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Lt. Cmdr. Chris Loundermon, spokesman for the Atlantic Fleet Naval Submarine Force.:
Most recently, the attack submarine Newport News and the Japanese oil tanker Mogamigawa collided on Jan. 8 in the busy Strait of Hormuz , a busy strategic chokepoint that runs between Iran and Oman .
According to Loundermon, both ships were headed south and out of the Gulf at about 10:15 p.m. when the submerged submarine was overtaken by the faster moving tanker on the same route.
The movement of the large tanker caused the smaller submarine to be drawn into the ship's surface wake by the intermingling pressure areas created by their hull washes, known in physics as the "Venturi effect."
“The submarine was pulled up toward the tanker,” Loundermon said.
Despite initial reports, Loundermon said the Newport News was not attempting to surface at the time. “Newport News was submerged at depth, on a steady course and speed,” he said.
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