The man who found the ARA San Juan speaks: "I hope you will be able to tell us what happened to the submarine" – 28/11/2018

The question goes from Cape Town to Houston, United States, via the phone line, almost as if it was the past. This could not be done via Skype or Facetime, and it was the most direct way to speak with Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Plunkett. The maximum responsible for the discovery of the Argentine submarine ARA San Juan responds with a strong British accent. He will not come to South Africa to receive the ship Seabed Constructor at the port. He arrives Wednesday night or Thursday morning, but he keeps abad of the situation from his seat. Then the answer comes back. "The most difficult moment of course, at 45 or 50 days, our mood was affected, we were almost certain that the ship was in the area where it finally appeared, but we did not manage to It was an essay and a mistake, and it did not appear, it was the most difficult time, "Plunkett said. He is grateful to be congratulated, but admits that the mission continues.

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There are only a few hours left for the ship Seabed Constructor to finally arrive at the port. And the company Ocean Infinity always has a crucial job: upload all material collected on the position of the ARA San Juan and convey every detail to the Argentine government. It is only then that they will be able to introduce the bill allowing them to collect from the Bank the seven million dollars that correspond to them. This data transfer operation will begin here on Wednesday, following the unloading procedures in South Africa.

Four members of the submarine's family enter the seabed. The Government of Argentina and the relatives of the victims demanded that these four persons board the ship as observers of the search.

On several occasions, the seabed has followed the course that observers, according to their investigations, have thought possible to find the submarine. "It was a wise decision," says Plunkett, "the presence of these four family members was very important, they saw everything and they know perfectly well how we work, what we have done every day. They saw each data how it was checked and how it was thrown away.. They were the first to know that he had appeared. Everything we did could be commented on with them. That's why it was important that they travel with us. "

The same goes for their relations with the naval authorities and the government. "A conversation with the Minister of Defense, the day they visited the ship in Comodoro Rivadavia, then a proper and professional dialogue with the navy, and even they worked with their boats, it was a good relationship," he said. there.

The bet was 60 days. The discovery was to take place during the first stage of the research. It could not be otherwise, since the information provided by all the marines involved in the search showed that: the quadrant in which the ARA was located could not be other and coincided with the hydroacoustic recording, the lon. anomaly, the sound of implosion.

"We were aiming for these 60 days because all our calculations indicated that the submarine was there, we went from easy to difficult because of a strategy and a reduction of risks," says the CEO.

Plunkett does not rule out continuing to collaborate with the Argentine government. The imminent thing is data transfer, so we'll see it. "Now we will transmit all the data. And then we'll see if they need us to continue helping them. " At the port, the ship of your company is waiting for emissaries of the Argentine government to receive the equipment and coordinate its expedition to Buenos Aires.

Taking or not taking out the submarine is something that Plunkett prefers to be careful about. He is aware that this debate is now revolving around history, but he avoids pronouncing on this topic because he knows that it is about a sensitive subject.

"Our position," says the expert, "is to wait for the Argentine government to draw its conclusions and be ready if it needs more help from us".

Plunkett has not seen the photographs and for this reason, also avoids talking about it punctually. He knows this is a significant amount and he hopes that it can serve, as it is believed. It is time to badyze this material. But the task does not belong to Ocean Infinity, but to the navy experts. "I hope you can tell us what happened," says Plunkett.

And finally, with the austerity that characterizes it, a last comment is reserved for loved ones. "We know that It is important for them. We hope this will help you understand what has happened. ", closes the man who led the discovery of the ARA San Juan.

Ask for patience. His ship is approaching the land in South Africa. And he recognizes that this story is not over yet. It is just now beginning a step that can lead us to the truth.