US Submarine Officers Relieved of Duty for Collision

Sailors assigned to the Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) return home to Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton after the completion of the multinational maritime Ice Exercise (ICEX) in the Arctic Circle in Bremerton, Wash., on May 7, 2018. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Amanda R. Gray/Released

Three officers on the USS Connecticut (SSN 22), a nuclear-powered submarine, were relieved of duty for hitting an uncharted underwater mountain during a mission in the South China Sea last month, the U.S. Navy announced on Thursday.

Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander of U.S. Seventh Fleet, relieved Cmdr. Cameron Aljilani as commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Cashin as Executive Officer, and Master Chief Sonar Technician Cory Rodgers as Chief of the Boat, due to “loss of confidence,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement.