The wreckage of the Argentine submarine, the ARA San Juan, has finally been found.
The ARA San Juan went missing exactly one year ago and was just found today. The submarine was out on a routine mission before being ordered to return back to naval base Mar del Plata. After reports of an electrical breakdown, the submarine went dark around 270 miles off the coast of Argentina. It was found today nearly 3000 feet beneath the surface. According to Navy commander Gabriel Attis, an implosion that deformed the entirety of the hull was what caused the vessel to sink. As of today, the cause of the implosion is still unknown.
The families of the 44 crew members gathered today at Mar del Plata after being called forth by the Navy to receive news about their loved ones. Hopefully, they would be able to learn of their fates and receive some closure. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem like it will be the case anytime soon.
According to government officials, the raising of the ARA San Juan is something that the government is capable of doing, but is out of the government’s budget. Apparently, Argentina lacks the means and funds at the moment to pull off the task. This revelation struck a blow to the hearts of the missing crew’s loved ones, as they were told the wreckage has been found, only to be told a short while later that it cannot be brought up.
Honestly, this revelation does not come as a surprise. When the ARA San Juan first went missing, Argentina ended their search and criminal investigation less than a month after it went missing. In addition, Argentina was not the one to finally locate the missing vessel; an American hydrographic survey company by the name of Ocean Infinity was responsible for finding the ARA San Juan. When a private American search firm accomplishes something that the entire Argentine government/military failed to do, it does call into question just how tight their budget is. But given that the country is in the middle of an economic crisis, this was expected.
The families of the missing crew members are not giving up, despite this setback. They fully intend to demand that President Mauricio Macri finds a way to raise the ARA San Juan, so that they may receive some closure and close this tragic chapter of their lives.
