BUENOS AIRES — The Argentine Navy announced early Saturday that searchers had found a missing submarine deep in the Atlantic, almost a year to the date after it disappeared with 44 crew members aboard.
The submarine, the San Juan, was detected 2,625 feet deep in waters off the Valdes Peninsula in Argentine Patagonia, the navy’s statement said.
The navy said a “positive identification” had been made by a remote-operated submersible from the Ocean Infinity, an American ship that was hired for the latest search for the missing vessel.
The San Juan disappeared on Nov. 15, 2017, and the missing sailors’ families held a commemoration on Thursday.
President Mauricio Macri observed the anniversary by saying the families should not feel alone, and he delivered an “absolute and nonnegotiable commitment” to find “the truth.”
Mr. Macri had promised a full investigation into the loss of the submarine. The federal police raided naval bases and other buildings in January as part of the inquiry, and the nation’s naval chief was fired.
The San Juan was returning to its base in the coastal city of Mar del Plata when contact was lost.
Argentina gave up hope of finding survivors after an intense search aided by 18 countries, but the navy has continued searching for the vessel.
The German-built, diesel-electric, TR-1700 class submarine was commissioned in the mid-1980s and was most recently refitted between 2008 and 2014. During the $12 million retrofitting, the vessel was cut in half and had its engines and batteries replaced. Experts said refits can be difficult because they involve integrating systems produced by different manufacturers, and even the tiniest mistake during the cutting phase can put the safety of the ship and crew at risk.
On the day of the submarine’s disappearance, the captain reported that water had entered the snorkel and caused one of the sub’s batteries to short-circuit, the navy said.
An explosion was detected hours later near the San Juan’s last known location. The navy said the blast could have been caused by a “concentration of hydrogen” triggered by the battery problem reported by the captain.
Source : Nytimes
