For Days the World Awaited News of the Submarine

By Emiliano Limia

ARGENTINA, Buenos Aires (AA) - After several days of silence, in search of peace and tranquility, on Thursday, Jorge Bergallo, the father of one of the crewmembers of the disappeared Argentinian submarine ARA San Juan, spoke to Anadolu Agency.

His story is peculiar, since in addition to being the father of Jorge Ignacio Bergallo, the second commander in charge of the ARA San Juan, he is also a career sailor. He was commander of this very same submarine, so he knew this operation closely. And somehow it was he who fostered in his son, as a child, his love for the sea.

Knowing the ship, knowing how to operate it, thinking what he would have done in the same situation was what wore him down the most. He made his own calculations as soon as he heard about the disappearance and knew that they were unfavorable. He could not say it at home, except after he heard about a supposed explosion. He knew what a catastrophic situation could be like inside the submarine.

"When they told us about the explosion, I understood many things. Although it sounded hard, as Lilita Carrió (deputy of the Cambiemos political party) said, it is like that, they are all dead. Because if they were not all dead someone would have opened certain valves, would have made certain maneuvers. It sounds horrible, but it gave me peace of mind knowing that they are not at the bottom drowning or suffocating because there is no air," he said.

"Along with my other retired colleagues from the Navy, we were looking at everything they said about the communications, the positions, the depth of that place. What happens is that my wife saw me doing those analyzes. She did not ask me for the details because I was not going to give them to her either way, it did not make sense. But yes, that's what wears you out the most, that killed me."