Maintaining a top-notch underwater fleet is imperative for American national security.
When it comes to America’s nuclear triad, the U.S. Navy’s sea-based leg carries a significant portion of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Considering the important role U.S. submarines play in deterring U.S. adversaries overseas, maintaining a top-notch underwater fleet is imperative for American national security. For this reason, mishaps involving any of the Navy’s submarines are particularly gruesome. In 2009, a Los Angeles-class submarine collided with another American vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. $3.5 billion in damages later, this unfortunate incident became one of the costliest mishaps involving American submarines in history. To make matters worse, a thorough investigation of the incident placed blame for the collision on the submarine’s “ineffective and negligent command leadership.”
The Ships Involved: USS Hartford and USS New Orleans
USS Hartford (SSN-7687) was one of sixty-two Los Angeles-class submarines produced over the years. Built with a General Electric S6G pressurized water reactor for speed and a host of heavy armaments, USS Hartford and its sister ships were considered to be the most lethal nuclear-powered fast attack vessels of their kind when first introduced to service. USS Hartford was constructed with a vertical launch missile system comprised of twelve tubes. In addition to being able to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles and Harpoon missiles, Hartford can dispatch Mark 48 torpedoes. As detailed by Naval Technology, “The torpedo is capable of operating with or without wire guidance and uses either or both active and passive homing. It is equipped with multiple re-attack modes which operate if the target ship is missed. The torpedo carries out programmed target search, acquisition and attack procedures.”
USS New Orleans (LPD-18), a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, was also supporting military operations in the Red Sea when the collision with USS Hartford occurred. While Hartford was beginning to sail away from the combat zone, it collided with New Orleans around 1:00 pm local time. In the aftermath of the incident, the amphibious transport dock’s tank was ruptured. In total, it cost $2.3 million to mend the damage to the New Orleans following the collision. For USS Hartford, the damage and related price tag were more extensive. The Los Angeles submarine’s periscope, sail, and bow plane were damaged, and fifteen sailors on board were injured by the shock of the collision.
An investigation covering the mishap discovered a “lax” crew environment to be the culprit behind the incident. According to reports, the Hartford had several known “sleepers” who were frequently known to fall asleep while on duty. While the subsequent report found no evidence suggesting these crew members were asleep during the time of the collision, the “lax” environment of the submarine was made clear. Endorsing the investigation’s findings, the then-commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Adm. John Harvey JR., asserted that, “Correction of any one of nearly 30 tactical and watchstander errors, or adherence to standard procedures, could have prevented this collision.”
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: Wikipedia.
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