WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Six Navy personnel on board the nuclear-powered submarine USS Hampton have been punished for forging inspection records for the cooling system of the ship's nuclear reactor, Navy officials said Monday.
The USS Hampton in an undated photograph.
The misconduct was discovered on September 17 but was made public after completion of an initial investigation.
One officer and five enlisted personnel received a "non-judicial punishment" after other Navy personnel discovered their actions, Navy officials said.
The crew neither maintained inspection records nor conducted the required inspection of the chemical levels associated with the cooling system, the Navy officials said. The crew then went back and falsified existing records to make it appear the work had been done, the officials added.
"There is not, and never was, any danger to the crew or the public," the Navy said in a statement.
A fact-finding investigation is under way, and further action against Navy crew members is possible, a navy official said.
In all, the $900 million vessel's crew is composed of 13 officers and 116 enlisted personnel.
It is not clear if the disciplined personnel were still on board the vessel. The Hampton remains in port in San Diego. E-mail to a friend 
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