The French navy has located one of its submarines that disappeared more than 50 years ago with 52 crew on board, reports The Guardian.
La Minerve was discovered on the seabed in the Mediterranean off the port of Toulon.
“It’s a success, a relief and a technical feat,” Florence Parly, the defence minister, tweeted. “I am thinking of the families who have waited for so long for this moment.”
La Minerve was on a military exercise when it disappeared on January 17th 1968. Repeated searches have failed to find the vessel until now.
Under pressure from relatives of crew members, a fresh search was launched at the beginning of this year using the latest hi-tech equipment to map and model tides and currents in the Mediterranean. Data from the time of the accident was also re-examined. This included seismic reports that suggested the submarine probably imploded as it dropped to the bottom of the sea.
A senior French naval officer told Agence France-Presse the submarine was discovered by a boat belonging to the private US company Ocean Infinity. It announced it had found La Minerve at a depth of 2,370 metres, 27 miles (45km) from Toulon, which is home to a French naval base.
The cause of the accident that led to the submarine sinking in just four minutes has never been established. Families hope the wreckage will provide long-awaited answers.