Terrifying video shows 26ft waves lash rescue boats searching for missing submarine crew
STORMS have hampered the search for an Argentinian submarine missing for a week with 44 crew on board.
Argentinian Navy submarine faces sea storm
The ARA San Juan left the Argentinian south coast port of Ushuaia on November 13, heading for the eastern city of Mar del Plata, a journey that usually takes around seven days.
But the vessel sent its last location on November 15 and has not been heard from since.
More than a dozen boats and planes from Argentina, the United States, Britain, Chile and Brazil have joined the search, but heavy storms have hampered efforts in the past few days.
Video showing the severe weather facing sea rescuers was posted on Twitter, capturing huge waves battering the fleet of ships helping the search.
The bad weather has restricted search efforts mainly to the air over the past few days, although improved conditons are now expected to quicken the hunt for the vessel.
Meteorologists expected to encounter six foot waves in the search area for the San Juan on Tuesday, a significant drop from the 26ft waves that crashed down over the weekend.
Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said: "We trust that the boats assigned to each zone can do an effective maritime patrol, and will not be struggling against the storm as they were in recent days,"
Sea searches for ARA San Juan have been hampered by storms
The ARA San Juan submarine being delivered to the Argentine Navy after being repaired in 2014
Maria Victoria Morales, the mother of Luis Garcia, an electrical technician aboard the vessel, said: "Today is a critical day.
"We are holding up as well as we can."
Hopes the submarine had been located were earlier dashed when it was discovered satellite signals and sounds detected by underwater probes had not come from the vessel.
The submarine had reported an electrical problem and was heading back to its base in Mar del Plata when it disappeared on Wednesday nearly 300 miles off the coast.
An Argentinian flag outside the San Juar's naval base tells the country to 'be strong'
A couple watch a naval destroyer being refueled after taking part in the search for the San Juan
Today is a critical day. We are holding up as well as we can
The US Navy was preparing on Tuesday to deploy rescue equipment, including a remote-operated vehicle.
The ARA San Juan was inaugurated in 1983, the newest of three submarines in the Navy's fleet. Built in Germany, it underwent maintenance in 2008 in Argentina.
Eliana Maria Krawczy, the country's first female submarine oficer, is among the missing crew
The maintenance included the replacement of its four diesel engines and its electric propeller engines, according to specialist publication Jane's Sentinel.
Among the crew on board the San Juan is Eliana Maria Krawczy, Argentina's first female submarine officer.
Her sister Silvina Krawczyk told Reuters: “They are working very hard to find them.
“Besides just the faith one has to maintain in these situations, I truly trust that they are going to find them.”