The Senate Recognizes “Eslabón Perdido” Project, Declares Nazi Shipwreck Near Necochea the Most Important Naval Discovery in Argentine History

“2025 – YEAR OF THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE ARGENTINE NATION”
National Congress – Senate of the Nation
Ordinary Sessions of 2025 – Agenda No. 216 – June 11, 2025

Summary

Committee on Science and Technology – Report on the draft declaration submitted by Senator Silvina García Larraburu, declaring the “Eslabón Perdido” Underwater Research Project to be of national interest. (File S-150/25)

Committee Report

The Senate’s Committee on Science and Technology has reviewed the draft declaration introduced by Senator Silvina García Larraburu (S-150/25), which seeks to recognize as a matter of national interest the “Eslabón Perdido” Underwater Research Project. The initiative focuses on tracking unregistered shipwrecks in the Argentine Sea and, in 2022, discovered a large-scale wreck off the coast of Quequén, Buenos Aires Province. Due to the magnitude of the find, this has been described as the most significant discovery in Argentina’s naval history. For these reasons, and as will be explained by the reporting member, the committee recommends approval of the following:

Draft Declaration

The Senate of the Nation DECLARES: Of interest to the Honorable Senate, the discovery in 2022 of a major shipwreck near the port of Quequén, Buenos Aires Province, carried out by the “Eslabón Perdido” Underwater Research Project, dedicated to tracing unregistered wrecks in the Argentine Sea. Owing to the size of the vessel, this is considered the most important discovery in Argentina’s naval history.

In accordance with Article 110 of the Senate’s Rules of Procedure, this report goes directly to the agenda.

Committee Room, May 28, 2025.
Signed: Silvina M. García Larraburu – Víctor Zimmermann – Silvia Sapag – Sonia E. Rojas Decut – Andrea M. Cristina – María T. M. González – Stella M. Olalla – Bartolomé Abdala – Mónica E. Silva.

Background

Draft Declaration

The Senate of the Nation DECLARES:
Of interest to this Honorable Chamber, the “Eslabón Perdido” Underwater Research Project, dedicated to locating unregistered wrecks in the Argentine Sea, which in 2022 uncovered a large-scale shipwreck near the port of Quequén, Buenos Aires Province. The scale of the find makes it the most important underwater discovery in Argentina’s naval history.
Signed: Silvina M. García Larraburu

Grounds

Madam President:

This initiative was first introduced in 2021 (File No. 141/21) and again in 2023 (File No. 87/23). The “Eslabón Perdido” project, led by a group of volunteers, was born with the mission of identifying shipwrecks that have not yet been verified but could lie in Argentine waters.

Its work plan involves two key objectives: first, to discover these wrecks —which, lacking records, have not been included in nautical charts or the Argentine Pilot—, and second, to investigate their histories in order to understand the circumstances of these maritime tragedies and why they were never officially documented.

Composed of professionals and experts from diverse disciplines, “Eslabón Perdido” was initially declared of interest by the municipalities of Necochea and Lobería, Buenos Aires Province, where the exploration team concentrated its efforts in recent years.

On March 9, 2022, project coordinator Abel Basti, a journalist and researcher, reported the discovery of a wreck measuring 80 meters in length to the Argentine Coast Guard. The finding of a vessel of such dimensions is unprecedented in Argentina, marking it as the most significant underwater discovery in the nation’s naval history.

In Argentina, wrecks previously located were generally known through historical records, with information on the ships and approximate sinking sites. For instance, the brig-schooner Republicano, a 20-meter Argentine naval vessel that resisted the Anglo-French fleet at the Battle of Vuelta de Obligado in 1845, or the British corvette Swift, 28 meters long, which sank in the Deseado River, Santa Cruz Province, in 1770.

In those cases, explorers began with historical data regarding the nature, date, and area of the sinking. The task was then to locate the wrecks in the specified zones, often with precise coordinates. But in this case, a shipwreck was discovered with no known history whatsoever: the vessel’s identity and origin remain entirely unknown, making it the first case of its kind in Argentine naval history.

Later, the Argentine Coast Guard conducted a major operation, filming the wreck for eight hours. In its technical reports, the force stated it was unable to identify the vessel. In July 2022, the Naval Hydrography Service intervened, officially including the wreck —found at a depth of 26 meters near the port of Quequén— in the Argentine Pilot and corresponding nautical charts, thereby formalizing the discovery.

Local stakeholders have been engaged in the project, including the municipalities of Necochea and Lobería, the Arenas Verdes Neighborhood Association, the Friends of the Necochea Museum and Historical Archive, and the La Lobería Grande Museum.

Fieldwork has incorporated testimonies from longtime residents and fishermen, as well as historical research in official and private archives, complemented by newspaper articles from the period. At sea, the search employs side-scan sonar and a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), ensuring a non-intrusive methodology limited to identifying possible wrecks, which are then reported to the maritime authority. In the study area, nearly 50 shipwrecks and stranded vessels have been identified, all of which were officially recorded —except this one.

For the reasons outlined above, I respectfully request the support of my colleagues for this Draft Declaration.

Signed: Silvina M. García Larraburu