FOUND - Argentine submarine goes missing with 44 crew members on board, November 2017

[StarryNight]

I'm glad they found it. Sadly, I don't think there are any remains to be found at this point. I hate that for the families.

 

[PrairieWind]

I'm glad they found it. Sadly, I don't think there are any remains to be found at this point. I hate that for the families.

I would have to agree. I am sure there are some remains in the submarine, but given the length of time and depth, and that any recovery would have to be done by ROV, I don't think it would be possible to recover anything. Sadly, I think those sailors will have to remain there. That would be a tough thing to endure as a loved one, know your child or spouse's body will forever lay at the bottom of the cold ocean.

 

[PrairieWind]

Thanks for explaining about the implosion that would occur even if they had a failure at the surface at first that caused it to sink. I was thinking the exact same thing about the pictures and seeing imploded metal.

The reporters need to be careful not to say the implosion was the actual cause because it may not have even imploded until it sank past the depth where it was even supposed to go. Some other failure could have caused it to sink down which could have been the real cause of the accident.

No matter how it went down I just feel sad for all on board and their families. Prayers for all of them.

Agree, very sad. Some catastrophe caused the submarine to descend below its crush depth. We will likely never know what that was. Subs are complex machines, and I am sure there are thousands of things that could go wrong. I wish we had a submariner here to explain some of those. There had been some communication about battery problems, and I would think that is the most likely place that trouble began. I believe subs have emergency systems that can blow ballast quickly to bring the sub to the service. So am speculating that whatever happened occurred quickly and the crew was unable to activate those procedures. If the batteries had exploded or began leaking poisonous gas, the crew could have been incapacitated, the sub left with now power and then, out of control, sinks to the bottom. I would be interested to know if the entire sub appears to be imploded or only part. If its only part, that could indicate that the un-imploded section was flooded, and that flooding is what drug the sub down. That is a horrifying scenario to me, because the sailors in the un-flooded sections could have been conscious and aware of what was happening. Unable to do anything to stop the impending implosion that they knew was coming.
I certainly hope that the Argentine navy has removed its remaining subs from service. Subs are not something that can be operated on a shoe string budget when it comes to maintenance and especially training.

 

[Cryptic]

I certainly hope that the Argentine navy has removed its remaining subs from service. Subs are not something that can be operated on a shoe string budget when it comes to maintenance and especially training.

They only have one other submarine which is the same age as the lost one. Though technically still on the navy rolls, it has been docked indefinitely in a permanent non sailing status.

I think what drove the Argentinians to operate the aging submarine after a shoe string re-fit and limited crew training was that arch rival Chile has working submarines. In addition, following the Falklands War, the UK keeps a full destroyer in the Falklands (very close to Argentina) instead of say, a coast guard type patrol ship.