The French submarine La Minerve, which disappeared in 1968 with a crew of 52, has been found after 50 years off Toulon, Defense Minister Florence Parly announced today. “We found La Minerve. It is a success, a relief and a technical achievement. My thoughts are with the families who have been waiting for this moment for so long," the minister wrote on Twitter.
The submarine was spotted in the Mediterranean, 45 kilometers off Toulon, at a depth of 2,370 meters, by the American vessel Seabed Constructor, which arrived last Tuesday in the area to participate in the search. The ship's drones provided visual evidence of the submarine's location, according to a senior French Navy officer.
The Seabed Constructor, owned by the American private company Ocean Infinity, is the ship that located the submarine San Juan, which had disappeared with its 44-member crew off Argentina in November 2018.
On January 27, 1968, the submarine was on a training mission 30 kilometers from Toulon and sank within four minutes. A number of possible causes have been suggested for its sinking, including damage, collision with a ship, missile, torpedo explosion, or damage to the air ducts. Despite the operations carried out since then, the submarine had not been located until today.
It is worth noting that in 1968 three more submarines were sunk, one Soviet, one American and one Israeli, giving birth, as usual, to many theories...
Last October, the families of the missing persons appealed for the resumption of the investigations. At the beginning of the year, the Minister of Defense announced the resumption of the investigations with the help of the new data obtained by the application of modern scientific knowledge.
The vessel was decommissioned in 1958 and entered service in 1964. She was one of the Daphné class vessels. She had a maximum diving displacement of 1,038 tons and carried 12 550 mm torpedo tubes. (22in).
SOURCE:APE-ME