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Agencies

Families of the doomed crew of a French submarine that vanished 51 years ago reacted with joy and relief after the wreckage was finally found.
The submarine Minerve vanished with 52 crew members on board as it was conducting exercises in the western Mediterranean with a maritime patrol aircraft on January 27, 1968.
Search crews failed to find the sub immediately after it went missing. However, a renewed search employing new sonar and drone technologies led to Minerve’s discovery.
The submarine was discovered almost 45km from the vessel’s home port of Toulon, the country’s Defence Minister Florence Parly said Monday.
Parly on Twitter hailed the discovery as “a success, a relief and a technical feat”, adding she was thinking of the families who had “waited for this moment for so long”.

At the start of the year, Parly announced a new search mission involving naval vessels and marine experts following fresh demands from families for an effort to find the final resting place of their loved ones.
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Herve Fauve, the son of the Minerve’s commander, Andre Fauve, said it was a moment of “great emotion” for the families of the submariners who perished.
“Many people told me they were supporting me during the search because they didn’t want me to feel alone but they didn’t believe it would be found,” he told Le Monde.
Fauve, who maintains a detailed website on the disaster, said there was unlikely to be any trace of the bodies.
Francois Meunier, the brother of Marc Meunier, a quartermaster on the Minerve, was in tears as news of the discovery was announced.

“It’s the end of a long wait and many questions,” he said.
The discovery was ultimately made on Sunday by a boat belonging to private US company Ocean Infinity, which found the Minerve at a depth of 2,370 metres (7,800 feet), a senior French naval officer said.
The search vessel – the Seabed Constructor – was also successful in locating Argentina’s lost San Juan submarine in November 2018 which disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean a year earlier.
The cause of the loss of the Minerve has never been confirmed. But in keeping with naval tradition, the wreck would be left where it is and not touched, Vice Admiral Charles Henri du Che said.
“It is a maritime sanctuary, as is the case for all shipwrecks,” he said.

Tides and currents in the western Mediterranean were modelled by the French team, as well as seismic data from the time that indicated the likely implosion of the vessel as it dropped to the seabed.
Experts have speculated that the disaster was caused by a problem with the Minerve’s rudder, a collision with another boat, the explosion of a missile or torpedo, or a fault with its oxygen supply systems.
France is a world leader in submarine technology and its modern-day fleet of nuclear-powered vessels are seen as a key part of its defence capabilities and independence.
The year 1968 saw the loss of three other submarines around the world.
The USS Scorpion sank in the Atlantic, while the Soviet K-129 submarine armed with three nuclear missiles disappeared in the North Pacific.
It was found by the US in a covert operation in 1974.
The year was also marked by the disappearance of The Dakar, an Israeli vessel on its maiden voyage with 69 men on board. It was only found off the Greek island of Crete in 1999.
Agence France-Presse, The Guardian, Tribune News Service


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France

How France found doomed submarine Minerve, 51 years after it vanished

The crew of the Minerve French submarine. Photo: AFP

(FILES) An undated photograph shows the "Minerva", a French submarine class "Daphne" seen at sea during a military exercise. - The submarine La Minerve, which disappeared 50 years ago, has been found off the coast of Toulon, southern France, it was announced by the French Defence Minister on July 22, 2019. The "Minerva" disappeared at sea, with its 52 man crew on January 27, 1968, off Toulon. (Photo by STF / AFP)

An undated handout picture released by the Marine Nationale (French Navy) on July 22, 2019 shows the vessel 'Seabed Constructor' (R) and the BSAM 'Loire' during a research campaign for the submarine 'La Minerve' that disappeared on January 27, 1968, off Toulon, southern France. - The French submarine that went missing in the western Mediterranean in 1968 has been located during a search mission, officials said July 22, 2019, ending a 51-year wait for families of the deceased who continue to seek answers to the naval disaster. The diesel and electric-powered Minerve submarine was lost off France's southern coast with 52 sailors on board on January 27, 1968. From July 17, 2019, the American company "Ocean Infinity", specialized in underwater research, continued the research aboard of the "Seabed Constructor", a vessel flying the Norwegian flag. Aboard were representatives of the Navy and the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Navy (SHOM) to coordinate research operations, in c

epa07733764 epa07733723 A handout photo made available by the French Navy and the Defense Ministry shows an underwater image of part of a wreckage of the Minerva submarine as seen from a Remotely Operated underwater Vehicle (ROV), off the coast of Toulon, France, 21 July 2019 (issued 22 July 2019). French Defense Minister Florence Parly announced on Twitter on 22 July 2019 that the French submarine Minerva that has been missing for more than 50 years has been located by a search team. A total of 52 sailors were on board the Minerva when it vanished in January 1968. EPA-EFE/MARINE NATIONALE HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES/NO ARCHIVES

The submarine Minerve vanished with 52 crew members on board as it was conducting exercises in the western Mediterranean with a maritime patrol aircraft on January 27, 1968. Photo: AFP

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The renewed search of the submarine Minerve came amid demands from family members of the crew
The cause of the accident that led to the sinking has never been established


Families of crew of French submarine that vanished in 1968 reacted with joy and relief after the wreckage was finally found.


How France found doomed submarine Minerve, 51 years after it vanished

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}The renewed search of the submarine Minerve came amid demands from family members of the crew The cause of the accident that led to the sinking has never been established

The renewed search of the submarine Minerve came amid demands from family members of the crew

The cause of the accident that led to the sinking has never been established