Eliana María Krawczyk (5 March 1982 – 15 November 2017) was an

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

of the

Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the ...

. She was among the 44 crew members of the Argentine submarine ARA ''San Juan'' when it sank on 15 November 2017.

Early life and education

Eliana María Krawczyk was born on 5 March 1982 in

Oberá Oberá, formerly Svea, is a city in the Mesopotamia, Argentina, interfluvial province of Misiones Province, Misiones, Argentina, and the head town of the Oberá Department. It is located 96 km east of the provincial capital Posadas, Misiones, ...

Misiones Province Misiones (, ''Missions'') is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, to two Jewish Polish immigrants. She entered

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

at age five.

Career

In 2003, while studying

industrial engineering Industrial engineering is an engineering profession that is concerned with the optimization of complex process (engineering), processes, systems, or organizations by developing, improving and implementing integrated systems of people, money, kno ...

in her hometown, Krawczyk learned through an

internet advertisement Online advertising, also known as online marketing, Internet advertising, digital advertising or web advertising, is a form of marketing and advertising which uses the Internet to promote products and services to audiences and platform users. ...

that the

was recruiting women. She traveled to

Posadas, Misiones Posadas () is the capital city of the Argentine province of Misiones, in its south, at the far north-east of the country on the left bank of the Paraná River, opposite Encarnación, Paraguay. The city has an area of and a population of 324,756 ...

to enlist that year and was enrolled at the the next year. She graduated in 2008 and was assigned to the ARA ''Libertad'' for training. It was here that she became interested in submarines. Once her eight-month training period had elapsed, she signed up for submarine training in

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a s ...

. Krawcyzk went to submarine school in 2012 and graduated at the top of her class. She was assigned first to the ARA ''Salta'', remaining there for four years. This posting made Krawczyk the first female submariner in Latin America. In 2016, she transferred to ARA ''San Juan''. On 8 October 2015, the Argentine Navy promoted Krawczyk to the rank of Frigate lieutenant, making her the Navy's first female submarine officer. For this distinction, she was personally congratulated by , Vice President of the

Misiones Misiones (, ''Missions'') is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes P ...

Chamber of Representatives. She was promoted again, to

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

, by decree of the Argentine government on 17 March 2017.

Disappearance of ARA ''San Juan''

On 17 November 2017, ARA ''San Juan'' disappeared off the

San Jorge Gulf The San Jorge Gulf (Golfo San Jorge; Spanish for ''Gulf of St. George'') is a bay in southern Patagonia, Argentina. It is an ocean basin opening to the Atlantic. Its shoreline spans Chubut and Santa Cruz province. The gulf measures approximate ...

while sailing to Mar del Plata after a military exercise. Krawczyk was among the 44 crew members aboard ARA ''San Juan'' when it disappeared and, when the submarine was not located within a week, she and the rest of the crew were presumed dead by the Argentine government. The submarine's wreckage was found a year later underwater, from the San Jorge Gulf. At the time of the submarine's loss, Krawcyzk was its third highest-ranking officer and the only woman aboard. Krawczyk's sister joined the search parties, but left 10 days before the discovery of the wreck.

Legacy

To honor Krawczyk's memory, the city of Oberá announced 27 days after ARA ''San Juan''s disappearance that it would name a street after her. Argentina's Jewish community honored Krawczyk on

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

, 9 March 2018, in a ceremony at the Alvear Hotel in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. 500 guests attended the event, including Rabbi Alejandro Avruj and politicians Carolina Stanley and

Patricia Bullrich Patricia Bullrich (born 11 June 1956) is an Argentine politician. She was Minister of Security under President Mauricio Macri and is the chairwoman of Republican Proposal. Born in Buenos Aires, Bullrich graduated from the University of Palermo a ...

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krawczyk, Eliana 1982 births 2010s missing person cases 2017 deaths Argentine Navy officers Argentine people of Polish-Jewish descent Missing person cases in Argentina People from Oberá People who died at sea