Argentina submarine search: Sound detected is 'consistent with explosion'

Sky News ^ | November 23, 2017

[Oldeconomybuyer]

A sound detected in the hunt for a missing submarine is "consistent with a non-nuclear explosion", Argentina has said.

The ARA San Juan has been missing in the South Atlantic since the middle of November and dozens of planes and boats have been involved in search.

Some 44 people are on board and the operation has entered a "critical phase" because the crew's oxygen supply could be running low.

Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said relatives of the crew members have been told about the development and the search will continue until the fate of the crew is known.

He described the blast, which was detected around the same time that the submarine sent its last signal last week, as "abnormal, singular, short, violent" and "non-nuclear".

[RicocheT]

That the sub is days overdue and has not been able to communicate means it has experienced a fatal event, whatever the cause. A sad loss for the families of those aboard and the Argentinian Navy.

“OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A SAILOR DIED TODAY”

[Jimmy Valentine]

If I remember correctly a runaway torpedo is how we lost the Thresher

[Afterguard]

Well said. Also remember the three missing from the COD that crashed in the Pacific a do or so ago. A tough Thanksgiving for their families and friends.

[buridan]

Could they have fired a torpedo to help rescuers pinpoint their location?

[Robert A Cook PE]

True. A sharp single burst sound starts and stops slightly different from a slower crushing sound. With the ocean bottom only 250 feet, it’s not likely the hull would be crushed, even in anything except a straight down impact on the mud.

[NonValueAdded]

Now why would Argentina feel compelled to differentiate between nuclear and non-nuclear? Did we and Russia miss a few German scientists after WWII?

[wardaddy]

I didn’t realize till looking that all our subs are now “new klur “ powered

[gandalftb]

Correct, we picked up the explosion, very distinct, not an implosion at 1030, 3 hours after the last communication.

One of our P-8A Poseidons picked up the signal as it was tracking the last known heading and location of the sub.

It doesn’t look good for the sub.

[Nuc 1.1]

Very unlikely the sub has not imploded at the depth indicated in the post. Prayers for the crew. Awful way to go.

[Nuc 1.1]

Your memory is incorrect.

[skimbell]

Not Thresher.

During WWII Tang sank itself with a circular running torpedo.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

A sad day for those brave seamen—my guess they didn’t make it. Lets hope their end was quick and painless. The Argentines got a lot from their friendship with Nazi Germany—They were the first south American nation to have Jet Planes they built themselves (with a little help from their friends).

[norwaypinesavage]

I recently read a story about the USS England (DE-635) sinking six submarines in the Pacific during WWII in less than two weeks. These were sunk by hedge hog mortars which have relatively small explosive charges, but detonate when they hit the hull of the submarine. A number of the kills were noted by a very large explosion from the submarine sometime after the initial hits .

It is not obvious to me what would cause the large explosion in a dying submarine. It might also explain this explosion. Any of you sailors out there know what this might be?

[Repeal The 17th]

“If I remember correctly...”
-
You do not remember correctly.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Give a hand then and fill in the blanks. I know we lost a sub due to a runaway torpedo. Which one?

[Jimmy Valentine]

USS Scorpion.

[Nuc 1.1]

Prayers went up. In the end we are all just men sailing in an environment that lets us pass grudgingly. In my day the destruction our submarine service could visit upon the enemy was almost unbelievable. Glad we didn’t have to use it then and hope we never have to use it going forward because of the loss of life involved. I did not know about the fee first South American jets, thanks for the info!