MANILA, Philippines -- The Navy today was investigating a 'minor' collision at sea between the U.S. nuclear submarine Thomas A. Edison and the U.S. destroyer Leftwich that damaged both vessels, officials said.
No injuries were reported in the collision, which occurred during routine operations Monday in the South China Sea.
Both vessels sailed back to their base in the Philippines under their own power, said 7th Fleet Public Affairs Officer Lt. Steve Honda, who described the accident as a 'minor collision.'
'When we say minor, we mean that the vessels were not taking on water or anything of that sort,' Honda said.
Honda said the accident occurred 40 miles west of Subic Bay Naval Base during routine operations in the South China Sea. Both vessels being checked over today in the repair yard at Subic Bay, a 7th Fleet base.
'Material damage is still being assessed but both ships remain operational,' Honda said. No other ships were involved in the accident.
Honda said that at the time of the collision Monday afternoon, the weather was clear at Subic Bay, 60 miles northwest of Manila, but he did not know the conditions at sea.
The Thomas A. Edison is one of five nuclear-powered submarines of the Ethan Allen Class. It was designed to carry 16 Polaris nuclear-tipped missiles in the early 1960s.
But the sub was converted to be used in a conventional attack role and no longer carries ballistic missiles.
The accident was the first of its type involving a U.S. submarine since the George Washington collided with a Japanese freighten off Japan in April 1981, killing two people.
The Leftwich, which carries a crew of 300, has a displacement of 8,000 tons. Its port is San Diego, Calif. The 7,800-ton Thomas A. Edison carries a crew of 140 and is based at Bangor, Wash.
