3 Photos of ARA San Juan showing where parts used to be.

Bow section of ARA San Juan, noting the 6 torpedo tubes. The section is 24m long and 7m wide with explosion and water pressure deforming it. (Photo from Ocean Infinity via Argentine Navy).

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Part of the now exploded propeller of ARA San Juan (Photo from Ocean Infinity via Argentine Navy).

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Part of ARA San Juan's fin/sail (once called "conning tower) lying on its side with usually horizontal plane now upright of ARA San Juan (Photo from Ocean Infinity via Argentine Navy).

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Why was ARA San Juan Found Exactly One Year After It Was Lost?

Lost 15 November 2017. 

Found 16 November 2018.

Why ARA San Juan was found exactly one year after it was lost may be coincidence, but more likely Argentine Government generated public relations. 

Revealing evidence after a year provides convincing symbolism. 

Also San Juan's location may have been pretty well known in Argentine and foreign (mainly US) naval circles months ago. 

However revealing sensitive naval sources and methods would look evasive, unhelpful and would raise too many questions. Methods could include:

-  undersea hydrophones, more accurate than those publicized, locating San Juan when it exploded,

-  specialist US submarines, and

-  classified naval unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs).

But for persuasive publication a civilian vessel (eventually Seabed Constructor) was needed to “find” San Juan and collect the evidence – so far the photos. 

Wikipedia has a good account: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARA_San_Juan_(S-42)#Wreck_discovery :

“On 16 November 2018 ARA San Juan was found at a depth of 907 meters, at 45°56′59″S 59°46′22″W,^[19] nearly 270 nautical miles (500 km; 310 mi) from Comodoro Rivadavia, by [Seabed Constructor owned by]  Ocean Infinity, a private maritime company hired by the Argentine government.

The area was previously assigned 90 percent of probability of locating the wreck, but previous searches failed to find it due to insufficient technology and presence of numerous [undersea]  canyons.^[39] 

A "hydro-acoustic anomaly" consistent with an implosion had been detected 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) north of the sub's last known position at 10:31 (13:31 UT) on 15 November 2017.

Photographs were released showing the shattered remains of the submarine broken up on the seabed.

Ocean Infinity will receive a reward of US$7.5 million for finding the missing vessel.^[3][4] 

Argentine Navy spokesman captain Jorge Balbi presented close-up photos of the wreck in a press briefing. The pictures show the imploded pressure hull, with her bow section, sail and propellers scattered in an area of 8,000 square metres (86,000 sq ft).”

It is also possible that US Navy information of an accuracy that couldn't be made public was provided to the crew on Seabed Constructor and/or Ocean Infinity to make the find.

Pete

Australia buying Armed Reapers

To show the US is not the only Reaper owner, here is the front of a Reaper owned by Britain's Royal Air Force. (Photo courtesy UK Defence Journal.)

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In a Joint Media Release of November 16, 2018, Australia’s Minister for Defence, Christopher Pyne and Minister for Defence Industry, Steven Ciobo:

“...announced the selection of the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper variant as the system which best meets the capability requirements for Australia’s first armed remotely piloted aircraft system.

Minister Pyne said the medium altitude long endurance aircraft can be integrated within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and would be fully interoperable with our allies...”

“...“The aircraft will be operated under the same laws of armed conflict, international human rights law and rules of engagement as manned aircraft”, Minister Pyne said.”

“...The [Australian] Government will now request pricing and availability data from the United States on Reaper variants to support future decision-making on the acquisition.”

Pete Comment

Australians have been remote piloting Reapers since 2015.

Reaper using allies, of course, include the US.  Here are 9 other users to interoperate with.

Pete

Photos of submarine ARA San Juan

The following vague, difficult to identify, photos are what the Argentine Navy positively says are parts of Armada [Navy or Fleet] de la República Argentina (ARA) San Juan.

San Juan exploded/imploded on November 15, 2017 probably due to the ignition of hydrogen gas produced by sea water coming into contact with San Juan's 100 tonnes of lead-acid batteries. The ignition, gas explosion, then burst San Juan's pressure hull into thousands of pieces. Seawater rushed in (implosion) at the same instant as explosion.

The photos were taken deeper than 800m by an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) sent by the ship Seabed Constructor owned by US company Ocean Infinity. Notice that the first photo gives a Depth ie. "DPT" of  "-945.83m".

About the photos below. In Phys.Org November 18, 2018 scrolling a quarter way down:

“[Argentine Defense Minister Oscar] “Aguad met earlier with family members to show photos taken by an underwater robot. They showed a propeller, the sub's bow with torpedo-launching tubes and an upper section of the vessel lying on the ocean floor.”

The photos are in the Buenos Aires Times, November 17, 2018
 http://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/first-photos-from-the-deep-the-wreckage-of-the-ara-san-juan.phtml:

Part of the propeller.

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San Juan's bow, showing its six torpedo tubes.

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An upper section of San Juan.

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Pete

Argentine Submarine ARA San Juan Found in Fragments - Photo

Wreckage of ARA San Juan 800m down on seafloor. As it imploded/exploded into small fragments this would obstruct recovery efforts of submarine and crew remains. Fragments were predicted last year. (Photo courtesy search vessel Seabed Constructor and Argentine Navy via New York Times).  

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In the last 3 hours is has been reported in the international media that Argentine submarine ARA San Juan, lost for a year, has been found, in deep water.

Australia’s government owned ABC News, on November 17, 2018 reports:

Argentina's navy says searchers deep in the Atlantic have found the missing submarine ARA San Juan, which disappeared with 44 crewmen aboard almost a year ago to the date.

The vessel was detected 800 metres deep in waters off the Valdes Peninsula in Argentine Patagonia, the navy statement said.

The navy said a "positive identification" had been made by a remote-operated submersible from the American ship Ocean Infinity, which was hired for the latest search for the missing vessel.

It had earlier tweeted that it was investigating a "point of interest" where a 60-metre-long object had been detected.

The discovery was announced just two days after families of the missing sailors held a commemoration one year after the sub disappeared on November 15, 2017.

On [November 15, 2018], on the anniversary of the disappearance, [Argentine] President Mauricio Macri said the families of the submariners should not feel alone and delivered an "absolute and non-negotiable commitment" to find "the truth".

Mr Macri promised a full investigation after the submarine was lost. [Argentine] Federal police raided naval bases and other buildings last January [2018] as part of the probe, soon after the Government dismissed the head of the navy.

The San Juan was returning to its base in the coastal city of Mar del Plata when contact was lost.

The navy has previously said the captain reported on November 15 that water entered the snorkel and caused one of the sub's batteries to short-circuit. The captain later communicated that it had been contained.

Some hours later, an explosion was detected near the time and place where the San Juan was last heard from.

The navy said the blast could have been caused by a "concentration of hydrogen" triggered by the battery problem reported by the captain.

Argentina gave up hope of finding survivors after an intense search aided by 18 countries, but the navy has continued searching for the vessel.

[San Juan a] German-built diesel-electric TR-1700 class submarine was commissioned in the mid-1980s and was most recently refitted between 2008 and 2014.

During the $US12 million ($16 million) retrofitting, [San Juan] was cut in half and had its engines and batteries replaced.

Experts said refits could be difficult because they involve integrating systems produced by different manufacturers, and even the tiniest mistake during the cutting phase can put the safety of the ship and crew at risk."

COMMENT

Clear, published, photographic evidence, on the seafloor, of  ARA San Juan's shape, serial numbers (and maybe inscribed name) are needed for proof.

Pete 

Prime Minister Abe Also Remembers WWII Submarine Crew

Paper cranes and photos of Japanese servicemen including submarine crew who died near Darwin during World War II. (Courtesy Kristy O’Brien of ABC News)

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On November 16/17, 2018 Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, visited a memorial in Darwin, Australia, remembering 80 crew of a sunken Japanese submarine. Australia's ABC News, reports November 17, 2018:

"The descendants of a "forgotten crew" of Japanese soldiers killed at sea hope their story will be etched into history, following an acknowledgement by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Mr Abe used the final day of his Darwin visit to lay a wreath at a memorial for the Japanese submarine I-124, which was sunk off the coast of Darwin during World War II.

The I-124 was one of four mine-laying submarines sent to north Australian waters on secret missions to intercept allied vessels.

But in what would be the submarine's final mission, the crew were trying to torpedo an oiler when they were hit by another vessel that had come in to defend the craft...."

SEE WHOLE ABC ARTICLE