The ARA San Juan was discovered by Ocean Infinity, an American company contracted by the Argentine military to lead the search effort. The company’s vessel, Seabed Constructor, “has positively identified” the missing submarine lying at a chilling depth of 800 meters, the Argentine Navy confirmed in a tweet on Saturday morning.

Previously, the navy said the Seabed Constructor detected what it said was “a point of interest.” The object was approximately 60 meters long and its shape resembled a submarine hull.

Relatives of missing sailors were notified before the news was broken by Argentine media. It also comes just days after families of the submariners gathered at Mar del Plata naval base to commemorate and mourn their loved ones.

Now, with the submarine lying so deep on the seabed, it may be nearly impossible to know what happened to it. The navy will seek to determine if the San Juan can be raised from its current spot.

One year ago, the ARA San Juan, laid down in 1983 in German shipyards, went missing in the Atlantic with 44 crew on board. The sub was on a routine mission, and its sudden disappearance gave birth to numerous theories and rumors.

Local media reported that before communication with the submarine was lost, its captain reported a short circuit caused by the entry of sea water into the battery compartment.

READ MORE: Explosion & fire on Argentina’s San Juan sub blamed on low-quality German repair – reports

A fire breaking out inside could have triggered a blast on board, the navy said at the time, adding that its listening posts detected “abnormal, singular, short, violent” sounds “consistent with an explosion.”

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