Navy: Submarine, Aegis cruiser collide off East Coast

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The Navy submarine and the Aegis cruiser that collided off the East Coast were both back in port, and officialswere  investigating what went wrong, the Pentagon said late Sunday.

Lt. Cmdr. Brian Badura of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command said in a news release that the submarine USS Montpelier arrived at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in southern Georgia. The USS San Jacinto arrived at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Fla.

The vessels collided at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday during routine training operations. No one was injured. The news release said now that the ships are back in port, crews can further determine the extent of the damage.

“We have had circumstances where Navy vessels have collided at sea in the past, but they’re fairly rare as to how often they do take place,” Cmdr. Badura told The Associated Press.

Navy officials said the collision was under investigation but declined to offer more specifics, including where it happened.

The news release said that the sub’s propulsion plant was not damaged.