# USS Connecticut collision **URL:** \ **Category:** Maritime News\ **Created:** [October 8, 2021, 7:35am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890 "2021-10-08T07:35:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Heiwa](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/heiwa/32/1054_2.png) [@Heiwa](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Heiwa)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2021, 11:44pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/45 "2021-10-12T23:44:51Z")
Subs colliding with the sea floor, i.e. submerged groundings, take place during training and the structural damages are easy to verify. Subs colliding at the surface of the sea with other ships, i.e. not being submerged also takes place. The structural damages of the sub are at the top of the sub. I fear USS Connecticut collided with a steel trawler that is now at the bottom of the sea. ---
**Author:** ![Rain\_Wizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Rain\_Wizard](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Rain_Wizard)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2021, 1:02am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/46 "2021-10-13T01:02:00Z")
You could make a fortune with that imagination of yours if you did something constructive with it, like writing fiction. Oh, wait…. ---
**Author:** ![Cappy\_208](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/cappy_208/32/10150_2.png) [@Cappy\_208](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Cappy_208)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2021, 2:04am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/47 "2021-10-13T02:04:50Z")
I thought you asserted that a US sub “launched a boulder” into the Costa Concordia. Oh. I forgot. that was a pint and a nip ago. Haven’t you got any new material? It isn’t a grand scheme. Its just mother nature and cavalier seamanship (reinforced by ego and militaristic madness) Maybe pingpong balls and magnets are the cause. Do tell. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 10:09am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/50 "2021-10-15T10:09:15Z")
> **[Hurt USS Connecticut Highlights Ship Repair Shortfalls At Key Guam Base](https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2021/10/11/hurt-uss-connecticut-highlights-ship-repair-shortfalls-at-key-guam-base/?sh=1958cbae2db8)** > > With no dry docks available, the damage assessment and—if needed—stabilization of the damaged super-sub USS Connecticut will be a challenge. ---
**Author:** ![Steamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Steamer](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Steamer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 11:51am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/51 "2021-10-15T11:51:45Z")
No problem, the navy has a lot of experience using FoC heavy lift ships to haul their broken ships around. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 12:16pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/52 "2021-10-15T12:16:59Z")
You mean like in this case?: > **[USS Cole is lifted by MV Blue Marlin, a Norwegian dry dock vessel, off the...](https://picryl.com/media/uss-cole-is-lifted-by-mv-blue-marlin-a-norwegian-dry-dock-vessel-off-the-coast-3a4620)** > > Download Image of USS Cole is lifted by MV Blue Marlin, a Norwegian dry dock vessel, off the coast of Aden, Yemen on October 31, 2000. The American destroyer was bombed by suspected terrorists in the port of Aden, Yemen October 12. The Blue Marlin... COSCO has a few HLV that could do the job on short notice: > **[Semi-Submersible Fleet | COSCO Heavy Transport](https://coscoht.com/semi-submersible/fleet/)** > > Our Semi-Submersible Fleet are designed in close consultation with offshore, oil, and drilling companies with the latest developments in the industry. Actually the US Navy got a few HLV themselves: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/1/f/1fdde3ff7df46fa14834c8998247d99ef8312bf5.jpeg) They only need to remove that extra deck they put on them: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/6/7/67f29c47469451bdd6fa1bd6d24e68411622bcd0.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![OldNuke](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/oldnuke/32/22258_2.png) [@OldNuke](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/OldNuke)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 4:47pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/53 "2021-10-19T16:47:37Z")
You make the point. You have not been there to make intuitive sense. Further they are not going to tell you what the boat was doing (actual speed, bubble, roll, stations, etc.) when it hit. AND they are not as roomy as the movies or “a week on the USS Never Sail” show. ---
**Author:** ![Lew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lew](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Lew)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 7:32am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/54 "2021-10-20T07:32:59Z")
OldNuke, in your opinion, could a collision with a 40ft container cause injuries to the crew on watch ? ---
**Author:** ![Steamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Steamer](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Steamer)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 11:44am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/55 "2021-10-20T11:44:03Z")
> [@Lew](#): > > could a collision with a 40ft container cause injuries More to the point, what might be the impact (pun intended) of hitting a 76 ton object at whatever speed the boat was making at the time? ---
**Author:** ![Lew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lew](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Lew)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 7:48am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/56 "2021-10-21T07:48:57Z")
Does a 40ft container have neutral buoyancy at 76 tons ? I have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Shore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Lee\_Shore](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Lee_Shore)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 11:57am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/57 "2021-10-21T11:57:47Z")
It depends on the nature of the contents and the amount of air trapped inside. From Cargo-Partner newsletter: _Most containers sink quite rapidly to the ocean floor once they hit the water. But depending on their contents, they may stay afloat for days or even weeks before sliding beneath the surface. This process can take even longer for refrigerated containers on account of their buoyant insulation. For example, one container that washed into the Atlantic off the coast of France rode the waves for eleven months before finally being deposited on the southern coast of Great Britain._ ---
**Author:** ![Steamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Steamer](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Steamer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 11:59am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/58 "2021-10-21T11:59:05Z")
Bouyancy has nothing to do with impact. The mass of the water filled container has everything to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Urs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/958977/32.png) [@Urs](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Urs)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 1:12pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/59 "2021-10-21T13:12:31Z")
> [@Lew](#): > > Does a 40ft container have neutral buoyancy at 76 tons ? The neutral buoyancy of a watertight 40ft container is around its weight of 76 tons. ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Shore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Lee\_Shore](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Lee_Shore)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 1:17pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/60 "2021-10-21T13:17:43Z")
An empty 40ft container weighs 8,000 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![Steamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Steamer](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Steamer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 1:57pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/61 "2021-10-21T13:57:16Z")
The mass of a water filled 40 footer is 76 tons. A submarine colliding with the container will experience the same impact as a wheeled vehicle running into a 76 ton object at the same speed. ---
**Author:** ![powerabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@powerabout](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/powerabout)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 2:06pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/62 "2021-10-21T14:06:54Z")
so its needs 8000lbs of positive bouyancy and rest can be water? 3000kg = 3 cubic metres of air? ---
**Author:** ![Steamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Steamer](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Steamer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 2:46pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/64 "2021-10-21T14:46:01Z")
To float at the water’s surface or just below it needs only enough bouyancy not to sink, a few pounds will do nicely in calm water. 76 tons is the mass of the water an “empty” 40 footer can hold. Its actual mass depends on what is in the container and the weight of the container structure itself. If it’s filled with ping pong balls it will float with some degree of freeboard, if it’s filled with anvils it will sink, worst case for vessels running at or just below the surface a neutral or slightly bouyant box might be at, above, or just below the surface. Bouyancy only determines where it is relative to the sea surface, mass determines how much damage it might do when hit by a vessel. ---
**Author:** ![powerabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@powerabout](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/powerabout)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 2:50pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/65 "2021-10-21T14:50:43Z")
yes I was pointing out only 3cubic to float it and rest can be water so 60ish tonnes of water plus the 3 tonne of corten steel ---
**Author:** ![freighterman1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/freighterman1/32/11176_2.png) [@freighterman1](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/freighterman1)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/66 "2021-10-21T16:14:25Z")
I’m no expert on submarine stability, but I have researched them for the last couple of years. And what has struck me is how difficult it is for submerged objects to achieve neutral buoyancy and maintain it. A lot of engineering goes into designing subs to do it. The early subs were always pogoing up and down at depth because the slightest force in either direction knocked them out of equilibrium, and that was with active engineering control. A submerged container achieving neutral buoyancy–just floating at a given depth–seems to me unlikely. To strike one at depth while it is sinking is just as much or more statistically improbable, because sinking is a transitory state. Doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen of course. ---
**Author:** ![Steamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Steamer](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Steamer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 4:51pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890/67 "2021-10-21T16:51:20Z")
> [@freighterman1](#): > > But the chance of this is just as much or more statistically improbable, because sinking is a transitory state. And all but impossible. Military subs maintain depth by “flying”, dynamic depth control by motion and bow and stern planes. When I was driving deep diving manned submersibles (Pisces, Aquarius) we could achieve very close to neutral but for all practical purposes relied on thrusters to maintain depth. We could “park” on a thermocline in midwater because we were capable of trimming very small amounts of ballast water. [Previous page](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890.md?page=2) [Next page](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-connecticut-collision/60890.md?page=4)