Missing cargo ship found, sank during Hurricane Joaquin
Digital Reporter
Sunday, November 1, 2015, 10:51 AM - Searchers appear to have found the wreckage of the cargo ship El Faro, a month after in sank in a hurricane.
Contact was lost with the El Faro as it struggled with the rough seas and strong winds generated by Hurricane Joaquin on October 1.
Searchers recovered some debris, including a life raft, but Saturday's announcement of the find by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was the first indication the ship itself had been located. The NTSB says the ship was detected by a U.S. Navy Ship towing a sophisticated Orion sonar system.
"The target identified by Orion is consistent with a 790-foot (240-metre) cargo ship, which from sonar images appears to be in an upright position and in one piece," the NTSB says.
Hurricane Joaquin reached Category 4 status as it impacted the Bahamas. Photo: NOAA
The NTSB says it will need to use a remote-operated submersible, CURVE-21, to survey the wreck and confirm its identity, a process that could begin Sunday.
"If the vessel is confirmed to be El Faro, CURVE-21, outfitted with a video camera will start the documentation of the vessel and the debris field and attempt to locate and recover the voyage data recorder," the NTSB says. "Those operations are expected to take up to 15 days to complete in ideal conditions but could take longer depending on weather and conditions encountered during the documentation process."
Joaquin was a Category 4 tropical storm boasted winds in the 250 km/h range at its peak. Though it missed U.S. landfall, it still caused major devastation to Bahamas, and was blamed for the disappearance of the El Faro.
Among the crew aboard were 28 Americans and five Polish citizens who were involved in retrofitting the ship, which the CBC says was scheduled to be redeployed to service between Alaska and the U.S. west coast.
