The discovery of a sunken submarine off Argentina's coast in 2022 sparked a rush of investigations to establish its origins, with several claims that it was a Nazi submarine used to smuggle officials out of Germany.
According to a Buenos Aires Times report on Wednesday, a group of volunteer researchers launched an investigation into the submarine's origins.
The researchers are with the Eslabón Perdido group, which is led by historian and researcher Abel Basti, who discovered its half-buried remains.
The Argentinian government spent $300,000 investigating the wreck and then refused to reveal the results publically.
The independent researchers concluded that the submarine was very likely of Nazi origin.
Researchers from the Italian Naval League supported this finding. They also believe that the ship dates back to the Second World War-era German navy.
German Embassy unconvinced
The German Embassy in Buenos Aires remains unconvinced, telling Perfil, "After several investigations, we can communicate that for the time being, there are no signs that it is the wreckage of a German submarine. Therefore, we currently assume that we do not own that wreckage."
The Buenos Aires Times also noted that several groups were funding another dive to find more conclusive answers, including the use of underwater cameras and remote-control submersibles.
They will attempt to excavate samples of metal and some of the available parts to prove its origin reliably and map the wreckage using sonar.
Previous dives have shown features such as its periscope, hatch, turret, and deck, which are consistent with German submarines from that era, and its dimensions are consistent with U-boat design.
The Argentinian Senate has declared the research of national interest and public interest by the local municipalities where the wreck was found.