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| Argentina missing submarine: Concern grows after two false alarms | Argentina missing submarine: Concern grows after two false alarms |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Argentina's navy says it will take advantage of improved weather conditions to further step up its search for a submarine that vanished last Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean. | Argentina's navy says it will take advantage of improved weather conditions to further step up its search for a submarine that vanished last Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean. |
| Strong winds and high waves have hampered the search for the ARA San Juan and its 44 crew in the past days. | Strong winds and high waves have hampered the search for the ARA San Juan and its 44 crew in the past days. |
| On Monday, navy officials said that noises picked up by two search vessels did not come from the sub, dashing relatives' hopes for a speedy rescue. | On Monday, navy officials said that noises picked up by two search vessels did not come from the sub, dashing relatives' hopes for a speedy rescue. |
| It was the second false alarm. | It was the second false alarm. |
| A navy spokesman had earlier confirmed that satellite signals picked up on Saturday did not come from the missing boat. | A navy spokesman had earlier confirmed that satellite signals picked up on Saturday did not come from the missing boat. |
| What happened to the sub? | What happened to the sub? |
| The ARA San Juan was returning from a routine mission to Ushuaia, near the southern-most tip of South America, when it reported an "electrical breakdown". | The ARA San Juan was returning from a routine mission to Ushuaia, near the southern-most tip of South America, when it reported an "electrical breakdown". |
| According to naval commander Gabriel Galeazzi, the submarine surfaced and reported the breakdown, which Capt Galeazzi described as a "short circuit" in the sub's batteries. | According to naval commander Gabriel Galeazzi, the submarine surfaced and reported the breakdown, which Capt Galeazzi described as a "short circuit" in the sub's batteries. |
| The sub was ordered to cut its mission short and return to the naval base in Mar del Plata immediately. | The sub was ordered to cut its mission short and return to the naval base in Mar del Plata immediately. |
| According to navy spokesman Enrique Balbi, the captain of the ARA San Juan contacted the naval base once more after reporting the problem. | |
| In the message, he reportedly said that the problem had been adequately fixed and that the sub would submerge and proceed towards Mar del Plata naval base. | In the message, he reportedly said that the problem had been adequately fixed and that the sub would submerge and proceed towards Mar del Plata naval base. |
| The last contact was made at 07:30 local time (10:30 GMT) on Wednesday 15 November. It is not known what happened to the sub after that contact. | The last contact was made at 07:30 local time (10:30 GMT) on Wednesday 15 November. It is not known what happened to the sub after that contact. |
| Read: What happens when a submarine vanishes | Read: What happens when a submarine vanishes |
| How was the alarm raised? | How was the alarm raised? |
| Argentine navy protocol stipulates that in peace time, submarines make contact twice a day with the base. | Argentine navy protocol stipulates that in peace time, submarines make contact twice a day with the base. |
| When the submarine failed to call in, the Argentine navy began its search for the vessel. | When the submarine failed to call in, the Argentine navy began its search for the vessel. |
| Navy commander Carlos Zavalla at that point spoke only of a "failure to communicate" and urged relatives of the crew to remain calm. | Navy commander Carlos Zavalla at that point spoke only of a "failure to communicate" and urged relatives of the crew to remain calm. |
| There was no mention by navy officials of the vessel having any problems at the time and rumours of a fire on board were dismissed by the navy's spokesman, Enrique Balbi. | |
| When did news of the breakdown emerge? | When did news of the breakdown emerge? |
| On Sunday, relatives of some of the crew said that they had been told in messages sent before contact with the submarine was lost, that there was a problem with the sub's batteries. | On Sunday, relatives of some of the crew said that they had been told in messages sent before contact with the submarine was lost, that there was a problem with the sub's batteries. |
| On Monday, naval commander Gabriel Galeazzi confirmed the sub's captain had reported a breakdown on Wednesday describing it as a "short-circuit" in the sub's battery system. | |
| Capt Galeazzi said that mechanical problems were not uncommon and rarely posed a risk. "A warship has a lot of backup systems, to allow it to move from one to another when there is a breakdown," he said. | Capt Galeazzi said that mechanical problems were not uncommon and rarely posed a risk. "A warship has a lot of backup systems, to allow it to move from one to another when there is a breakdown," he said. |
| He also said that the sub had not sent a distress signal to the navy base. | He also said that the sub had not sent a distress signal to the navy base. |
| Has there been any sign of the sub? | Has there been any sign of the sub? |
| No, there have been no sightings of the sub and no communication since Wednesday. | No, there have been no sightings of the sub and no communication since Wednesday. |
| News of seven failed satellite calls made to naval bases on Saturday briefly raised hopes that they had come from the submarine. | News of seven failed satellite calls made to naval bases on Saturday briefly raised hopes that they had come from the submarine. |
| But the signals were found not to have come from the satellite phone on board the ARA San Juan. | But the signals were found not to have come from the satellite phone on board the ARA San Juan. |
| "Noise" picked up by sonar on Monday at sea was also found not to have come from the missing vessel. | "Noise" picked up by sonar on Monday at sea was also found not to have come from the missing vessel. |
| The noise was described as "a continuous, constant sound" which did not resemble bangs on the sub's wall in Morse code. | The noise was described as "a continuous, constant sound" which did not resemble bangs on the sub's wall in Morse code. |
| "The sound footprint could not correspond to a sub... it may have been a noise from a living thing," Mr Balbi said. | "The sound footprint could not correspond to a sub... it may have been a noise from a living thing," Mr Balbi said. |
| Who is on board? | Who is on board? |
| There are 44 crew on board the submarine, which is under the command of Pedro Martín Fernández. | There are 44 crew on board the submarine, which is under the command of Pedro Martín Fernández. |
| Forty-three of the crew are men but there is also one woman, Eliana María Krawczyk. The 35-year-old is the first female officer in Argentina to serve on a submarine. | Forty-three of the crew are men but there is also one woman, Eliana María Krawczyk. The 35-year-old is the first female officer in Argentina to serve on a submarine. |
| Nicknamed "the queen of the sea" by her father she comes from Oberá, a city in northern Argentina. | Nicknamed "the queen of the sea" by her father she comes from Oberá, a city in northern Argentina. |
| Despite having been born and raised far inland, her relatives say that "she was born to be a submariner", citing her "will of steel" and a passion for her job. | Despite having been born and raised far inland, her relatives say that "she was born to be a submariner", citing her "will of steel" and a passion for her job. |
| The rest of the crew is made up of submariners of varying ages and experience. | The rest of the crew is made up of submariners of varying ages and experience. |
| The sub's engineer, Hernán Rodríguez, has been on the ARA San Juan for 11 years, local media reported. | The sub's engineer, Hernán Rodríguez, has been on the ARA San Juan for 11 years, local media reported. |
| How is the search going? | How is the search going? |
| Submarines are built to be difficult to find and the search has been further hindered by bad weather. | Submarines are built to be difficult to find and the search has been further hindered by bad weather. |
| The Argentine Navy tweeted a video showing the rough conditions at sea. | The Argentine Navy tweeted a video showing the rough conditions at sea. |
| Waves of up to six metres in height (19.6ft) have made it difficult for search vessels and planes to spot anything on the sea's surface. | Waves of up to six metres in height (19.6ft) have made it difficult for search vessels and planes to spot anything on the sea's surface. |
| Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Peru, South Africa, Uruguay and the UK have all sent either ships or planes to help with the search. | Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Peru, South Africa, Uruguay and the UK have all sent either ships or planes to help with the search. |
| The US Navy has deployed two underwater vehicles which use sonar to create images of the sea floor. | The US Navy has deployed two underwater vehicles which use sonar to create images of the sea floor. |
| A Nasa research aircraft has also flown over the search area but failed to spot anything. | A Nasa research aircraft has also flown over the search area but failed to spot anything. |
| Despite the failure to find any trace of the sub, the father of one of the crew said relatives remained optimistic. | Despite the failure to find any trace of the sub, the father of one of the crew said relatives remained optimistic. |
| "In general there's a positive outlook, with the hope that there can be some way of finding them," Jorge Villareal said. | "In general there's a positive outlook, with the hope that there can be some way of finding them," Jorge Villareal said. |