Missing sub - Argentina says it may have received signals | World Defense

Missing sub - Argentina says it may have received signals

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
Argentina says it may have received signals from missing sub
19.11.2017

2NA7RMSLBBAX3A2Z6HZRHL5LHQ.jpg

This 2014 photo provided by the Argentina Navy shows the ARA San Juan, a German-built diesel-electric vessel, docked in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentina's Navy said Friday, Nov. 17, 2017, it has lost contact with its ARA San Juan submarine off the country's southern coast. (Argentina Navy via AP)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s Navy detected seven brief satellite calls Saturday that officials believe may have come from a submarine with 44 crew members that hadn’t been heard from in three days.

The communication attempts “indicate that the crew is trying to re-establish contact, so we are working to locate the source of the emissions,” the Navy said on its Twitter account, adding that the calls lasted between four and 36 seconds.

Argentine authorities clarified that it has not been confirmed the calls came from the submarine, the ARA San Juan, though that is the working hypothesis.
Earlier Saturday, Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said the area being searched off the country’s southern Atlantic coast has been doubled as concerns about the fate of the submarine and its crew grew.

“We are not discounting any hypothesis,” Balbi said, adding that possibilities to explain the submarine’s disappearance include “a problem with communications” or with its power system.

3CXA7P5E3JGCLIS66ICZ433AYA.jpg

The Argentine ship Comandante Espora sails off the navel base in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017. This ship is is part of a searching crew to find a submarine that hadn't been heard from in three days. Authorities last had contact with the German-built diesel-electric sub, the ARA San Juan, on Wednesday as it was on a voyage from the extreme southern port of Ushuaia to Mar del Plata. (Vicente Robles/AP)

Authorities last had contact with the German-built, diesel-electric sub on Wednesday as it was on a voyage from the extreme southern port of Ushuaia to Mar del Plata.

Argentine President Mauricio Macri said in a tweet that the country will use “all resources national and international that are necessary to find the submarine.”

DO8gSwgXUAAVwyj.jpg

#BREAKING: Undersea Rescue Command ordered to deploy to Argentina to support ongoing search for Argentinean Navy submarine A.R.A. San Juan -

Pledges of help came from Chile, Uruguay, Peru and Brazil, as well as the United States, which sent a NASA scientific aircraft and a Navy plane. Britain was sending a polar exploration vessel, the HMS Protector, which British officials said should arrive Sunday.
The U.S. Navy ordered its Undersea Rescue Command based in San Diego, California, to deploy to Argentina to support the search for the submarine. The command includes a remotely operated vehicle and vessels capable of rescuing people from bottomed submarines.


BREAKING @USNavy deploys Undersea Rescue Command (URC) to support search for Argentinean Navy submarine A.R.A. San Juan. URC is sending Submarine Rescue Chamber (SRC) & Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), then Pressurized Rescue Module (US Navy file footage

Adm. Gabriel Gonzalez, chief of the Mar del Plata Naval Base, said they are coordinating “with units from the United Kingdom and the United States.” Britain and Argentina fought a war in 1982 over the Falklands Islands, which are called the Malvinas in Argentina.

DO9C3bPWAAElL6d.jpg

DO9C386WAAA3DWY.jpg

DO9C4LSW4AAG3Zc.jpg

DO9C4rzXkAAzU_7.jpg

#BREAKING: Submarine rescue chamber and other assets being mobilized at @MCASMiramarCA to support search for Argentinean Navy submarine A.R.A. San Juan

Relatives of the crew members gathered at the Mar del Plata Naval Base in the hopes of hearing news about their loved ones.
“We feel anguish. We are reserved but will not lose our hope that they will return,” Marcela Moyano, wife of machinist Hernan Rodriguez, told television network TN.
She said she spoke with her husband when the submarine departed and is still sending him WhatsApp messages, though he has not responded.
From the Vatican, Argentine Pope Francis said he was making “fervent prayers” for the crew.

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2...t-may-have-received-signals-from-missing-sub/
 

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
ARA San Juan: Satellite calls could have come from Argentinian submarine missing in South Atlantic
20.11.2017

Argentina's Defence Ministry says seven failed "satellite calls" that it believes came from a missing submarine were detected three days after the vessel lost contact.

Key points:
  • The calls lasted between four and 36 seconds
  • The ministry said it was working on tracing the location of the calls
  • A search of 80 per cent of the area initially targeted turned up no sign of the vessel, navy spokesperson says
The calls could be a sign the 44-strong crew of the ARA San Juan was trying to re-establish contact.

The calls lasted between four and 36 seconds in the late morning and early afternoon on Saturday (local time), the ministry said in an emailed statement.

Authorities said they could not confirm the calls came from the submarine, but said that was the working hypothesis.

The satellite communications were believed to have failed because of foul weather, a source in the defence ministry who was not authorised to speak publicly told Reuters.

It was not immediately clear what type of calls the vessel may have tried to make.

9166576-3x2-700x467.jpg

Authorities are not yet able to confirm the radio calls came from the San Juan submarine (pictured).

But submarines that are stricken underwater can float a location beacon known as an EPIRB to the surface that can then emit emergency signals via satellite.

The ministry said it was working on tracing the location with an unnamed US company specialised in satellite communications.

Argentina's navy said an electrical outage on the diesel-electric-propelled vessel might have downed its communications. Navy rules say submarines should surface if communication is lost.

The last confirmed location of the German-built ARA San Juan was 432 kilometres off Argentina's southern Atlantic coast early on Wednesday.

But a storm with powerful winds and waves 6 metres high has disrupted the search efforts, navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said earlier today.

9164454-3x2-700x467.jpg

The navy said the San Juan's last known position was in the San Jorge Gulf.

The US Navy said it was deploying a deep-sea rescue mission to Argentina from California to support the effort, with a remotely operated vehicle and two vessels capable of rescuing people from bottomed submarines set to arrive in coming days.

Pledges of help came from Chile, Uruguay, Peru and Brazil, while the United Kingdom was sending a polar exploration vessel, the HMS Protector, which British officials said should arrive on Sunday.

A search of 80 per cent of the area initially targeted for the operation turned up no sign of the vessel, Mr Balbi said.

He said the crew should have ample supplies of food and oxygen.

Conducting his weekly Angelus prayer at the Vatican, Pope Francis, an Argentinian, said the submarine crew was in his prayers.

Families hopeful 'this will end soon'
In the resort and fishing city of Mar del Plata, where the submarine had been destined to arrive before vanishing, a Catholic Mass was held in honour of the crew members.

9166462-3x2-700x467.jpg

Map of Argentina's San Jorge Gulf, the submarine's last known location.

Many family members of crew awaited news at the city's naval base.

"We're hopeful this will end soon to remain only as a bad memory," Maria Morales, the mother of crew member Luis Esteban Garcia said.

Carlos Zavalla, a navy commander, urged loved ones of crew members not to give up hope.

"So far, the only concrete thing is the lack of communication," he said on TV channel A24. "That's all."

If the search ends in tragedy, the episode could put the country's poor safety record in the spotlight, with potential political implications for President Mauricio Macri.

His centre-right government has set an ambitious target for cutting government spending and told Reuters in March that it had few funds at the ready to replace an outdated military fleet beyond buying aircraft for training pilots.

Reuters

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-...-calls-detected-likely-from-submarine/9166324
 

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
BREAKING: @USNavy deploys unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) to Argentina to join in the search for the Argentine navy submarine A.R.A. San Juan. Deployment includes one Bluefin 12D (Deep) UUV and three Iver 580 UUVs.

DPCjJmtUEAAnz8W.jpg

DPCjHTiUQAEUOux.jpg

DPCkaA0X0AAyx_2.jpg

 
Last edited:

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
P8.jpg


DO48TX0UMAAflLe.jpg

BREAKING: @USNavy deploying additional P-8A Poseidon to Argentina to support the ongoing international search for the Argentinean Navy’s submarine A.R.A. San Juan. (U.S. Navy file photo)

 
Last edited:

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
The Sub was not that old, although initially commissioned in Nov 1985, it went through a Mid Life Upgrade and was re-commissioned in May 2014.

Massive Rescue efforts are underway with the navy's of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, NATO Sub Rescue Systems, Peru, UK and US working around the clock, racing against time. Lets hope and pray the 44 souls are found alive.


Argentine Navy receives refurbished TR1700 class submarine ARA San Juan
June19th2014

The Argentine Navy took re-delivery of TR-1700 class submarine ARA San Juan last month after the boat underwent a mid-life update (MLU) program at the Argentine Naval Industrial Complex CINAR.

The refurbishing included the torpedo tubes, the hydraulic and electric systems, new navigation equipment, radar and periscope.

The TR1700 San Juan has a 2.100 tons displacement and makes 15 knots on surface and 25 knots submerged. It has a 30 days autonomy, six torpedo launchers, can carry 22 torpedoes and carries a crew of 37.

With the latest reincorporation the Argentine submarine operational force based in Mar del Plata naval compound has three units, two TR1700, ARA San Juan and ARA Santa Cruz and one U209 ARA Salta. There is still a fourth TR1700 unit ARA Santa Fe, half assembled in Argentina but since the eighties frozen because of lack of funds.

http://en.mercopress.com/2014/06/19...furbished-tr1700-class-submarine-ara-san-juan
 

Lieutenant

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 25, 2014
Messages
1,885
Reactions
2,410 25 0
If the submarine experienced a power outage how can the oxygen generators work? Unless manually handled for the chemical reaction to keep the cycle maintained, the alleged signal received won't be related to the submarine!
 

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
Santa Cruz class Diesel-Electric Attack Submarine

Currently the most important submarines of the Argentine navy. The two Santa Cruz class diesel-electric boats are the result of a somewhat chequered early history. In November 1977 the Argentine navy contracted with Thussen Nordseewerke for the building of two TR 1700 type submarines in West Germany and the provision of parts and supervision for the manufacture of four more boats in Argentina at the Astilleros Domecq Garcia facility in Buenos Aires.

As the Argentine navy's plan was originally conceived, the boats to be built in Argentina were to have been two more TR 1700 type submarines and two examples of the somewhat smaller TR 1400 type. In 1982, however, the contract details were finalised for a class of six TR 1700 type submarines and no TR 1400 type units.

The two boats built in West Germany are the Santa Cruz and San Juan, which were laid down in December 1980 and March 1982, launched in September 1982 and June 1983, and commissioned in October 1984 and November 1985 respectively. There were problems with the four boats to be built in Argentina, however, for in 1996, when the initial pair of submarines, destined for completion as the Santa Fe and Santiago del Estero, were 52 and 30 per cent complete respectively, work ended. In February of that year the dockyard was sold, and what had been completed of the two boats was cannibalized to aid in the maintenance of the two West German-built boats. The same fate befell the equipment delivered from West Germany for the last two boats that were to have been built in Argentina but were not, in the even, even laid down.

The TR 1700 type was of notably advanced concept for its time, and offered both a high underwater speed and a considerable operational diving depth. The standard endurance is 30 days, but the maximum figure is believed to be 70 days. An automatic reloading system is provided for the torpedo tubes, this system performing the reloading of the torpedo tubes in just 50 seconds. The boats also have the capability to carry and land small parties of commando troops for special forces missions.

Both the Santa Cruz and San Juan are based at Mar del Plata, which is the home of the Argentine navy's small submarine force. Between September 1999 and 2001 the Santa Cruzreceived a mid-life update at a Brazilian yard, and a similar update is planned for the San Juan at Puerto Belgrano in Argentina as and when the Argentine economy makes this feasible. The upgrade involves, among other things, the replacement of the submarine's main motors and the updating of the sonar system's active/passive search and passive ranging units.

The torpedoes carried by the TR 1700 type submarines are German SST-4 and US Mk 37 wire-guided types with swim-out discharge. The former carries a 260-kg warhead to a distance of 12 or 28 km at 35 or 23 km, and the latter delivers a 150-kg warhead to 8 km at 24 kts
.
Santa Cruz class Sub.JPG

http://www.military-today.com/navy/santa_cruz_class.htm

************************************************************************************************************************

ARA San Juan S-42, commissioned in November of 1985, maintains an active presence in the Argentine Navy today.

Lacking the shipbuilding capabilities and knowhow to produce an all-modern attack submarine, the Argentine Navy turned to oat-maker Thyssen Nordseewerke of Emden, Germany for the task. The result was the TR-1700-class of which six boats were originally planned. In the end, however, just two were completed with construction suspended on the remaining four. The two to make it out of the program were ARA Santa Cruz (S-41) and sister-ship ARA San Juan (S-42). The boats were commissioned in October of 1984 and November of 1985, respectively with both maintaining an active presence in the Argentine fleet today (2017).

ARA San Juan was completed on June 28th, 1983 and commissioned for service on November 19th, 1985. As-built, the boat displaces 2,140 tonnes when surfaced and 2,336 tonnes when submerged. Its length is 216.3 feet with a beam of 27.4 feet and a draught of 24.1 feet. Drive power is from a diesel-electric arrangement centered on four German MTU marine diesels and a single Siemens electric motor driving a single shaft astern. The boat can make headway at 15 knots when surfaced and up to 25 knots when submerged. The diesel-electric arrangement allows for the diesel units to propel the boat when it is surfaced while the electric motor supplies the needed power when the boat is submerged. Range is out to 12,000 nautical miles. The vessel can stay away from port for up to 30 days.

Onboard is a standard operating crew of 37 though this can be increased as needed. The boat carries a Thompson CSF "Calypso" radar system and the Atlas Elektronik CSU 3/4 sonar unit. Armament is 6 x 533mm (21") torpedo tubes with the launchers all mounted in the bow of the design. There are twenty-two reloads carried.

ARA San Juan has led a rather docile existence since it entered service in the mid-1980s. It received a major overhaul between 2008 to 2013 where her engines were replaced and upgraded as was her battery bank. Due to budgetary reasons, the modernization took longer than anticipated and the work was handled in Argentina, involving the complete severing of the hull to access the engines. Following the work, the boat was placed back into active service and charged primarily with policing known illegal fishing areas.

On November 17th, 2017, the Argentina government announced that it had lost contact with ARA San Juan on the 15th. Efforts have been underway to locate and rescue the boat and crew with participation being had from multiple nations including the United States and Britain. It has been reported that there have been some communications attempted by the boat via satellite but the boat's location has yet to be pinpointed.

ARA San Juan (S-42) Technical Specifications
Service Year: 1985
Type: Diesel-Electric Attack Submarine
National Origin: Argentina
Ship Class: TR-1700-class


Structural (Crew Space, Dimensions and Weights)
Complement (Crew): 44
Length: 216.3 feet (65.93 meters)
Beam (Width): 27.4 feet (8.35 meters)
Draught (Height): 24.1 feet (7.35 meters)
Surface Displacement: 2,360 tons
Submerged Displacement: 2,575 tons

Installed Power and Base Performance
Engine(s): 4 x MTU marine diesel engines with 1 x Siemens electric motor driving 1 x Shaft astern.
Surface Speed: 15 knots (17 mph)
Submerged Speed: 25 knots (29 mph)
Operational Range: 12,001 nautical miles (13,810 miles, 22,225 km)

Armament
6 x 533mm (21") torpedo tubes (bow facing) with 22 torpedo reloads.


.Global Operators
Argentina

Ships-in-Class / Group (6)
ARA Santa Cruz (S-41);
ARA San Juan (S-42);
ARA Santa Fe (S-43); Construction Suspended
ARA Santiago Del Estero (S-44); Cancelled
Unnamed (S-45); Cancelled
Unnamed (S-46) Cancelled

https://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.asp?ship_id=ara-san-juan-s42-attack-submarine-argentina

******************************************************************************************************************************************

santa_cruz_class_l1.jpg
santa_cruz_class_l2.jpg
SubmarinosTR.jpg
S42ARASanJuan.jpg
 

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
If the submarine experienced a power outage how can the oxygen generators work? Unless manually handled for the chemical reaction to keep the cycle maintained, the alleged signal received won't be related to the submarine!

Submarines that are stricken underwater can float a location beacon known as an EPIRB to the surface that can then emit emergency signals via satellite.

But a storm with powerful winds and waves 6 metres high has disrupted the search efforts,

The crew should have ample supplies of food and oxygen.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-...-calls-detected-likely-from-submarine/9166324
 

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
Nasa has deployed a very unique aircraft in this SAR mission

Argentine Navy diesel sub disappears, NASA plane joins in search
Sub San Juan went missing Wednesday; NASA's Antarctic P-3 is now flying a search pattern.
SEAN GALLAGHER - 17.11.2017

The US Navy and NASA have joined the search for an Argentine Armada (navy) diesel-electric attack submarine—the ARA San Juan (S-42)—and its crew of 44 sailors missing in the Southern Argentine Sea. The last contact with the TR-1700 class sub, built in 1983 by the German shipbuilder Thyssen Nordseewerke, was on November 15.

NASA has dispatched a modified P-3 Orion patrol plane—previously used by the Navy for submarine hunting—to aid in the search. The P-3 is equipped with a magnetic anomaly detector (or magnetometer), a gravimeter for detecting small fluctuations in the Earth's gravity, infrared cameras, and other sensors for measuring ice thickness. With that array, the P-3 may be able to detect the submerged submarine.

The P-3 had been flying out of the Argentine city of Ushuaia as part of NASA's IceBridge annual Antarctic survey. This is the first year that NASA has flown the P-3 as part of IceBridge, and the P-3 was operating out of Ushuaia because of its shorter range than the project's other aircraft, a modified DC-8.

The NASA P-3 joins three Argentine Armada ships in the search—the destroyer ARA Sarandí (D-13) and two corvettes, ARA Rosales (P-42) and ARA Drummond (P-31). Reuters reports that Argentine naval spokesman Enrique Balbi told reporters today, “We are investigating the reasons for the lack of communication [with the submarine]. If there was a communication problem, the boat would have to come to the surface.” The submarine was traveling from Ushuaia to Mar del Plata, and it was expected to stay on course regardless of communications. The lack of any sighting or contact led to a request for assistance from NASA.

Sam LaGrone of US Naval Institute News reports that Argentina has not requested further assistance from the US yet, but the US Navy is preparing submarine rescue gear just in case.

https://arstechnica.com/information...ids-in-search-for-missing-argentine-navy-sub/

594222main_p3b_full.jpg
P3 sky lab.jpg
 

Lieutenant

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 25, 2014
Messages
1,885
Reactions
2,410 25 0
Submarines that are stricken underwater can float a location beacon known as an EPIRB to the surface that can then emit emergency signals via satellite.

But a storm with powerful winds and waves 6 metres high has disrupted the search efforts,

The crew should have ample supplies of food and oxygen.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-...-calls-detected-likely-from-submarine/9166324

The EPIRB would then make it easy to locate the sub regardless of the distance unless there is something blocking the signal from traveling!
 

Ejaz

NEW RECRUIT
Joined
Oct 22, 2017
Messages
27
Reactions
18 0 0
Country
Pakistan
Location
United Kingdom
What was the issue regarding failed satellite calls?


Signals received from the area were being analyzed, but are still not determined to be from the crew. If they were sent from the San Juan, they could have originated from a satellite communication device, or from an emergency beacon which could be deployed by the vessel.

"We do know they have an emergency satellite communication system," William Craig Reed, a former US Navy diver and submariner, told CNN.

"That is a buoy that will pop up to the top. They can send signals from this. They believe that might be the case. Although, unfortunately, it's not panned out. They have not been able to triangulate the signals. There's no way to confirm that they came from the submarine."

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/20/americas/argentina-submarine-what-we-know/index.html
 

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
Everything We Know About The Hunt for Missing Argentine Submarine
Nov 21 2017 -
ARA-San-Juan-top.jpg

By Tom Demerly

U.S. Navy Maritime Patrol Aircraft along with several other assets race against time in dramatic search.
The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy have dispatched a large number of transport and maritime surveillance aircraft along with specialized personnel and submarine rescue equipment in an attempt to help locate the missing Argentine submarine A.R.A. San Juan (S-42) off the southeastern coast of South America.
The submarine disappeared on Wednesday, November 15, 2017 when last communication was received. The first problems were reported that morning around 7:30 AM when the captain radioed that the submarine was having “battery problems” in heavy seas. Following the report, the submarine was ordered back to port. Communications were lost shortly after. The submarine was last seen over 200 kilometers off the Patagonian coast of Argentina. Bad weather with waves of 26 feet and 45 MPH winds initially hampered search efforts both on the surface and with sensors searching underwater for the submarine.


The missing A.R.A. San Juan in an official Argentine photo. (Photo: Argentine Navy)

The A.R.A. San Juan (S-42) was on an ecological surveillance mission to interdict illegal fishing boats off the coast of Patagonia. She was patrolling from a naval base in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost point of South America and the gateway to the Straits of Magellan. The area is considered among the most dangerous seas in the world. Its destination was Mar Del Plata, 2,800 kilometers farther north along the Argentine coast.

The A.R.A. San Juan is a TR-1700 class diesel-electric submarine with a crew of 44. Her crew includes the first-ever female naval officer on board a submarine in the Argentine navy. She was manufactured by Thyssen Nordseewerke of Emden, Germany and commissioned in November, 1985. The TR-1700 is a proven undersea warfare platform operated by Israel, South Africa and Argentina. It is among the fastest diesel-electric submarines in the world and boasts a strong safety record.

Among the U.S. Navy’s search assets dispatched to the area in the increasingly urgent search are two Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft from Maritime Patrol Squadron 45 (VP-45), “The Pelicans”. Their home base when not deployed to the region is Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. The Boeing P-8A Poseidon is the U.S. Navy’s newest and most advanced anti-submarine surveillance and attack aircraft. It contains sensors that can detect magnetic anomalies in the ocean, monitor undersea communications and deploy specially equipped sonobuoys by parachute that sink into the ocean and send sonar signals into surrounding seawater then transmit findings back to the aircraft.


Two U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft from Maritime Patrol Squadron 45 (VP-45), “The Pelicans” have joined the search for the A.R.A. San Juan. (Photo: US Navy)

The first U.S. Navy P-8A was dispatched on Saturday as part of the U.S. Navy’s Southern Command. The U.S. military’s Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) conducts combined U.S. military operations in the Caribbean, Central American and South American theatre.
A second P-8A aircraft was added to the search on Sunday. The two U.S. Navy P-8As join a large number of search aircraft and ships from several nations already on station in the southern Atlantic conducting the urgent search. The two P-8A Poseidons flew from a deployment at El Salvador’s Comalapa Air Base to Bahia Blanca, Argentina to support the search and rescue effort. The aircraft are temporarily based in El Salvador in support of ongoing anti-narcotics operations.


On Nov. 19, the Argentine Navy released details about the rescue efforts and search area.

The U.S. Navy also announced on Sunday that it has deployed unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) to join in the search for the A.R.A. San Juan. The additional search equipment includes one Bluefin 12D (Deep) Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) and three Iver 580 UUVs. These remotely-operated mini-subs are operated by the U.S. Navy’s recently-established Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Squadron 1, based in Keyport, Washington.

Both types of UUVs are capable of deploying quickly and searching wide areas using Side-Scan Sonar, a system that is used to efficiently create an image of large areas of the sea floor. The Bluefin 12D is capable of conducting search operations at 3 knots (3.5 mph) at a maximum operating depth of almost 1,500 feet for up to 15 hours, while the Iver 580s can operate at a depth of up to 325 feet, traveling at 2.5 knots (2.8 mph) for up to 5 hours.


U.S. Air Force C-17s and C-5s from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, airlift equipment from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif. to Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ronald Gutridge)

There is also a NASA P-3 research aircraft currently supporting the ongoing search efforts over the submarine’s last known location.

A NASA P-3 Orion was diverted north from Antarctica to help coordinate the search for A.R.A. San Juan. (Photo: NASA)
Radar tracks show the NASA P-3 (N426NA) aircraft was diverted north from Antarctica to join the search on Nov. 19. At the time of writing the aircraft has returned to its usual task and is no longer involved in the search.



NASA P-3 supported the search and rescue efforts on Nov. 19.

Also on Sunday, the Royal Navy told England’s Daily Telegraph that the elite Submarine Parachute Assistance Group (SPAG) was flying to the region to join the hunt. The specialized rescue team is famous for their capability to parachute into the sea from search aircraft to join a submarine search and rescue, although that capability is unlikely to be employed during this search and rescue mission. Members of the team include specially trained medics, engineers and undersea escape specialists. The team is on notice to respond to a submarine emergency anywhere in the world in hours. For this operation, the SPAG team will operate from the Royal Navy’s HMS Protector (A163), a modern, specially designed ice patrol ship built in 2001 and already on station in search area.


A member of the Royal Navy’s Submarine Parachute Assistance Group (SPAG) in a demonstration. (Photo: Royal Navy)

On Sunday, additional assets from California and Hawaii, as well as other local nations, have been dispatched to scan the sea floor for in the search and rescue effort.
As hours tick by the search effort becomes increasingly urgent. Dr. Robert Farley, a lecturer at the University of Kentucky was quoted by the BBC World News as saying, “The outer range [of survival] appears to be ten days if they were well prepared.” On Wednesday, the search effort enters its seventh day. At least the weather is better than before and it should help a bit in the hunt.
During the last few days there have been several false alarms:
  • Seven failed satellite calls made to naval bases on Saturday turned out to come from another phone
  • Noise (resembling bangs on the sub’s wall in Morse code) picked up by a sonar was found not to have come from the missing vessel
  • White flares reported on Tuesday, were most probably not fired by the missing submarine

Ironically, the very same characteristics that make the submarine A.R.A. San Juan (S-42) so effective also make it difficult to find in a search effort. The San Juan is a stealthy diesel-electric submarine that is extremely quiet underwater and gives off few detectable emissions, especially if some of its systems may be disabled.

An anti-submarine warfare expert and former U.S. Navy submariner told TheAviationist.com that it is “Like trying to find a hole in the water”.


https://theaviationist.com/2017/11/...out-the-hunt-for-missing-argentine-submarine/


ARA-San-Juan-706x471.jpegSub_Search_20-706x319.jpgRescue-efforts-706x383.jpgNasa-P-3-706x328.jpgNASA-426-706x527.jpgSub_Search_40-706x441.jpgSub_Search_10-706x655.jpgARA-San-Juan-top.jpg
 

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
To the loved ones, and family members, of the 44 souls on Patrol in the A.R.A. San Juan, the thoughts and prayers of this forum are with you.
May this not be an endless Patrol.
May you come back home, safe, and sound, soon.
 

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
Argentine Navy confirms explosion near missing submarine
November 24, 2017

The Argentine Navy confirmed that an explosion occured near the position from which the missing submarine ARA San Juan last sent her position.

The confirmation follows reports from November 22 which said several agencies had been investigating a so-called “hydroacoustic anomaly” which took place on November 15, around the time ARA San Juan last communicated.

The navy has now confirmed that the sound in question was indeed an explosion but has not confirmed the deaths of 44 crew aboard the submarine as it is yet to be found. While the navy could not provide details about the fate of the submarine’s crew, fears are widespread that there would be no survivors. It is feared that, even if an explosion did not occur on the submarine, the submariners are likely to have run out of air after nine days under water.

An international search party composed of a number of specialized aircraft and ships equipped with unmanned and remotely operated underwater vehicles continues. Search and rescue units are currently focused on a swath of ocean 250 kilometers in radius, near the continental shelf off the coast of Puerto Madryn.

Meanwhile, Russia has deployed a team of experts from St. Petersburg to Argentina to aid the search efforts. The Russian Navy special purpose ship Yantar has also been sent to the region after being rerouted from west Africa shores.

http://navaltoday.com/2017/11/24/argentine-navy-confirms-explosion-near-missing-submarine/?uid=1067
 
Top