American submarine moored at Portsmouth dockyard - stock photo

Portsmouth, England - November 1, 2012: The American nuclear powered submarine ‘USS Hartford’ (SSN-768) moored at Portsmouth dockyard. Military personnel are grouped on the superstructure and the dockside. Dockyard workers can be seen on the adjacent Royal Navy warship on the other side of the quay, where it is undergoing servicing and repairs. The ‘Hartford’ is a Los Angeles class attack submarine, built in 1988, and named for Hartford, Connecticut, the second US Navy ship to be named after this city. The submarine was involved in a collision with the ‘USS New Orleans’ in the Strait of Hormuz in 2009, causing damage to both vessels. The visit of the submarine to Portsmouth caused some delays to the local Wightlink ferries because it necessitated the closure of the harbour to allow the submarine to traverse the busy shipping lanes.