Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘ARA San Juan: The Submarine That Disappeared’ delving deep into an Argentine Navy vessel’s sudden fading while training in late 2017, we get a documentary series unlike any other. We state this because it comprises not only archival audio-video footage but also exclusive interviews with significant individuals to really re-examine this entire matter from all possible sides. Amongst those to thus feature in this original is actually late crew member Alejandro Tagliapietra’s father, Luis Tagliapietra — so now, if you simply wish to learn more about him, here’s what we know.
Who is Luis Tagliapietra?
It was on November 16, 2017, when San Isidro native Luis’ world turned upside down as he got the news that his eldest of three sons Alejandro had been missing alongside ARA San Juan for over a day. The truth is land officials had lost complete communication with them at around 7:20 am the morning prior, yet they still waited according to emergency protocols before raising all their heavy alarms. “At 10 pm, the mother of my [27-year-old] son called me,” he candidly revealed in the production. “She called crying because the Navy had called her, saying that the submarine had ceased contact.”
Luis added, “I immediately asked her for the contact of the person who’d called her, and I called to make all the inquiries. They told me exactly the same thing. But to be honest, I didn’t freak out. I was calm, trying to think logically.” That’s because this trained criminal attorney knew it was possible there was only some system or frequency malfunction that led them to go radio silent, and the vessel might pop up at her Mar del Plata home base any moment. Nevertheless, he still made his way to the base, just to gradually recognize the gravity of their situation due to the lack of clear evidence, information, or water frequency shift available, plus the ensuing search and rescue mission.
Then came a report indicating this Torpedo could’ve exploded/imploded since an event consistent with the same was detected on the fateful day, yet nothing could be corroborated. “It was a terrible day because there was great despair,” Luis expressed in the show, referring to the time following that November 23 press conference. “Contagious crying, you know? Like, you’d start crying and when you managed to pull yourself together a little, you’d go greet someone, say two words, and start crying together.” The fact neither he nor any of his fellow grieving ARA family members received any empathy or direct details from officials affected them in terms of trust too.
In fact, Luis didn’t even know the message that officials had received on the ground from the sub detailed a short circuit turned to fire, eventually driving him to serve as not just a plaintiff but also a lawyer in the federal case they filed against the higher-ups. Moreover, he even ensured to be a part of the advisory crew aboard the Ocean Infinity ships the government hired in the fall of 2018 to uncover remains, and he took his role seriously, sometimes sleeping just 2-3 hours a night. It was worth it in the end, though, because he finally got some closure – his son had passed, but he’d passed doing what he loved: sailing.
Where is Luis Tagliapietra Now?
“My son was still a student of the Naval Academy when this happened to us,” Luis conceded in the documentary series. “He was actually on his graduation trip. Sadly, his mother and I were given, postmortem, his submarine sailor badge and his medal for achiving the hight GPA in the academy. We’re so proud.” Thus, of course, it appears as of this 65-year-old is still actively involved in the matter and doing everything in his power to keep his son’s memories and legacy alive, all the while being surrounded by his loved ones and helping those literally on the same journey as him.
According to reports, Luis has since shifted his practice to the Buenos Aries Province, where he serves as a digital creator, attorney, plus plaintiff in the ARA San Juan federal cases. Moreover, he’s also sponsoring 13 of the 44 families involved in this ordeal as they try to emotionally contain their demoralized experiences from a process that has exposed high levels of collusion and impunity. “It is very difficult,” he once said. “There is a lot of frustration and resignation among family members. Recently there was a tribute in the Senate. Of the 44 families, only 10 attended.”
Luis continued, “The families are left very sensitive, very hurt, raw. And they have taken advantage of that situation: they infiltrated us, they sent us people to pretend to be relatives that we later learned were not, with the intention of creating conflicts and sowing divisions between us. In 2018 and 2019 they sent their armies of trolls to attack us on social networks, with the aim of silencing us. In some cases they succeeded, but the rest of us are still here, firm.” Therefore, of course, he’s still set on his mission to achieve justice for all those aboard ARA while keeping his son alive in his heart.
Read More: Where is Crew Member Alejandro Polo’s Sister Isabel Vilca Now?
