LOS ANGELES, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22), which hit a sea mount in the South China Sea in October, pulled into San Diego Sunday morning after transiting from Guam, U.S. media reported Monday.
The Navy Times reported that Navy officials declined to explain why the SSN-22 is in Southern California, what damage the stealthy boat sustained and when it will head north to Washington's Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for repairs.
In response to several questions regarding Connecticut, Submarine Force Pacific spokeswoman Cmdr. Cynthia Fields would only confirm that the vessel was in San Diego and that "the submarine remains in a safe and stable condition," the report said.
Fields declined to answer questions in connection to media reports that Connecticut had to transit to San Diego at the surface "because the collision damage had impeded its ability to safely travel underwater."
USNI News, the U.S. Naval Institute's online news and analysis portal, reported Sunday that the submarine "transited the Pacific Ocean entirely on the surface" due to damage from the collision.
The vessel's sonar dome "became inoperable" as a result of the collision, making it unsafe to travel underwater, reported USNI News.
Ship spotter WarshipCam first posted a photo of the submarine pulling into the San Diego harbor early Sunday, and tweeted that there is "obvious damage to bow."
The vessel was damaged in the underwater collision on Oct. 2, and 11 sailors sustained minor injuries, said The Navy Times, adding that it made its way to Guam for damage assessment, and the command triad was relieved in November.
