Chilean foundation finances expedition that searches for an alleged Nazi submarine off the Argentine coast

With bad weather, rough waters and three-meter waves, a research group called Eslabón Perdido carried out a high-tech expedition to confirm that the remains discovered in the waters near the port of Quequén, opposite Necochea, 130 kilometers south of Mar del Plata, in Argentina, belong to the German fleet of World War II.

The expedition began last Tuesday, April 9, and ended on Friday, the 12th of the same month. As reported by the Lost Link expedition, They were able to find the exact location of the sunken submarine near the town of Necochea, four kilometers from the coast and 28 meters deep.

The former head of the Rancagua and Metropolitan Homicide Brigade, Gilberto Opazo, was the only Chilean present on the expedition.

“Two years ago, in an expedition by the Argentine Naval Prefecture, some images of very poor quality were taken and it was determined that what had actually submerged in that place would correspond to a submarine. So, now a second expedition was carried out where an underwater drone robot was used, which was able to take some images and those images are going to be sent to Italy,” he explained to The counter.

The data obtained would be consistent with the filming made at the time by the Argentine Naval Prefecture, which shows a hull completely destroyed and buried up to the deck. Among the elements that can be seen are hatches, compressed air tanks, oval holes in the outer hull, mooring bitts, part of the turret and attack periscope.

With underwater cameras and ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) technology, the team, led by Argentine journalist Abel Basti, had the objective of filming the entire hull of the ship that is located in the depths of the sea.

The operational part was in charge of the Deepwater company, commanded by engineer Carlos Pane. After the work on the ground, the filming will be analyzed by a Technical Evaluation Commission made up of engineers Hernán Sotero González, Jorge Pereda and Martín Canevaro, former president of the Professional Council of Naval Engineering.

As indicated from the expedition, the naval engineer Canevaro, together with his counterpart Andrés Cuidet, carried out the first examination that ruled that the wreck does not correspond to that of a ship, also verifying parts compatible with those of a submersible.

The Scientific Technical Supervision will be in charge of Dr. Fabio Bisciotti, an expert from the Italian Naval League, who confirmed, through a second expertise, that it is a German submarine from the Second World War, recommending that more images be obtained to identify it.

Bisciotti also established that the hull was destroyed, through the use of explosives, possibly to erase evidence of the arrival of said fugitive U-Boat to Argentina. As one would be in the presence of compelling evidence and a story related to criminal activity, the renowned criminal analyst and investigator Gilberto Opazo also participates in the expedition, coming from Chile.

One of the images obtained by an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) of the Argentine Naval Prefecture, where the periscope of the submarine – Missing Link would be seen. Images from the Naval Prefecture.

Who finances the expedition?

One of the details that draws the most attention is that the initiative was promoted by the Reitich Foundation, an organization founded and led by the Chilean businessman Jaime Philippe Reitich Baron.

The expedition is carried out based on an agreement reached between the Lost Link Group and the Reitich Foundation, “an entity whose objectives include revealing Nazi activity during and after the war,” says a press release published by the organization. .

“I am very excited to be able to help learn the truth by supporting the Missing Link expedition,” expressed its founder, businessman Reitich Baron.

As detailed on the foundation’s website, it was legally established in 2024. However, “around 2021, Mr. Reitich began to develop and promote, based on his own exclusive initiative, projects in key areas such as security, rescue, health, medical emergencies and technology.”

Jaime Philippe Reitich Baron is an architect and, according to the foundation’s website, a prominent entrepreneur in the technology and security fields.

The objective of the Reitich Foundation is “to carry out, manage, develop and promote philanthropic, charitable and charitable support activities to meet the needs of the Jewish community in Chile and its various institutions. It seeks to promote community development, promote religious practice and encourage local growth. The primary focus is on the areas of security, rescue, health, medical emergencies and technology, although the Foundation may cover other relevant areas as determined by its Board of Directors.

Since the entity was formed this year, the only project that can be observed is the Lost Link expedition.

Germany says it does not belong to it

Although there are versions that speculate that the ship belonged to the Nazi fleet, the German embassy in Buenos Aires assured that there is no evidence that this is the case. In this regard, after the aforementioned expertise was analyzed in Germany, official Constanza Corinagrato, head of the Policy and Human Rights Section of the embassy of that country, officially informed Eslabón Perdido that “after several investigations we can inform you that at the moment there is no There are indications that it is a German submarine wreck. Therefore, we currently assume that we are not the owners of that wreck.”