This is what hit a US nuclear submarine.

Analysts Explain USS Connecticut Crash 0:50

Washington (CNN) -

A US nuclear-powered submarine that struck an underwater object in early October struck an unexplored seamount, according to an investigation, forcing it to head from the South China Sea to Guam for repairs.

The USS Connecticut had been operating in the disputed waterway when it struck the object on October 2, but it was unclear at the time what had impacted.

"The investigation determined that USS CONNECTICUT made landfall on an unexplored seamount while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region," a spokesman for the Seventh Fleet told CNN in a statement.

The US Seventh Fleet operates in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Although some members of the crew suffered some injuries and the submarine presented some damage, the Navy said that the nuclear power plant was not affected in the accident.

None of the injuries were life-threatening.

The command investigation for the USS Connecticut has been submitted to Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, the commander of the Seventh Fleet, for review, according to the statement.

Thomas will decide whether "follow-up actions, including accountability, are appropriate."

USNI News was the first to report the results of the investigation.

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The submarine had an incident in the China Sea

The collision came at a particularly sensitive time in US-China relations, as the Chinese military was sending waves of planes into the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone.

On the day of the accident, China flew 39 aircraft to the Air Defense Identification Zone.

Two days later, China flew a record 56 aircraft to the area in a 24-hour period.

Although the number of raids decreased for a short period, they have since started again.

On Sunday, the Taiwan Defense Ministry said eight People's Liberation Army planes entered the Air Defense Identification Zone, and another six flew in on Monday.

Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Beijing have increased.

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for Taiwan to have a "meaningful participation" in the United Nations, calling Taiwan's participation "not a political issue, but a pragmatic one."

The statement sparked an irate reprimand from Beijing, which sees unification with the independently ruled island as one of its main goals and strongly opposes Taipei's participation in international forums.

"If the US side chooses to continue playing the reckless 'Taiwan card', it would inevitably pose seismic risks to Sino-US relations, seriously undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and seriously damage interests. of the US, "Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said a day after Blinken's statement.

Zhao also said that Taipei's current policy is "the greatest realistic threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

On Thursday, Taiwan's defense minister openly acknowledged that US military personnel are training Taiwanese troops.

"The US military is only helping train (our troops), but they are not based here," Chiu Kuo-cheng said, according to Taiwan's official Central News Agency.

CNN's Eric Cheung, Steven Jiang, and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.

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