In August 1977 the "Ray" was deployed to a Med cruise. On 20 September 1977 "Ray" struck a coral mountain while submerged in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Tunisia due to a combination of equipment failure and crew inexperience. Her nose was blown open by a hydraulic displacement of water, making two "wings" on the port side. The sonar equipment was destroyed and there were several cracks along the hull. There was no other damage to the submarine, but quite a few crew members sustained contusions and got banged around. The worst injuries were sustained by a crew member thrown the length of Auxiliary Machinery 2, who had a dislocated hip and needed 70 stitches. The boat limped to La Maddalena, Sardinia, to cut off the wings, remove loose equipment and shore up the hull. This was followed by a surface transit back to the states for repairs that required a year of work at Charleston Naval Shipyard in Charleston, South Carolina.