Five ships search for missing Argentine submarine

BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- A total of five Argentine, Russian and U.S. ships are combing South Atlantic waters off the coast of the South American nation in a bid to locate a missing submarine, Argentina's Navy (ARA) said on Wednesday.

The ARA San Juan submarine sank on Nov. 15 with 44 crew on board, following an unidentified explosion in the vicinity of the ship.

The Argentine navy ships ARA Sarandi, ARA Islas Malvinas and ARA Puerto Argentino, along with the Russian Yantar and U.S. Atlantic, both oceanographic vessels, are involved in the operation to sweep the sea floor for signs of the submarine.

The Panther Plus, a Russian remotely operated underwater vehicle, or ROV, is aiding the search operation.

"According to the United States' Secretary of Defense, after concluding the sweeps of up to two times the designated area," the ROV will be deployed, the navy said.

Right after the submarine sank, an initial search and rescue operation was launched in hope of saving the crew, but the submarine was never found. Eight days later, on Nov. 23, the navy announced there was no hope of finding survivors, but it would continue to search for the vessel.

The submarine, a German-made TR-1700 acquired in 1985, was last located in the San Jorge Gulf, 432 kilometers south of the Valdes Peninsula. Enditem