The US naval force was quick enough to sack three top crew members about a nuclear submarine. It has crashed into an underwater mountain.
Commander Cameron Aljilani and two others got removed after an investigation took place. The incident took place in the disputed South China Sea.
The USS Connecticut has stuck that object last. It forced the vessel to come up to the surface for a week and to further sail to the US territory of Guam.
The Navy officials further said that the crew members could have taken measures to prevent the collision.
Last week the navy said that the submarine had hit an uncharted seamount. It was patrolling below the surface area at that time.
Seamount refers to a mountain that rises from the floor of the ocean. Fifteen sailors have suffered from minor injuries. The US naval force is currently checking the submarine for any damage at Guam in the Pacific before it is returning to Washington. It will be returning to Washington for repairing purposes.
The incident has taken place amidst the rising tension in that region. The USS Connecticut was operating from one of the most contested regions in the globe. China claims its share in most of the South China Sea. But all the surrounding countries and the US disagree about this fact.
The incident took place just some weeks after the signing up of Asia- Pacific pact. It is widely seen as an effort to counter the power of China.
The crash has further angered the officials of Beijing. They have questioned what that vessel was doing in that region. They have said that they had worries about the possible leakage of nuclear energy.
A spokesperson from China said that the US needed to give a complete account for that incident and to further stop the provocation for it. The officials of the US Navy are yet to explain how the vessel hit the seamount.
Ryan Ramsey, a former British Royal Navy submarine captain, said that the collision had shocked him. It is relatively rare.
“The USS Connecticut is a very modern submarine – so it’s kind of surprising,” he said. “But if you relax at any point, then things can happen.”
Credits: BBC
