” according to a statement about the decision. Patrick Cashin, and the chief of the boat, Master Chief Sonar Technician Cory Rodgers. ![]() Cameron Aljilani, was relieved of duty, as were the executive officer, Lt. ![]() The Navy on Thursday gave a hint of what might have led to the accident when it relieved the Connecticut’s leadership of their command due to loss of confidence. Not the least of which is, how did this happen? Driving a submarine Which leaves US military planners with some big questions to answer in the coming weeks and months.
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