This morning, Coast Guard Officials have said that the cargo ship that went missing during Hurricane Joaquin is now believed to have sunk. The search continued over the weekend for a 790-foot U.S. flagged containership, the El Faro, that went missing near Crooked Island in the Bahamas last Thursday. She had 33 crew members aboard; 28 Americans and five Polish nationals.
On Saturday, search crews aboard a USCG C-130 airplane spotted a life ring that was later confirmed to be from the El Faro. It was found 120 nautical miles northeast of Crooked Island, about 70 miles northeast of the ship's last known position. Then on Sunday, they discovered a 225-square mile debris field made up of Styrofoam, wood, cargo, and other items, according to CNN.
Since Thursday, search and rescue crews have searched an area of 70,000 square miles. The last known position of the El Faro was located near the eye of the category 4 Hurricane Joaquin, with winds up to 140 mph and waves 20 to 30 feet high. The ship was loaded with nearly 400 containers on deck and almost 300 cars, trucks, and trailers below.
On September 29, the El Faro departed Jacksonville, FL, en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico. At the time, Joaquin was a tropical storm. Two days later, watchstanders at the Coast Guard Atlantic Area command center in Portsmouth, VA, received a satellite notification stating that the El Faro had lost propulsion while en route to San Juan and that it had a 15-degree list. The crew also reported that the ship had previously taken on water but that that matter had been contained. There has been no communication with the ship since.
When the storm finally started to shift away from the Bahamas, a search team began flying in as close as they could to the last known position of the missing ship but were unfortunately unable to reestablish contact with the El Faro. Now the coast guard believes that the ship sunk during Hurricane Joaquin and are continuing to search for survivors.
This morning, crew members’ families told WTLV television of Jacksonville, FL, that the Coast Guard had informed them that El Faro had sunk, and that one body had been recovered. In a video released by the Coast Guard, a lieutenant who flew one of the search planes said that Saturday produced “the most challenging weather conditions anyone on our crew had ever flown in.”
The El Faro was built in 1975 and is rumored to have spent time in Maryland some years back. Some have argued that she was not in the best condition to be making a trip such as this. Others are angry that the vessel was not diverted from its course in the wake of Hurricane Joaquin, but TOTE executives claim the captain of the El Faro had chartered a course aimed at passing "well in front of Joaquin." Coast Guard Captain Mark Fedor stated in a press conference that the Coast Guard is no longer looking for the ship but is looking for survivors. We will continue to post updates as they come in.