The Argentine Navy has completed the tasks of righting the former ARA Comandante General Irigoyen notice, moored at the dock in the city of San Pedro and converted into a museum ship since 2010.
Product of the downspout of the Paraná River, the ship was heeled on the starboard side with the water level at the height of the main deck, endangering its stability and making it difficult to navigate the channel.
Personnel and means of the Buenos Aires Diving Station, dependent on the Zárate Naval Base and the Navy Rescue Service based at the Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, were deployed, which carried out in the first instance a visual inspection in order to evaluate the general situation and coordinate actions with the municipality.
For more than 10 days, the rescue divers carried out underwater tasks to detect the ingress of water, block the water inlets by placing cover-ups along the case on the starboard side and carry out continuous drains of the flooded premises to dislodge the liquid that was already inside, allowing the unit to recover from the pronounced heel and recover its initial position. During this period, staff remained attentive to the situation in order to respond quickly to possible eventualities.
In addition, Civil Defense personnel from the Municipality of San Pedro intervened and placed sections of barriers around the vessel to contain possible elements that could detach from the ship itself.
Community Chief Cecilio Salazar met with the Commander of the Naval River Area, Navy Commodore Daniel Francisco Finardi, and thanked the Argentine Navy for coordinating the work; highlighting the dedication, commitment and responsibility to the historic vessel.
During the meeting, they discussed the tasks developed and a series of recommendations to address the planning of important tasks in the medium and short term, in order to avoid possible inconveniences that may again affect the stability and tightness of the ship, product of variations in the regime of the river due to the effect of the downspout.