Valientes submarinistas Argentinos, “que lleváis a la Virgen del Carmen dentro de vuestro corazón, que en el silencio profundo os ilumina más que el sol”
With ARA San Juan (S-42) now going on two weeks overdue, with no verified communications or items found from the vessel in that period, it is looking bleak for the prospect that the German-made Type TR-1700 SSK will be found intact and the 44 souls aboard her smiling and happy, especially after word that an explosion was detected on 15 November near her last known location.
Now, the Argentine Navy has advised the search for her is no longer considered a rescue mission and has now switched to recovery. In all, some 4,000 personnel from more than a dozen countries have been combing the South Atlantic for the missing submarine.
“Despite the magnitude of the efforts made, it has not been possible to locate the submarine,” navy spokesman Capt. Enrique Balbi said on Thursday.
Earlier in the week, Balbi told reporters that water had entered the submarine’s snorkel while she was submerged, which is never a good thing.
If you have ever gone to sea, and known the joy that it is to return, count yourself forever lucky.
For the San Juan: Eternal Father, Strong to Save, as performed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and chorus.