Navy brass, low budget blamed for Argentina sub tragedy

[Judi Lynn]

BY DÉBORA REY ASSOCIATED PRESS
JULY 18, 2019 06:00 PM, UPDATED 5 HOURS 47 MINUTES AGO
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

An Argentine legislative commission has concluded that the sinking of a submarine with all 44 crewmembers was caused by the inefficiency of naval commanders and budget limitations, discarding theories the vessel was attacked or hit by a ship.

In a report released Thursday, the legislators also questioned the handling of the crisis by Defense Minister Oscar Aguad and President Mauricio Macri, who the commission said showed a "low level of involvement with everything related to the tragedy."

The ARA San Juan disappeared on Nov. 15, 2017, in the South Atlantic as it sailed back to its base at the port of Mar del Plata after participating in a training exercise. The wreckage wasn't found until almost a year later at a depth of 800 meters (2,625 feet) east of Patagonia's Valdes Peninsula. The discovery was made by a ship from the U.S. company Ocean Infinity, which had been hired to search.

"The hypotheses that the submarine was attacked by a foreign warship, hit by a fishing vessel or was performing secret tasks outside of jurisdictional waters have been discarded," said the commission, which was made up of lawmakers from different parties, including the governing party.

More:
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/business/article232865437.html

[EX500rider]

1. Yeah judging by the bottom growth in this shot she did not get much upkeep:

She was 34 years old also, requiring more upkeep the a newer boat. Heck the Taiwanese have a old WWII US sub still in service.

ARA San Juan:



They had a battery fire the day before the sinking, it is too bad they did not adjust their course a little to the left to stay in shallow water, they may have survived for some time a sinking there.

She went down right at the edge of the continental shelve:

[Judi Lynn]

2. The submarine photo even looks dangerous to people who know nothing about submarines.

Surely everyone commissioned to serve on it felt sick the minute they saw it.

[EX500rider]

3. I've never even seen a submarine with bottom growth like that (or any for that matter)....

....that's a lot for even a surface ship and I would blanch at being told we were going to submerge in her for sure.