[WildTurkey]

I am not sure I see buckling of the hull. Basically, if the pressure hull remains intact, the submarine can remain neutrally bouyant while underwater. Damage to the exterior ballast tanks hinders the ability to surface and remain on the surface. That is the damage we see to the sonar and forward ballast tanks.

Looks like a "glancing blow". Another 20 feet to the right and we would still not know about the unknown sea mount.

[steve in DC]

About half way between those two people you will see the walkway go up and over a speedbump.

That speedbump was not in the original design!

That's the buckling.

[Charles Martel]

I am not sure I see buckling of the hull.

Look at the orange construction fence; the walkway to which it is affixed goes "up and over" a bulge in the hull.

[Boot Hill]

"I am not sure I see buckling of the hull."

Top photo, just aft the forward yard worker, look at the shadows, it is buckled up. Also, see the photo I linked to in reply #1.

--Boot Hill

[Viking2002]

Looks like the buckling was topside, port of the walkway, just aft of the damage. I'm not a submariner (though I did spend a couple of years in the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps), but I don't think that bulge was part of the sonar dome.

[Poohbah]

In the first image, you can see the hull bulging behind the damage area--it's distorting the hull line.