Mystery of lost Argentine Navy submarine solved a year after disappearing with 44 aboard

World

The Argentine Navy announced on Saturday that a private company hired by the government has located the submarine ARA San Juan some 800 meters (2625 feet) below the ocean’s surface a year after it went missing with 44 crew members on board.

The San Juan had a seven-day supply of air when it made its last report on its position on Nov. 15, 2017. The crew was ordered to return to a naval base at Mar del Plata on the country’s east coast, after it reported that water had entered the vessel through its snorkel.

A maritime company – Ocean Infinity, that can search and map the seabed, was hired by Argentina following the failure of a massive international operation to find the vessel after it had disappeared in the South Atlantic.

The San Juan was about 430 km (270 miles) off Argentina’s Patagonian coast when it last made contact.

The disaster was a major drawback for Argentina. The country has experienced a series of financial crises  and has one of Latin America’s smallest defense budgets relative to the size of its economy.

Relatives of crew members of the San Juan submarine on Saturday outside the naval base in Mar del Plata, Argentina.CreditCreditFederico Cosso/Associated Press

 

Images showing the wreckage of the San Juan.Credit Argentine Navy

 

The San Juan in 2011.CreditMario De Fina/Associated Press

 

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