The "stuck" description of the incident is perhaps a bit forceful(?).

The article I saw a couple of days ago indicated that the rudder was grounded, and they were unable to free it. Since they were on early sea trials, it likely was under a part-power limitation and they wouldn't likely try very hard to shake loose, at least until a full and accurate assessment of the situation was in hand.

Once the ship shut down, and the divers looked it over, it probably made very good sense to wait for the tide, and a tow craft, to "preserve the evidence" as much as to prevent further damage.

"Absorbent panels" as used on "stealth submarines" are a lot like the ones used on "stealth airplanes" which, in the latter case are so fragile that the "most modern aircraft" can't fly if it's raining and can't even be left out in the rain on the runway.

As to the detection of obstacles, while weather radar and navigation radar/sonar are somewhat different, nearly all such systems have a blind "near zone" that precludes seeing much of anything closer than the interval between "turning off the ping and turning on the receiver." The "obstacle" should have been seen before they got there, but within a certain (unknown) distance it probably was "invisible." And the obstacle may have been as "absorbent" as the tiles on the sub - i.e. undetectable. (Anybody know the sonar reflectivity coefficient for bottom muck?)

A few, mostly smaller, aircraft have weather radar notoriously incapable of looking "straight ahead." This is because the "stylists" thought "pointy noses" were sexy, and the beam is diffracted/scattered as it sweeps past the "point." To see what's straight ahead in one of these planes, you jam the rudder hard to one side, and drop a wing so that you can "fly sideways" - but I'm not sure there's an equivalent "simple maneuver" for a sub with a narrow view of things, and it's not too useful during a turbulent penetration of a squall line in an airplane.

Obviously an AWSHIT, but at least nobody was shooting at them so the cautious recovery seems like a pretty good SOP, even if it is a bit embarrassing.

John