Daring Russian Naval Expedition Launched to Search For Missing Argentinian Sub

The Russian "Yantar" is being sent in search of the Argentinian "San Juan." It's an oceanographic vessel equipped with devices that allow it to survey depths up to 6,000 meters.

The Russian "Yantar" is being sent in search of the Argentinian "San Juan." It's an oceanographic vessel equipped with devices that allow it to survey depths up to 6,000 meters. The specialists of the Russian Naval 328th Expedition Search & Rescue squad will also join the operation. The decision to send "Yantar" was taken by Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu after a phone conversation with his Argentinian counterpart Oskar Agaud. The Russian President directed the Minister to make the call. The search for the submarine has been going on for a week now. 44 people are trapped inside. We are told the oxygen reserve will end soon.

Alexey Konopko will tell us the details.

 

With every hour, the accident is closer to becoming an Argentinian national tragedy. More and more countries are joining the search for 44 submariners: from neighbors Brazil and Britain, their Falkland Islands are very close, to the other side of the planet. President Putin is offering assistance to his Argentinian colleague.

Vladimir Putin expressed words of support to the Argentinian President Mauricio Macri in connection with the missing submarine, "San Juan," in the Atlantic Ocean. Russian proposed to provide appropriate assistance in search and rescue operations. Just today the oceanographic vessel "Yantar" was sent to South America. The new ship was launched in 2015. In its arsenal are the underwater vehicles "Rus" and "Consul," capable of descending to 6 km. "Yantar" can also carry the famous submersibles "Mir," which conducted 35 expeditions in every ocean and have already descended to the sunken Soviet submarine "Komsomolets."

Arseniy Kritsky, head of the social and patriotic movement: "The difficulty is, first: if it's a controlled device, then it's pressure, and most important is the darkness into which the apparatus descends. Imagine it's like outer space. Everything is dependent with what's occurring with the weather conditions, which can change at any moment".

The search area around the "San Juan's" route is a 1,000 sq. km. The last time the submarine communicated at 7:30 am on November 15. 3 hours after the radio contact, 50 km to the north, ground stations recorded an "acoustic anomaly" of a non-natural origin. If the cause of the noise is an accident, then the boat should be nearby.

Enrique Balbi, Argentinian Navy spokesman: "Right now we're studying the anomaly in 3 different ways and with 3 different types of equipment, this was recorded on Wednesday, it is the nearest point to the boat's last known location. The search continues in other areas as well".

Interestingly, Russian anti-submarine aviation can assist in the rescue operation. IL-38 planes can detect a large metal object at depths of hundreds of meters. They also search for oil slicks on the water.

Vsevolod Khmyrov, Deepwater Researcher, Submarine Commander: "Floating objects are detected with the help of optical fields. The buoys that can be used, including those with fixed hydrophones, are quite effective in finding a noisy object, one producing sound. And, of course, electromagnetic search systems installed in planes, they can measure the deviations of the electromagnetic field at a given point".

The search complex "Panther Plus," which was also sent to help, can transport aircraft. But a cross-ocean trip, even for a fast ship, will take more than a day. The operation, according to Argentinian officers, is entering a critical phase on the 7th day of the search.

Khmyrov: "The critical factors are the depth and the time. For example, a completely sealed object, which a submarine happens to be, and which is also at a depth, in one way or another water will increase the pressure and seep in. Therefore, the increased pressure on the submarine necessitates decompressing the person inside".

The continental shelf off the coast of Patagonia doesn't drop below 200 meters. The critical depth for the "San Juan" submarine class is 300. So there's still a chance of finding the crew alive.

Alexey Konopko, Daria Chernigovskaya, Evgeniya Zentsova — Vesti.