They reported an electrical failure, possibly batteries before they disappeared.
No electricity to run the pumps to evacuate the ballast tanks.
No electricity to run the props.
Yes we have divers that can go 230 feet down but not for long, since the decompression takes hours.
I am assuming that there must be some kind of emergency connection that can be made to get them O2................
I cant believe they do not have some individualized emergency assent technique for only 230 feet. But then again, perhaps cost cutting.
“...No electricity to run the pumps to evacuate the ballast tanks. ... we have divers that can go 230 feet down but not for long, since the decompression takes hours. ...”
Ballast tank blow used to be performed by compressed air, held in reserve tanks. Worked faster than pumps, less prone to malfunction, doesn’t require electrical power as long as manual valve operation is possible by backup means. I stress “used to be” - haven’t checked into sub design & construction for some time.
Rigid dive suits capable of going to depths of 1000 feet or more have been in operation for decades. Think of spacesuits, in reverse.
This boat was built by a German yard but has been in the Argentine fleet for some 30 years and is the youngest sub they have. Anything is possible after such a long time in the hands of a Third World country.
I don’t believe you need any power for an emergency blow. Now it’s possibLe that they tried that and the ballast air nozzles iced up like they theorize happened on the USS Thresher.