[caltaxed]

Hate to say it, but the San Juan hit the that boomer back in 1998, they just cut out the portion of the hull and kept it in service. They do all of the necessary NDT testing and such to make sure it's good to go.

Hull repairs reduce structural integrity, and the 688 class was piss-poor to start with.

[SolitaryMan]

They do hull cuts all of the time, even before the boats commissioned, during new construction and subsequent upgrades and overhauls. Not all the equipment in the boat comes in through the hatches. In fact during each overhaul, there are typically three or more hull cuts in the people tank to allow for the access, removal and repair of equipment.