Satellite signals give hope to search for Argentine submarine

A SEARCH-and-rescue operation for an Argentine navy submarine missing in the South Atlantic with 44 crew members aboard reached its third day yesterday, after failed satellite calls likely to be from the vessel raised hopes that the crew are alive.

The US Navy said early yesterday morning it would send an aircraft with 21 personnel from Jacksonville, Florida, to assist with the search for the German-built ARA San Juan, which was 432km off Argentina’s southern Atlantic coast when it sent its last communication early on Wednesday.

The submarine likely tried to make seven satellite calls on Saturday between late morning and early afternoon, the Argentine defence ministry said.

Stormy weather probably interfered with the calls, and the government was working with an unidentified US company that specialises in satellite communication to trace the location.

The new US navy aircraft would join another US aircraft and Argentine planes and sea vessels scouring the southern sea as whipping winds and waves of more than 7m hindered the search.

Countries from Chile to Britain and South Africa also offered help.

A search of 80% of the area initially targeted for the operation turned up no sign of the vessel on the ocean surface, but the crew should have ample supplies of food and oxygen, according to Argentine navy spokesman Enrique Balbi.

The navy said an electrical outage on the diesel-electric-propelled vessel might have downed its communications.

Protocol calls for submarines to surface if communication is lost.

Family members of the crew gathered at a naval base in the coastal city of Mar del Plata, where the submarine had been destined to arrive.

Among those on board is Argentina’s first woman submarine officer, 35-year-old weapons officer Eliana Krawczyk.

Argentine-born Pope Francis mentioned the missing vessel in his noon prayer yesterday.

The ARA San Juan was inaugurated in 1983, making it the newest of the three submarines in the navy’s fleet. Built in Germany by Nordseewerke, it underwent mid-life maintenance in 2008 in Argentina.

The signals were received at 10.52am and 3.42pm on various naval bases but they did not lock in, thus preventing a full connection.

The calls revived hopes that the submarine had surfaced, but a powerful storm that had whipped up waves reaching 7m had made geolocation difficult, officials said.

There was a feeling of cautious enthusiasm, naval expert Fernando Morales told C5N television yesterday.

He said the attempt to use a satellite phone indicated that the submarine had to emerge to a depth that allowed the call.

“We will do what is necessary to find the submarine as soon as possible,” Argentine President Mauricio Macri tweeted. – Reuters, AFP