MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trial opens in Río Gallegos for four former Argentine Navy officers over ARA San Juan sinking

At the time, the Navy reported technical problems and an onboard emergency before contact was lost; subsequent findings concluded the submarine suffered a catastrophic underwater event.

A federal court in Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz province, has opened the long-awaited trial of four former senior Argentine Navy officers accused of alleged responsibility in the 2017 sinking and subsequent implosion of the ARA San Juan submarine, a disaster that killed all 44 crew members.

The defendants are retired rear admiral Luis Enrique López Mazzeo; Navy captains Claudio Javier Villamide and retired Héctor Aníbal Alonso; and retired frigate captain Hugo Miguel Correa, according to the formal indictment summarized by Argentina’s federal prosecutors.

In opening arguments, prosecutors said the submarine operated under “deficient technical-operational conditions” and argued the outcome was “foreseeable” given the vessel’s condition. They maintained that the conduct or omissions attributed to each defendant made it possible to raise the permitted risk and that the result — the sailors’ deaths and the loss of the submarine — was a direct or at least predictable consequence of a breach of the duty of care.

Prosecutors also said proper readiness and maintenance were not ensured before the mission. The case focuses on alleged failures tied to operational oversight, readiness, maintenance, and control responsibilities connected to the ARA San Juan.

One of the defendants rejected the claim that the submarine was unfit. Villamide, the former commander of the submarine force, told the court that the boat “was in condition to sail safely,” adding it had the necessary tools, manuals, and safety and escape equipment.

Families of the victims have followed the start of proceedings with a mix of expectation and distrust after years of demanding accountability, while also criticizing the absence of prosecutions of top political figures from the period.

Argentine media have reported that the trial will also grapple with the scope of technical documentation and evidence subject to military secrecy, alongside disputes over a large witness list scheduled to testify in the months ahead.

The ARA San Juan vanished on November 15, 2017, during a voyage in the South Atlantic. At the time, the Navy reported technical problems and an onboard emergency before contact was lost; subsequent findings concluded the submarine suffered a catastrophic underwater event.

Judges must now weigh whether the accused failed in official duties in ways that, prosecutors argue, improperly increased the risk inherent in submarine operations, and whether that alleged chain of decisions or omissions bears criminal responsibility for the final outcome.