Noises detected in sea ‘could be coming from missing sub’
NOISES that could be a distress signal from the crew of the missing Argentine submarine were heard last night.
The sonar systems of two ships detected sounds akin to tools being banged against the hull of a submarine, a senior US Navy official said.
The official said crews of submarines in distress bang on the vessel’s hull to alert passing ships to their location.
It was claimed the navy was able to fix the rough location of the sounds the two ships picked up. Last night searches were concentrating on an area of 35 square nautical miles in the Atlantic Ocean about 330miles off the coast of Argentina.
The news will bring fresh hope to the families of the missing crew.
The submarine’s last known communication was to report a breakdown last Wednesday – described as a short-circuit in its batteries.
After reporting mechanical issues, the submarine was then asked to change course and go to Mar del Plata, according to Gabriel Galeazzi, the head of the naval base in the eastern city, 250 miles south of Buenos Aires.
The Argentinian navy says that although the vessel has enough food and fuel to survive 90 days on the surface, its 44strong crew – including the country’s first female submarine officer, Eliana Krawczyk, only had enough oxygen to survive for seven days underwater. The Royal Navy has deployed HMS Protector, an ice patrol ship, and a C-130 Hercules aircraft to help with the search.
In a setback, it emerged that seven failed satellite phone calls detected by navy listening posts on Saturday morning were not from the submarine, as had previously been hoped.
If the crew is not found, it would be the country’s worst submarine disaster in over a decade. Authorities have mainly been scanning the sea from the sky, as storms have made it difficult for boats.