Summer 2027 is now the Navy’s target for finishing work on USS Connecticut (SSN 22), the Seawolf-class attack submarine that struck an underwater seamount in the South China Sea in October 2021. The new date comes almost six years after the collision and pushes the boat’s return past three earlier repair targets that have already slipped.
Connecticut is one of only three Seawolf-class submarines ever built, so the long absence keeps a third of the class out of service. The boat has spent the intervening years at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, where the repair is being handled as a single extended maintenance period rather than a quick fix.
The latest date comes from a Navy official’s statement to The War Zone, published in TWZ’s Sept. 28 report on the submarine. The statement, as TWZ reported it, reads in part:
“USS Connecticut (SSN 22) is currently undergoing a complex Extended Docking Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility. Current work consists of structural and systems restoration and required lifecycle maintenance. The Navy’s target completion date for the availability is the summer of 2027.”
Three repair targets that came and went
The summer 2027 date is the fourth completion target on the public record, according to TWZ’s Sept. 28 account. When the availability formally began in February 2023, TWZ reported, “the Navy projected that the repairs would be completed in September 2025.” By July 2023 the schedule had shifted to early 2026, and in July 2025 the service confirmed to TWZ that the timeline had moved to late 2026.
Connecticut entered Dry Dock 5 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility on July 12, 2023, for the EDSRA, after an earlier docking on Feb. 8, 2022, for damage assessment, Naval News reported in July 2023. Capt. JD Crinklaw, identified in that report as commander of the shipyard, said that “the Navy’s rapid response to this challenge has been a true testament to the dedication of our team.”
TWZ’s Sept. 28 report describes the damage as severe, “especially to its bow.” The Navy’s statement does not break down which repairs remain, describing the current work only as structural and systems restoration plus required lifecycle maintenance.
The October 2021 grounding, per the Navy’s findings
Connecticut hit the seamount on Oct. 2, 2021, while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific, USNI News reported on Nov. 4, 2021. A U.S. 7th Fleet statement dated Nov. 1, 2021 said the command investigation had found that “the submarine grounded on an uncharted seamount” and that the report had gone to the 7th Fleet commander for review.
Three days later the Navy announced that Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, had relieved the boat’s commanding officer, executive officer and chief of the boat due to loss of confidence. The Navy’s Nov. 4, 2021, release said Thomas determined that “sound judgement, prudent decision-making and adherence to required procedures in navigation planning, watch team execution and risk management could have prevented the incident.” At that point the submarine was in Guam for damage assessment, with plans to return to Bremerton for repairs.
Why one Seawolf matters
The Seawolf class was built in a run of three: SSN 21, SSN 22 and SSN 23. The Navy’s attack submarine fact file lists the first two boats at 353 feet long and 9,138 tons submerged, with a crew of 140, and describes the class as “exceptionally quiet, fast, well-armed, and equipped with advanced sensors,” with eight torpedo tubes and room for up to 50 weapons in the torpedo room. The third boat, USS Jimmy Carter, carries a 100-foot hull extension and runs 453 feet.
With so few hulls, each one carries a large share of the class’s availability. TWZ’s Sept. 28 report also notes that the Navy’s most recent annual shipbuilding plan calls for inactivating Connecticut in 2031, which would make her the first Seawolf to retire. If the summer 2027 target holds, the boat would return to the fleet roughly four years before that planned inactivation.
The next marker on the record is the Navy’s own: completion of the Extended Docking Selected Restricted Availability at Puget Sound in the summer of 2027.
Top image: USS Connecticut (SSN 22) underway in the Philippine Sea, November 2007. Image Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Stephen W. Rowe — Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Combat Rated editors prior to publication.