In November of 2017, an Argentinian Navy submarine named the ARA San Juan
disappeared while traveling from an Argentinian naval base in Tierra del Fuego to its home port
in Mar del Plata (McKirdy, 2017). According to McKirdy (2017), the submarine, if underwater,
was in danger of running out of oxygen in as little as seven days. The vessel’s disappearance
sparked a frantic search from both the Argentine Navy and its international partners. One of
those partners, the US Navy, deployed four unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) in support of
the search (Werner, 2017). According to Werner (2017), one of those vehicles was the Bluefin-
12(D).
The Bluefin-12(D), manufactured by General Dynamics, is a torpedo-shaped, highly
modular UUV capable of diving to a maximum depth of fifteen hundred meters (General
Dynamics, n.d.). According to General Dynamics (n.d.), its primary prioproceptive sensor is an
inertial measurement unit (IMU), which internally monitors the UUV’s speed and pitch in the
water. General Dynamics (n.d.) also states that one of the craft’s chief exteroreceptors is a
doppler velocity log (DVL), which measures the doppler effect created by the UUV as it
travels through water and then uses that information to confirm the IMU’s data. Rounding out
the suite of navigation sensors are a GPS and a compass, all of which aid the Bluefin in
navigating deep water.
The US Navy made an official statement that the Bluefin-12(D) was being utilized in the
search, but did not specify what search and rescue-specific modifications were made to the craft
(US Navy, 2017). However, a quick look at the Navy’s official photo of the Bluefin shows that it
is missing one modification that I think would greatly improve the craft’s ability to carry out its
mission: a manipulator arm.
I believe that a manipulator arm would greatly increase the Bluefin’s effectiveness, as it
would give the craft the ability to move debris and remove obstacles, thereby clearing a path for
manned rescue efforts. While not specified in the craft’s spec sheet, the Bluefin’s modularity
indicates that it can be mounted with a manipulator arm without too much difficulty.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be combined with unmanned surface and
underwater vehicles to maximize search effectiveness in maritime environments. In 2017, a
research team from the Air Force Engineering University in China conducted a study that
determined that UAVs can be far more effective than manned aircraft in maritime search-and-
rescue operations (Lei, Jianbo, & Shukui, 2017). According to Lei et al. (2017), the ability of
UAVs to maintain sustained operations while providing both automatic and manual scanning
greatly increases the odds of rescuers finding lost personnel. By utilizing both a UAV and a
UUV, rescuers can systematically search large areas of water for longer periods of time (and at a
much lower cost) than by utilizing manned craft for the same purpose.
UUVs have many advantages over their manned counterparts when it comes to maritime
operations. They are generally far less expensive to operate than manned craft and present no
danger to pilots or crew while operating (McPhail, 2002). They are also small and compact in a
way that manned craft cannot be. The Bluefin-12(D) is small enough to be maneuverable
in tight spaces, a potentially crucial ability when attempting to navigate wreckage. A craft the
size of the Bluefin is far too small to accommodate a human crew.
The story of the Argentine submarine does not have a happy ending; the US Navy called
off its search for vehicle six weeks after it disappeared (Chaplain, 2017). As of May of 2018,
the submarine is still missing, with little hope of survival for its forty-four person crew
(Goldman, 2018). However, while this operation may have failed thus far, the increasing use of
UUVs in maritime search and rescue operations may increase the number of lives saved in the
future.
References
Chaplain, C. (2017). US Navy ends search for missing Argentine submarine ARA San Juan.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/us-navy-ends-search-for-missing-argentine-
submarine-ara-san-juan-a3727766.html
General Dynamics (n.d.). Bluefin-12D autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Retrieved from
https://gdmissionsystems.com/en/products/underwater-vehicles/bluefin-12-d-autonomous-
underwater-vehicle
Goldman, J. (2018). 6 months after Argentine submarine went missing, families feel ‘invisible’.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/months-argentine-submarine-missing-families-feel-
invisible/story?id=55146472
Lei, Z., Jianbo, H., & Shukui, X. (2017). Marine search and rescue of UAV in long-distance
security modeling simulation. Polish Maritime Research, 95(24), 192-199.
McKirdy, E. (2017). Argentina’s missing submarine: what we know. Retrieved from
https://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/20/americas/argentina-submarine-what-we-know/index.html
on 18 November, 2018.
McPhail, S. (2002). Autonomous underwater vehicles: are they the ideal sensor platforms for
ocean margin science? Ocean Margin Systems, 79-97.
US Navy. (2017). US Navy deploys unmanned submersibles in Argentine submarine search.
Retrieved from https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=103420
Werner, B. (2017). US Navy undersea teams now underway as part of Argentine submarine
search. Retrieved from https://news.usni.org/2017/11/22/u-s-navy-unmanned-underseateams-
now-underway-part-argentine-submarine-search
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