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The Navy is investigating the brief grounding of a nuclear-powered attack submarine that apparently hit a reef off the coast of San Diego, officials said Thursday.
No one was hurt in the incident, which occurred shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday while the submarine, the San Diego-based Gurnard, was carrying out routine operations, according to Lt. Sonja Hedley, a Navy spokeswoman.
The submarine apparently was undamaged, but was being closely inspected in port, Hedley said. She termed the incident “minor” and said it was “more of a bumping than a grounding.”
The 292-foot Gurnard, which carries a crew of 129 enlisted men and 15 officers, immediately continued on its way under its own power and needed no assistance, she said. It returned to port in San Diego about four hours later.
Navy officials would not say precisely where the incident occurred and refused to speculate on a cause. The investigation is being conducted by Rear Adm. David R. Oliver, commander of Submarine Group 5.
The last time a San Diego-based submarine ran aground was in 1985, when the William H. Bates, also a nuclear-powered attack sub, hit bottom just off the coast of La Jolla.
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