MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Expedition Confirms Wreck in Argentine Waters is a Submarine

April 2024 sonar image of Attack periscope extending from submarine conning tower

By Laurence de Mello

In a significant milestone, an international Expedition team headed by the ‘Eslabon Perdido Group’ has successfully pinpointed the location of a sunken submarine, resting 4 kilometers off the Argentine coast of Necochea at a depth of 28 meters.

As a participant in the extraordinary 6-day expedition, the reporter can attest to the incredibly challenging conditions in which ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) pilots, managed to locate the wreck with remarkable precision while in tumultuous seas. The two-boat expedition team encountered formidable 3.20-meter swells and winds of up to 40 miles per hour, testing not only the resolve, but the stomachs of the adventurers.

The region in which the submarine wreck lies is notorious for its unforgiving environment, characterized by icy southern winds and relentless currents streaming north from Antarctica. These formidable natural forces present serious challenges not only to the execution of such delicate missions but to navigation.

The latest data retrieved from lateral scan sonar and ROV equipment has confirmed earlier observations made by independent forensic experts when viewing ROV footage gathered by the Argentine Naval Prefecture in 2022. The analysis revealed a partially submerged devastated hull, remnants of hatches, compressed air tanks, oval openings in the hull, mooring bitts, fragments of a conning tower and an attack periscope. While the new data confirms previous expert observations, further analysis is needed to decipher the precise model of the vessel.

The latest confirmation of the wreck as a WWII U-Boat, will raise numerous intriguing questions about its presence in Argentine waters. Argentina maintained neutrality throughout World War II, only joining the Allies weeks before the end of hostilities.

The mission Initiated by journalist and historian Abel Basti after almost two decades of investigation into U-boat presence in Argentina, was made possible through financial assistance from The Reitich Foundation, founded by Jaime Philippe Reitich. The mission was fully supported by the Ministry of Security of Argentina and the National Naval Prefecture.