MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

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  Chicureo

  There's little mystery. A corrupt government is responsible for the terrible loss. Shortly before the submarine vanished, it’s commander reported a battery malfunction on the vessel. It's established that Ferrostaal and battery maker EnerSys-Hawker paid bribes for a $6 million contract they received to replace 964 battery cells on the ARA San Juan. The battery cells were replaced instead of replacing the batteries themselves with new ones in an effort to save costs.

  Nov 06th, 2018 - 01:02 pm - Link - Report abuse +2
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  pgerman

  The issue, indicated as the most probable origin of the accident, was an excessive intake of water by the snorkel.
  
  Based on the official reports of the commission created by the Argentine Navy (among which is a the former ARA San Juan captain who is the father of one of the missing crew) the problem, most likely, began in a human error in the assembly, or an operation mistake, of the snorkel tube valve that allowed the excessive entry of salt water into the submarine. This excessive water would have come into contact with the terminals of the batteries initiating a fire, and a subsequent internal explosion, that annulled the crew. The possibility of an act of corruption in the replacement of batteries is something that has been mentioned by the mass media but this is not indicated as a problem in the official report of the Argentine Navy.

  Nov 06th, 2018 - 03:16 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
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  Chicureo

  “Based on the official reports” means nothing from what has been clearly exposed as a mendacious coverup by the systemic corrupt Argentine Navy. Established fact: much of the surface fleet is completely unsafe for seagoing operations.

  Nov 06th, 2018 - 03:36 pm - Link - Report abuse +3
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  pgerman

  @Chicureo
  
  Do not forget that Mr. Jorge Bergallo was captain of ARA San Juan and lost his son in the submarine and was part of the commission. Nothing, or anyone, has questioned the honor, or the knowledge, of Mr. Jorge Bergallo.
  
  I do not deny the possibility of an act of corruption in the mid-life maintenance of the submarine but there is, so far, no reliable evidence that there has been a criminal act.
  
  Regardless of the state of the batteries, and the quality of the work done in them, the big question is the exceptionally large amount of water that is considered entered into the submarine and that would have come into contact with the batteries. That is why all the theories “point” to a failure in the installation, and operation, of the snorkel valve.
  
  Bearing in mind that always a limited amount of water enters through the snorkel (and the submarine is in vacuum conditions without any risk) the hypothesis of the investigative commission of the Navy is not irrational and it was also accepted by experts from other countries.

  Nov 06th, 2018 - 04:57 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
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  Chicureo

  pgerman
  
  With all sincere respect to your informed post:
  
  Although I've retired from the navy, I still continue following Chilean military intel, including following quarterly assessments of the Argentine armada. Unfortunately the entire Argentine admiralty's honor is in question, sadly including Capitán Bergallo.
  
  Their blind historical ideology of “Confianza en la victoria, disciplina, y tres vivas a la patria” is incredibly hypocritical. They routinely endanger their own sailors each time they leave port, with poorly maintained vessels. The ARA SanJuan disaster was a criminal act by its own government, but they'll never admit it.

  Nov 06th, 2018 - 06:37 pm - Link - Report abuse +3
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  pgerman

  There is another element to be taken into account that has already been mentioned by the argentine mass media: The captain of any ship (also of a plane) whether civilian or military, is the one who has the power, and the obligation, to cancel a mission if he/she judges that the life of the crew and the safety of the ship are uselessly at risk. This is true both in peace times or in war times.
  
  If the captain of the ARA San Juan decided the start of a mission, which was “almost” routine, it is logical to think that the submarine was in a reasonable condition to navigate and carry out the assigned mission (which was simple, basic and without risks for a submarine: to detect illegal fishing vessels and gather information about activities of the Royal Navy. The latter is already official information and is “regular” among the tasks of any submarine).
  
  That is why, the most logical thing, is to deduce that an unexpected event occurred that annulled the crew or made them lost control of the submarine to the crew. The “implosion” of the hull detected at a depth of between 400 meters and 700 meters (it is an extreme depth for a conventional submarine) shows that the submarine was completely out of control of the crew.

  Nov 06th, 2018 - 06:57 pm - Link - Report abuse +1
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  Chicureo

  In the Naval Academy we were taught that obedience is an absolute central navy virtue, indispensable to the good order and discipline. It would have been an unthinkable audacious bold decision for a captain to refuse to take the vessel on a sea trial and he would have been court marshaled, but the Argentine admiralty and the defense ministry are absolutely criminally responsible to the death of their sailors.
  
  As Tennyson famously wrote:
  
  “Forward, the Light Brigade!”
  Was there a man dismayed?
  Not though the soldier knew
  Someone had blundered.
  Theirs not to make reply,
  Theirs not to reason why,
  Theirs but to do and die.
  Into the valley of Death
  Rode the six hundred.
  
  Thus the crew of the ARA San Juan were doomed.

  Nov 06th, 2018 - 07:37 pm - Link - Report abuse +3
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