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Detected sounds did not come from missing submarine

Sounds detected by probes in the South Atlantic did not come from an ARA "San Juan" that has been lost for five days now. The "noise" was analysed and experts determined it was likely "biological." The sounds did not come from tools being banged against the hull of a submarine. The noise was heard by the two Argentine research ships about 360 kilometres from the Argentine coast and at a depth of about 200 metres. A US Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft was sent to help in the effort to isolate the source of the sounds. More than a dozen international vessels and aircraft have joined the search, which has been hindered by stormy weather that has caused waves up to six metres. In the first confirmation of a malfunction, an Argentine navy official said that the submarine reported a battery failure on Nov 15 and was returning to the base Mar del Plata when it went missing. Brief satellite calls over the weekend had originally been thought to indicate the crew was trying to re-establish contact, prompting emotional celebrations by family members and officials. Officials analysed the seven low-frequency satellite signals and determined they were not received from the submarine. Although the boat carried enough food, oxygen and fuel for the crew to survive about 90 days on the sea's surface, it had only enough oxygen to last seven days submerged.

Search vessels picked up signal which may come from missing submarine

The search vessels on Nov 20 have picked up what may be a distress signal from the missing submarine ARA "San Juan". The two ships identified a sonar signature that could be the sound of tools banging on the submarine's hull. While it was "intermittent and weak," the signature allowed the Argentine Navy to narrow the search area to a 35-square mile region located about 300 nm off the coast of Patagonia. As many as 20 vessels from the UK, Chile and Argentina were braving 20-foot waves to look for the missing submarine which had only had about seven days' worth of oxygen on board, and even if it were still functional and traveling below the surface, it would not be able to come up for air because the sea state was too rough. The last radio contact with the "San Juan" pointed to a "failure" or "short circuit" in the vessel's battery system. At the time of contact, the problem was not considered an emergency, and all crewmembers were reported safe. Shoreside commanders instructed the "San Juan" to head for its home base at Mar del Plata for repairs; however, the vessel lost contact the same day and has not been heard from since. A series of seven satellite communication attempts that the Argentine Navy reported on Nov 18 turned out to be a false alarm. Officials now believed that the calls originated from a ship that was broadcasting on the frequency normally used by the "San Juan". The U.S. Navy has dispatched two complete sets of submarine rescue equipment to the scene in case the vessel is found. Its San Diego-based Undersea Rescue Command dispatched two independent rescue systems that are suitable for the variable ocean depths found near South America's southeastern coast. Four cargo planes full of gear for the first system arrived in Argentina on Nov 19. The first system, the Submarine Rescue Chamber, is a McCann rescue chamber designed during World War II and still used today. It can rescue up to six persons at a time and reach a bottomed submarine at depths of 850 feet. The second rescue system, the Pressurized Rescue Module, will be transported by additional flights and is scheduled to arrive in Argentina early next week. It can submerge up to 2,000 feet for docking and mating, with a submarine settled on the ocean floor up to 45-degree angle in both pitch and roll. It can rescue up to 16 personnel at a time. Both systems are operated by two crewmembers and mate with the submarine by sealing over the submarine's hatch, allowing sailors to safely transfer to the rescue chamber.

Research ship looking for missing submarine

The oceanographic ships "Ara Austral" and "Puerto Deseado" have reached the search zone of the missing Argentinian submarine "San Juan" with the entire team of scientists from CONICETDialoga, UBA and Segemar on board. The "Austral" is equipped with a Norwegiam multi-beam echo sounder EM 122 Kongsberg capable of displaying real-time depths of up to 11,000 meters with an accuracy of 99.9% in real time. The ships had sailed in the morning of Nov 18, 2017, from the port of Mar del Plata. As of Nov 20, no news on any traces have been found, signals detected on Nov 18 probably originated from other source. On Nov 18 seven indistinct satellite signals were detected by Argentinian Navy. The US satellite company, Iridium Communications, which was brought in to help find the vessel, said the signals did not come from the sub and may have come from other satellite equipment. On Nov 18 the International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO), which is dedicated to the search and rescue of sunk submarines around the world, claimed it detected the "San Juan" about 300 kilometers east of Puerto Madryn at some 70 meters depth which was, however, not confirmed. A full-scale SAR is under way in waters near the last known position of the missing submarine, including all available Navy ships and planes, and merchant marine and fishing vessels in the area. There wer e44 crew members on board when the boat went missing on Nov 15. Initial reports mentioning storage battery fire weren’t confirmed by latest updates. The emergency beacon didn’t surface so the rescuers didn’t know the exact position of the submarine, and therefore were unable to locate it. Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, the United States, Great Britain and South Africa offered their help after the boat disappeared in waters of Puerto Madryn, northern Patagonia. The TR-1700-class diesel-electric submarine was in active service with the Argentine Navy since having been built at the Thyssen Nordseewerke in Emden in 1983. It has a displacement if 2140 tonnes (surfaced) and 2336 tonnes (submerged), and an armament of torpedoes. Photos: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DO_-sW-WAAEqcWj.jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DO8InDBX0AA_xLk.jpg