Argentina's navy searches for missing submarine with 44 on board

[sandensea]

Argentina’s navy has launched a massive search and rescue operation for a military submarine with 44 crew members that has been missing off the coast of Patagonia for more than two days.

The last radio contact with the San Juan submarine was on Wednesday, when it was 430 km (268 mi) off the coast of the southern province of Chubut, in the area of San Jorge Bay, a naval spokesman said on Friday.

Local media reported that contact with the San Juan was lost after a fire affected the submarine’s radio equipment.

“We are investigating the reasons for the lack of communication,” Argentine naval spokesman Enrique Balbi told reporters. “If there was a communication problem, the boat would have to come to the surface.”

The diesel-powered 66-metre (217 ft) long Class TR 1700 San Juan is one of the Argentine Navy’s three submarines. It was bought from Germany in 1985.

It was on a voyage from Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, to the naval base of Mar del Plata when contact was lost.

Balbi said the submarine had enough food for several days.

At: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/argentinas-navy-searches-for-missing-submarine-with-at-least-40-on-board/ar-BBF5VGS?OCID=ansmsnnews11

[Judi Lynn]

1. Horrible to accept this if it doesn't surface. There's so much distance between the two points, too.

Hope these 44 souls will make it back home.

[sandensea]

3. Your word to God's ear.

That's a very sweet thought, Judi - and thanks for adding the map. Really helps illustrate the distance involved: some 1,168 nautical miles, according to a shipping reference.

The site of this incident is roughly where the d is on 'Rivadavia' on the map. Luckily, the Argentine shelf is very wide, such that the depth at that point should be no more than 400 ft.

The British Naval Base on the Falklands has volunteered to help find the sub, which is very decent of them.

My hope is that this joint effort does end up succeeding, not only so the 44 (43 men, 1 woman) may be found alive obviously; but also because it will help erase the Falklands dispute as a political issue in Argentina for once and for all. I understand it's already faded significantly as an issue as it is, even if not totally.

Thanks as always for your input.

[EX500rider]

2. 32 years old...but did undergo a refit finished in 2012..

...can dive to 980 ft but depends how deep the water is where she might have gone down if that's what happened.
These boats are equipped to accept a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) but her location would have to be found before her air runs out if she has sunk.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TR-1700-class_submarine

[sandensea]

4. Thanks for the input, Ex500rider.

I just mentioned to Judi that fortunately, the Argentine shelf is very wide- such that the depth at that point should be no more than 400 ft.

The site of where it was last pinpointed is roughly where the d is on 'Rivadavia' on the map.

I should also note that the British Naval Base on the Falklands has volunteered to help find the sub, which if successful will hopefully help British-Argentine relations considerably - especially because the Falklands issue among Argentine voters has faded considerably over time already, from what I gather.

Thanks again!

[EX500rider]

5. This picture of the sub isn't very reassuring...

Last edited Sat Nov 18, 2017, 05:58 PM - Edit history (1)

....I have never seen bottom growth on a submarine (barnacles), I have rarely seen it that thick on a ship either.
Does not speak well to the amount of maintenance the sub receives.



http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42030560

[sandensea]

6. That photo must have been from before its refurbishment

Here's one from its relaunching a few years ago:



That said, Argentina does indeed spend what by U.S. standards is microscopic amounts on its military: around $5 billion annually, of which close to 80% goes to pay wages and benefits. The Army gets the lion's share; the Navy, around $1 billion.

This has pretty much been the case since the last dictatorship stepped down in 1983 (when defense budgets were slashed by half in 1984-85, and have stayed there in real terms ever since).

Right-wingers in Argentina, you can imagine, have been fuming ever since.

And they finally found a friend in the new, hard-right president, Mauricio Macri, who named a dictatorship-era official as Defense Minister and tried to go around Congress (illegally, I might add) to secure large hardware purchases from abroad.

His first attempt was called out by Congressman Pete Visclosky, Ranking Member on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, whose office informed Argentine media that Macri had solicited a $2.5 billion military hardware order - around 20 times the annual normal for Argentina. The scandal forced the Argentine ambassador to resign in April.

Having learned his lesson, Macri went to Congress like a good boy and obtained approval for $864 million in naval upgrades. This current tragedy (God bless the victims) might force him to tamp down his militarist impulses a bit.

[EX500rider]

7. Well if they ignored the bottom paint and left her tied up most the time..

....5 years since the refurb would be enough for the growth.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Search for missing Argentine submarine heads in different direction after fresh clue

November 22, 2017 8:51 pm Updated: November 22, 2017 8:57 pm
Search for missing Argentine submarine heads in different direction after fresh clue
By Almudena Calatrava And Luis Andres Henao The Associated Press

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina – Ships and planes hunting for a missing Argentine submarine with 44 crew members will return to a previously searched area after officials said Wednesday that a noise made a week ago in the South Atlantic could provide a clue to the vessel’s location.

The Argentina navy spokesman, Capt. Enrique Balbi, said the “hydro-acoustic anomaly” was determined by the United States and specialist agencies to have been produced Nov. 15, just hours after the final contact with the ARA San Juan and could have come from the sub.

The sound originated about 30 miles north of the submarine’s last registered position, he said.

He said Argentine navy ships as well as a U.S. P-8 Poseidon aircraft and a Brazilian air force plane would return to the area to check out the clue, even though the area already was searched.

More:
https://globalnews.ca/news/3876297/missing-argentine-submarine-new-clue/