--- title: "The Navy Can’t Figure Out What Damaged Its Nuclear Submarine" description: "The US Navy still has no idea what the hell its submarine hit in the South China Sea earlier this month. Officials have yet to find out what it was." date: "2021-10-28" modified: "2021-10-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/navy-damaged-nuclear-submarine-mystery" categories: - "Energy" - "Nuclear Fusion" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "china" - "nuclear submarine" - "the digest" - "US Navy" --- # The Navy Can’t Figure Out What Damaged Its Nuclear Submarine ![The US Navy still has no idea what the hell its submarine hit in the South China Sea earlier this month. Officials have yet to find out what it was.]() *\Image: Pixabay/Futurism\* ## Unknown Object The US Navy still has no idea what its submarine hit in the South China Sea earlier this month. Officials [announced earlier this month]() that the nuclear submarine USS Connecticut had sustained damage — and its crew members had reported several injuries — after colliding with an "unknown object" in the South China Sea. Now, it sounds as though military officials still have no idea what the hell the submarine hit. While the submarine is being repaired in a port in Guam, preliminary investigations have yet to come up with an answer, [*USNI News* reports](). ## Mystery Continues According to *USNI*'s sources, the mysterious undersea object "had not been definitively determined." While the Navy is trying to get its submarine back in order, China is voicing its discontent with the US military's communications regarding the incident, with officials practically seething. "The Chinese side has repeatedly expressed grave concerns over the matter and asked the U.S. side to make clarifications," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in [a statement](). "However, as of now, we have seen nothing but a brief and vague statement issued by the US military with procrastination, and a confirmation by a so-called informant that the incident did happen in the South China Sea," he added. "Such an irresponsible, cagey practice gives regional countries and the international community every reason to question the truth of the incident and the intention of the US," Lijian concluded. Chinese officials also accused the US of covering up the collision earlier this month — a claim that was refuted by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby at the time. "It’s an odd way of covering something up when you put out a press release about it," Kirby told reporters, as [quoted by *Insider*](). **READ MORE:** [Navy Not Sure What USS Connecticut Struck in the South China Sea, Beijing Accuses U.S. of Cover-Up]() \[*USNI News*\] **More on the incident:** *[US Nuclear Sub Damaged in Collision With “Unknown Object”]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()