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U.S. Navy Removes Command Triad From Attack Sub After a Reported Grounding

South Dakota
USS South Dakota in New London, CT, June 2026

By The Maritime Executive 2026-11-12 22:22:55

Congress has just found out that the Navy removed all three of the top officers of the attack submarine USS South Dakota last month following a grounding, without letting its congressional oversight committees know of the underlying incident. 

USS South Dakota is a Virginia-class attack submarine commissioned in 2019 and homeported in Groton, Connecticut. The South Dakota is well-regarded: under a previous commander who departed for a Pentagon tour in June, the crew secured a Battle "E" award for readiness and a "Hook-Em" award for anti-submarine warfare prowess. 

The sub's current commanding officer, executive officer and top enlisted officer were all relieved of command on October 14, according to Representatives Adam Smith (D-WA) and Joe Courtney (D-CT). The reported grounding incident occurred sometime in September. The Navy confirmed the removal of Cmdr. Dan Goodwin in a press statement on Tuesday, citing loss of confidence - but did not confirm a grounding, nor the dismissal of the executive officer and the chief of the boat. Representatives Smith and Courtney learned of the incident from the press. 

The Navy has not confirmed a grounding incident, but it has confirmed that the boat came close. On October 6, the Navy awarded a commendation medal to an enlisted crewmember, Electronics Technician Navigation Seaman Ben Boyce. In a statement posted to Facebook by Boyce's family (first reported by the local paper The Day), Seaman Boyce "recognized the rate of shoaling water presented an immediate navigational hazard to the ship" during maneuvers. He spotted a trend and acted - before waiting for the defined protocol - and issued an early warning to crewmates. This "provided the watchteam the critical reaction time necessary to take action to keep the ship safe," the submarine's squadron commander wrote in Boyce's commendation. The note did not explicitly mention a grounding, only a close approach to the bottom, but sources close to the matter told USNI that the sub had had a soft grounding towards the stern. The effect on the boat (if any) has not been reported.

The congressional committees that oversee the Navy may not have been informed of the incident, according to two top Democratic members. "The Armed Services Committee is routinely notified of situations when a command triad has been removed because of a serious mishap. That has not occurred," said Rep. Joe Courtney, the committee's ranking member, in a statement.