33 souls on cargo ship missing in Hurricane Joaquin, October 2015

[KaaBoom]

El Faro ‘Pinger’ Search Turns Up Empty

A U.S. Navy tug was unable to detect any ‘pings’ from the sunken El Faro cargo ship off the Bahamas and the search will now shift to using side-scan sonar, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said in its latest update on its investigation into the ship’s sinking.

The USNS Apache arrived at the last known position of the El Faro on October 23 and began searching for the vessel with a Towed Pinger Locator (TPL). The search area consists of a 10 nautical mile by 15 nautical mile area, in which the USNS Apache towed the TPL on 5 search lines across the search area in order to detect the acoustic signal associated with the El Faro’s ‘pinger’, the NTSB said.

The USNS Apache concluded the first phase of the pinger locator search on October 26 with negative results, the NTSB said. The TPL’s ability to detect the El Faro’s pinger may be effected by the orientation of the vessel as it lays on the sea floor or the current condition and functionality of the El Faro’s pinger, according to the NTSB.

The second phase of the search began on October 27 using the Orion side-scan sonar system. The second phase will be conducted over the same search area and will consist of 13 search tracks taking approximately 14 days to complete. The side scan sonar system will be used to locate the El Faro, and if found, create an image of the vessel.

El Faro ‘Pinger’ Search Turns Up Empty

 

[Hiandmighty]

The coast guard fumbled nothing. The water was choppy and there was a debris field hundreds of miles long to search for survivors. There are only so many hours of daylight and only a few windows of weather opportunity to search for people who they thought could still be alive.

 

[KaaBoom]

The coast guard fumbled nothing. The water was choppy and there was a debris field hundreds of miles long to search for survivors. There are only so many hours of daylight and only a few windows of weather opportunity to search for people who they thought could still be alive.

Well, they failed. As a matter of fact, despite a month long search effort, they have failed at everything they tried, except to recover one single life ring. That doesn’t seem like a lot to show for a months work.

 

[Hiandmighty]

1) how decomposed was the body and 2) do you know anything about days old body recovery in the water?

Its like straining soup. It was probably nearly gone anyway.

Im sure the USCG fails to care that you proclaim they "failed"... :rolleyes

Welcome to *the ocean* where humans have no domain

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Wreckage believed to be El Faro cargo ship located: Feds

http://nypost.com/2015/10/31/wreckage-believed-to-be-el-faro-cargo-ship-located-feds/

 

[watcher9]

Here's another article about possibly locating the El Faro.

The NTSB said investigators will now seek to survey the debris and confirm the identity of the wreckage, an effort that could start as early as Sunday. It added that the wreckage spotted in the depths is "consistent with a 790-foot cargo ship, which from sonar images appears to be in an upright position and in one piece."

http://www.wtoc.com/story/30402253/feds-wreckage-believed-to-be-el-faro-cargo-ship-located

 

[KaaBoom]

Well, this is about the most positive news, since this incident happened.

A search team on board the USNS Apache has found the wreckage of a vessel that they believe to be the cargo ship El Faro, which went missing on Oct. 1 during Hurricane Joaquin. The vessel was located at a depth of about 15,000 feet in the vicinity of the last known position.


Sophisticated sonar equipment towed from Apache first detected what are believed to be images of the vessel using Orion, a side-scanning sonar system, at about 1:36 pm ET on October 31 during the fifth of 13 planned search line surveys.

To confirm the finding, specialists on Apache will use CURV 21, a deep ocean remotely operated vehicle, to survey and confirm the identity of the wreckage. This survey could begin as early as Sunday, November 1.

The target identified by Orion is consistent with a 790-foot cargo ship, which from sonar images appears to be in an upright position and in one piece.

Wreckage of Cargo Ship Believed to be El Faro Located in More Than 15,000 Feet of Water

 

[LietKynes]

www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wreckage-sunken-cargo-ship-el-faro-may-be-found-n455201

Per this link in the first video, the reporter says (& I'll paraphrase) "...so far, only ONE body has been recovered..."
So, they have at least one soul's remains ?

 

[Hiandmighty]

I googled that weeks ago extensively and the more detailed reports state that they did not take the body up because weather conditions were not good for that task.

But... Ya know... Who knows. I think not but maybe they did.

 

[KaaBoom]

www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wreckage-sunken-cargo-ship-el-faro-may-be-found-n455201

Per this link in the first video, the reporter says (& I'll paraphrase) "...so far, only ONE body has been recovered..."
So, they have at least one soul's remains ?

I would guess that is the human remains the Coast Guard found in a survival suit during the initial search. Reports were that they left that body in the water, but maybe they did recover it, and are just not reporting the details (Understandable, recovering human remains is not something they are likely to discuss). At this point I think the reports are kind of vague and conflicting.

 

[LietKynes]

www.foxnews.com/us/2015/11/02/wreck...missing-cargo-ship-feds-confirm/?intcmp=hpbt4
The debris that turned up on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean Saturday does belong to the cargo ship that vanished in a hurricane, the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed Monday.

The wreckage was found in 15,000 feet of water east of the Bahamas, nearly a month after the El Faro went missing during Hurricane Joaquin. All 33 crewmembers on board were lost.

The El Faro was reported missing east of the Bahamas, and it apparently came to rest at a depth greater than the final resting place of the Titanic, which lies over 12,500 feet down in the north Atlantic.

As always... my thoughts go out to the families at this time.
And there are those who would want some remains for burial and closure .
:moo:

 

[KaaBoom]

NTSB Update on El Faro Investigation

11/3/2015

The National Transportation Safety Board has contracted with the U.S. Navy to locate the El Faro, document the wreckage and debris field and recover the voyage data recorder (VDR). Below is an update of recent activities.
· The Curve 21 remote operated vehicle (ROV) was used to confirm that the vessel found was the El Faro.

· The ROV documented both the port and starboard sides of the vessel.

· The vessel is oriented in an upright position with the stern buried in approximately 30 feet of sediment.

· The navigation bridge and the deck below have separated from the vessel and have not been located.

· The voyage data recorder has not been located.

· The team has reviewed sonar scans of the nearby debris field and has not identified any targets that have a high probability of being the missing navigation bridge structure.

· Future plans are to redeploy the Orion side scan sonar system to generate a map of the debris field to locate the navigation bridge structure.

NTSB Press Release

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Bridge deck from doomed ship El Faro which vanished with 33 crew on board during Hurricane Joaquin is found but investigators are still searching for the black box

The bridge deck of the El Faro cargo ship has been found the National Transportation Safety Board said

But the search continues for El Faro's voyage data recorder or 'black box' officials said

The El Faro disappeared on October 1 after its captain called in saying the ship had lost engine power and was taking on water

In October, officials said a search team found the ship in 15,000ft deep water near its last known position

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ridge-deck-search-recorder.html#ixzz3rNMyWiCl

 

[Coldpizza]

El Faro owners file lawsuit to block legal action by families of ship's crew

(CNN)The U.S. Navy and the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed Monday that wreckage discovered at the bottom of the ocean over the weekend was indeed that of the American cargo ship El Faro. But as families of the lost crew hold out hope they'll learn their loved ones' fates, they also learned the ship's owner aims to block their lawsuits, saying it's not to blame.

Just before federal officials announced over the weekend that the U.S. Navy would send a special submersible to search the ocean floor, lawyers for TOTE Maritime, which owns El Faro, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court in Florida saying it did everything in its power to ensure the ship was safe and thus should bear no financial liability in regard to the families' claims.

[...]

TOTE hopes 'arcane' law limits its liability
But even after making its case that it should not be held responsible, TOTE nevertheless hedged in its filing, citing what Arnold called an "arcane" maritime law from the 19th century to limit how much the company might have to pay out.

"(If TOTE) shall be judged liable ... such liability be limited to the value of (TOTE's) interest in the El Faro including her pending freight at the end of the voyage, and $420 per gross registered ton fund for death claimants," the company said in its complaint.

Older article but much more at link

 

[KaaBoom]

An interesting graphic showing the path of the El Faro in relation to Hurricane Joaquin.

[video]http://vid809.photobucket.com/albums/zz16/zoukwe/El%20Faro%20amp%20Joaquin%20Corrected%202%20Movie_ zpsetb2hn0n.mp4[/video]

 

[KaaBoom]

Bridge deck from doomed ship El Faro which vanished with 33 crew on board during Hurricane Joaquin is found but investigators are still searching for the black box

The bridge deck of the El Faro cargo ship has been found the National Transportation Safety Board said

But the search continues for El Faro's voyage data recorder or 'black box' officials said

The El Faro disappeared on October 1 after its captain called in saying the ship had lost engine power and was taking on water

In October, officials said a search team found the ship in 15,000ft deep water near its last known position

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ridge-deck-search-recorder.html#ixzz3rNMyWiCl

This is going to make finding the voyage data recorder very difficult. The chances of finding it are diminishing.

 

[Hiandmighty]

I found a FB group that has family members and former workers on El Faro. They have a lot to say. Its called El Faro 33 strong and is public and has about 430 members.

 

[watcher9]

An interesting graphic showing the path of the El Faro in relation to Hurricane Joaquin.

[video]http://vid809.photobucket.com/albums/zz16/zoukwe/El%20Faro%20amp%20Joaquin%20Corrected%202%20Movie_ zpsetb2hn0n.mp4[/video]

That video was amazing to watch.
It looks like the hurricane would have missed the ship if it had made its "usual" turn to the north. It was almost like the hurricane made a direct shot for the ship.

 

[jjenny]

That video was amazing to watch.
It looks like the hurricane would have missed the ship if it had made its "usual" turn to the north. It was almost like the hurricane made a direct shot for the ship.

I don't know what could be considered "usual" when it comes to hurricanes. Hurricane is a force of nature. Ship went directly into the hurricane.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Coast Guard calls off search for El Faro black box weeks after the ship and its bridge were located and only one body of the 33 crew members was found

The 790ft ship lost power during a hurricane and disappeared October 1

A search team later found the ship in 15,000 feet of water

But the ship's mast, where the black box was mounted, was never found

Data recorder charts the date, time and speed of a vessel and conversations between captain and crew

Investigators remain hopeful they can determine what happened to the ship without the voyage data recorder

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...s-search-El-Faro-black-box.html#ixzz3rjxTcuBK