Noise sparks hope for missing sub
ARGENTINIAN CREW’S OXYGEN RUNS OUT Seven days after vessel disappeared, navy cannot confirm if unusual noise was an explosion.
Argentina’s navy is investigating an unusual noise detected in the South Atlantic hours after it last communicated with a missing submarine, but refused to confirm whether it indicated an explosion.
The development came as the clock was ticking down on hopes of finding alive the 44 crew members now missing for a week, despite a massive search of surface and seabed, amid fears their oxygen had run out. The ARA San Juan would have had enough oxygen for its crew to survive underwater in the South Atlantic for seven days since its last contact, according to officials.
On Wednesday, that time had elapsed.
Navy spokesperson Enrique Balbi said a “hydro-acoustic anomaly” was detected in the ocean almost three hours after the last communication with the vessel on November 15, about 48km north of its last known position. Asked if it could have been an explosion, Balbi declined to speculate, saying: “It has to be corroborated and looked into. We are in a very dangerous situation and one that is getting worse.”
Information about the unusual noise became available yesterday after being relayed by the US and after all the information from all agencies reporting such hydro-acoustic events was reviewed.
“It would have been a very loud noise” and one that could have been an explosion, a former sub commander said privately.
High seas and poor visibility in the South Atlantic have hampered the search since it began, about 320km off the Argentine coast. Waves have towered as high as six meters. The conditions have fed hopes that the vessel may be on the surface undetected.
Despite the mechanical problems it reported during its last contact last Wednesday, the crew could survive indefinitely if the sub retained the ability to rise to the surface to “snort”, or replenish its air. Conditions improved on Tuesday but the forecast for yesterday was once again poor.
The 34-year-old German-built diesel-electric submarine that was refitted between 2007 and 2014 had flagged a breakdown and said it was diverting to the navy base at Mar del Plata, where most of the crew members live. It didn’t issue a distress call, however.
The sub’s disappearance has gripped the nation and President Mauricio Macri visited the relatives, who have endured days of false hopes, and prayed with them. US President Donald Trump offered his support on Wednesday, tweeting: “May God be with them and the people of Argentina!”
Underwater sounds detected by two Argentine search ships were determined to originate from a sea creature, not the vessel. Satellite signals were also determined to be false alarms.
Argentina is leading an air-andsea search with help from several countries, including Brazil, Britain, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Peru, the US and Uruguay. The defence ministry said the search area could be expanded sevenfold, though it was already large.
The incident has recalled recent submarine disasters, perhaps most prominently that of the Kursk, a Russian nuclear sub that caught fire and exploded underwater in 2000, killing all 118 on board. An accident aboard a Chinese sub in 2003 killed 70 crew, who apparently suffocated. – AFP