Sound heard in Argentine sub search comes from ‘explosion’

An apparent explosion occurred near the time and place an Argentine submarine went missing, the country’s navy reported Thursday — an ominous development that prompted relatives of the 44 crew members to burst into tears, and some to say they had lost all hope of rescue.

Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said the search will continue until there is full certainty about the fate of the ARA San Juan. He said evidence showed “an anomalous event that was singular, short, violent and non-nuclear that was consistent with an explosion.”

The U.S. Navy and an international nuclear test-ban monitoring organization said the “hydro-acoustic anomaly” was produced just hours after the navy lost contact with the submarine on Nov. 15. “According to this report, there was an explosion,” Balbi told reporters. “We don’t know what caused an explosion of these characteristics at this site on this date.”

The sub was originally scheduled to arrive Monday at the Mar del Plata Navy Base, about 250 miles (400 kilometres) southeast of Buenos Aires. Relatives of the crew who have gathered at the base to receive psychological counselling broke into tears and hugged each other after they received the news. Some fell on their knees or clung to a fence crowded with blue-and-white Argentine flags, rosary beads and messages of support. Most declined to speak, while a few others lashed out in anger at the navy’s response.

“They sent a piece of crap to sail,” said Itati Leguizamon, wife of submarine crew member German Suarez. “They inaugurated a submarine with a coat of paint and a flag in 2014, but without any equipment inside. The navy is to blame for its 15 years of abandonment.”

The German-built diesel-electric TR-1700 class submarine was commissioned in 1985 and was most recently refit in 2014.

During the $12 million retrofitting, the vessel was cut in half and had its engines and batteries replaced. Experts say that refits can be difficult because they involve integrating systems produced by different manufacturers and even the smallest mistake during the cutting phase of the operation can put the safety of the ship and the crew at risk.