The search for a missing Argentinian submarine that has been lost for 15 days will continue but the rescue element of the mission for 44 crew members on board has ended, the country's navy says.

All 44 crew members on a missing Argentinian submarine are feared dead after the navy announced a sound thought to be an explosion had been detected.

Sounds detected by probes deep in the South Atlantic did not come from an Argentine submarine that has been lost for five days, the country's navy said, dashing newfound hope among relatives of the 44 sailors aboard.

Argentina's Navy has detected seven brief satellite calls that officials believe may have come from a missing submarine with 44 crew members on board.

Argentina's navy says it has lost contact with a submarine off the southern coast - but does not consider it lost.