USS Hartford and USS New Orleans collision The USS " Hartford " and USS " New Orleans " collision was a collision between the United States Navy and the United States Navy on 20 March 2009 . It occurred in the Strait of Hormuz , between Iran , the United Arab Emirates , and Musandam , an exclave of Oman . Both ships incurred millions of dollars ' worth of damage in the collision which required repair in drydock . A U . S . Navy investigation into the collision found that the " Hartford " was solely to blame for the accident . According to the Navy , the accident was caused by poor , lax leadership on the submarine and a failure to adequately prepare for and conduct the crossing of the Hormuz Strait by the crew . As a result , the captain and several other officers and sailors were removed or disciplined . Collision . The collision occurred about 1 : 00 am local time ( 5 : 00 pm EST , 19 March 2009 ) as " Hartford " and " New Orleans " transited the Strait of Hormuz . The collision inflicted minor injuries on 15 sailors on the " Hartford " and ruptured a fuel tank on the " New Orleans , " spilling of diesel fuel . Both vessels continued on under their own power . The " Hartford " was submerged and at periscope depth at the time of the collision . The vessel was southbound en route to Jebel Ali , while " New Orleans " was westbound to enter the Persian Gulf as part of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group . " Hartford " is believed to have rolled about 85° during the collision and sustained extensive damage to its sail , periscope and port bow plane , totalling over $ 100 million . There was no damage to the nuclear reactor . An inspection of " New Orleans " in Manama , Bahrain by Navy divers found a hole in the ship ' s hull , a ruptured fuel tank , and interior damage to two ballast tank s . Aftermath . The Navy announced 14 April 2009 that " Hartford " ' s skipper , Commander Ryan Brookhart , was relieved of duty by Rear Admiral Michael J . Connor because of a loss of confidence in Brookhart ' s ability to command . The Chief of the Boat , Master Chief Electronics Technician Stefan Prevot , was also relieved . Brookhart was replaced by Commander Chris Harkins , deputy commander of Submarine Squadron Eight . In addition , the navigator , executive officer , weapons officer and 10 other sailors were subjected to non - judicial punishment . Furthermore , administrative action was taken against three direct support element members assigned to Naval Information Operations Command in Georgia plus a fleet intelligence specialist based near Washington , D . C . On 19 April , " Hartford " began a surface transit back to the U . S . for further repair , arriving two months later . After reaching home port , the U . S . Navy made three repair contracts with General Dynamics Electric Boat for a total of $ 102 . 6 million . The repairs included the installation of a hull patch and a bridge access trunk , along with a portside retractable bow plane and sail . The final cost was $ 120 million when " Hartford " returned to duty in February , 2011 . " New Orleans " was repaired in Bahrain for $ 2 . 3 million and returned to duty . Investigation findings . On 28 October 2009 Submarine Force Commander Jay Donnelly explained that the primary cause of the collision was complacency and poor management on the part of " Hartford " ′ s crew . According to Donnelly , " There was a great deal of complacency involved in the crew . They had been at sea for 63 days operating in areas with high contact density . There were a whole host of watchstanders that failed to recognize the sensor data that was presented to them . " The Navy ' s JAG investigation into the collision stated that the collision was solely the fault of the " Hartford " . The report found numerous safety , operational , personnel , and command problems in the submarine . The problems included the captain ' s failure to communicate a plan for crossing the strait , poor contact management , a lax command attitude , and a failure to correct watchstanders who were known to sleep on duty . At the time of the collision , the navigator was listening to an iPod in the wardroom . Furthermore , the captain was never present in the control room at any time during the crossing of the strait .