US Navy sends underwater robots to assist in search for Argentine sub

US Navy P-8 Poseidon patrol planes have joined an international search for the Argentine Armada submarine San Juan, and the Navy has prepared submarine rescue vehicles and four uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) to assist in the search as well. The Argentine sub has been missing in the Argentine Sea, and the subsequent search is entering its fifth day.

One Naval P-8 arrived in Argentina over the weekend, and another is arriving today. Additional rescue systems are now on their way, including a NATO submarine rescue system. Thus far, rough weather and high seas have been hindering the search, and hopes for the missing crew are fading.

The San Juan, a German-built sub, had a crew of 44—including Argentina's first woman submarine officer. The vessel went out of contact while en route from the islands of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego to the Armada Argentina's northern base at Mar del Plata. Previously, the modern diesel-electric sub, built in 1983 and put into service in 1985, went through a mid-life overhaul, completed in 2013. The sub's primary role has been intelligence collection, including surveillance of fishing grounds in Argentina's economic zone for illegal fishing operations.

More here

[Update-- 11/20, 2:55 PM EST: Argentine navy officials have reported that sounds have been detected that may be the crew of the San Juan signaling underwater for help. The search area has been reduced to a 35-square-mile area about 330 miles off the southern Argentine coast.]