The Strait of Hormuz is a key oil route connecting the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman.
The collision in the strait occurred in darkness when the submarine was submerged.
The craft, the USS Hartford, suffered no damage to its nuclear propulsion system, a spokesman for the 5th Fleet said. The other craft, the amphibious USS New Orleans, suffered a ruptured fuel tank.
Both vessels were heading in the same direction when the collision occurred in the narrow strait and were subsequently heading to port for repairs, the spokesman said, according to the Guardian newspaper.
In the first half of 2008, around 20% of all the oil traded globally passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Some 17 million barrels of oil passed through the strait each day in the period, accounting for 40% of all seaborne traded oil.
The accident comes six weeks after a British nuclear submarine collided with a French vessel deep below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant were carrying nuclear weapons and travelling at low speeds when they collided in early February.
PA/PA
END
MNA