2015 — Oct 1, S. cargo ship El Faro sinks / Hurricane Joaquin, off east Bahamas[1]– 33

— 33  Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.[2]

— 33  CNN. “El Faro ship lost propulsion near eye of hurricane, Coast Guard says.” 10-6-2015.

— 33  Fox News/AP. “Coast Guard believes missing cargo ship has sunk,” 10-4-2015.

— 33  NY Daily News (Silverstein). “More than half of El Faro passengers identified…” 10-7-2015.

 

Narrative Information

 

Oct 2: “Jacksonville, Fla. — The Coast Guard called off Friday night’s search [Oct 2] for El Faro, which left Jacksonville Tuesday [Sep 29], headed to Puerto Rico. The ship was reported missing to the Coast Guard early Thursday [Oct 1], and was believed to be near Crooked Island in the eastern Bahamas. The search for the ship resumed Saturday morning.

 

“Friday night, officials from Tote Services and Tilt Co. met with families who have loved ones on the container ship….

 

“The U.S. Coast Guard says El Faro left Jacksonville Tuesday, before the storm was upgraded to Hurricane Joaquin….

 

“Action News Jax spoke with family members Friday night. They didn’t want to go on camera, but they said they are wondering why the ship left in the first place. We asked Phil Greene, with Tote Services, that same question. ‘The captain knew the conditions and communicated back to our headquarters, the conditions were, as he saw them then, favorable. He was very confident the ship was doing well, the crew was quite up to date,’ said Greene….” (ActionNewsJax.com, Jacksonville, FL (Larry Spruill). “El Faro officials meet with family members of members on board the missing ship.” 10-2-2015.)

 

Oct 3: “Nassau, Bahamas — Rescuers spotted floating debris and an oil sheen Sunday as U.S. crews continue an intensive search off the southeastern Bahamas for a U.S. cargo ship with 33 people on board that has not been heard from since it lost power days ago and was taking on water in fierce seas churned up by Hurricane Joaquin. Early Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard said its aircrews have spotted ‘life jackets, life rings, containers and an oil sheen’ in the sprawling search area but they have not yet been able to confirm whether the debris and oil is from the 790-foot El Faro. On Saturday, the Coast Guard said it located an orange life ring from the missing cargo ship.

 

“U.S. Navy and Air Force planes and helicopters were helping Coast Guard crews looking for the ship across a broad expanse of the Atlantic Ocean around Crooked Island, which the El Faro was passing as the storm turned into a powerful Category 4 hurricane….

 

“The El Faro departed from Jacksonville, Florida on Sept. 29, when Joaquin was still a tropical storm, with 28 crew members from the United States and five from Poland. The ship was heading to Puerto Rico on a regular cargo supply run to the U.S. island territory when it ran into trouble. It was being battered by winds of more than 130 mph and waves of up to 30 feet (9 meters).

 

“The crew reported it had taken on water and was listing 15 degrees but said it was “manageable,” according to its owner, TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico.

 

“In a statement, TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico said it authorized the sailing “knowing that the crew are more than equipped to handle situations such as changing weather.” Before the other debris was spotted, it told family members of the crew gathered at a union hall in Jacksonville not to be discouraged by the discovery of the life ring….” (AP. “Did hurricane sink El Faro cargo ship near Bahamas? Life jackets, oil sheen spotted.” Times-Picayune, NOLA, 10-4-2015.)

 

Oct 5, Washington Post: “On Thursday morning, Laurie Bobillot received what she prayed were not her daughter’s final words. ‘Not sure if you’ve been following the weather at all,’ wrote her daughter, Danielle Randolph, from aboard the American container ship El Faro, ‘but there is a hurricane out here and we are heading straight into it.’….‘ Winds are super bad and seas are not great,’ wrote Randolph…. Four days after Randolph’s last message, she and her 32 fellow crew members remain missing at sea. Just hours after she sent her e-mail, El Faro began to take on water and tilt to one side, according to the ship’s owner, TOTE Maritime. Then the ship’s communications suddenly went quiet….

 

“El Faro is 40 years old…Although its age alone doesn’t make it unsafe (the ship was overhauled in 2006), it doesn’t help….” (Washington Post (Michael E. Miller). “Last message from El Faro: ‘There is a hurricane out here and we are heading straight into it’.” 10-5-2015.)

 

Oct 6, ABC: “The National Transportation Safety Board launched its go-team to Florida today and will be joining the investigation into the sunken cargo ship, El Faro. The NTSB investigators will be hoping to gather any perishable evidence first, but they will also be looking at the logs, maintenance records, and the fitness of crew and captain, just as they do in plane or train crashes, officials said today. They also hope to recover the data recorder that was on board….

 

“Capt. Mark Fedor, the Coast Guard chief of response, said Monday that they had found one emergency rescue suit that had “unidentifiable” human remains. Fedor said that the rescuers were being called to other reports of signs of life, so after checking that the individual was deceased, they moved on in hopes of saving someone else, Fedor said during a news conference….” (ABC/Meghan Keneally. “El Faro Cargo Ship: NTSB Launches Investigation into How it Sank During Hurricane Joaquin.” 10-6-2015.)

 

Oct 6, CNN: “El Faro was carrying a crew of 28 Americans and five Polish nationals.

 

“The U.S. Coast Guard has concluded that the ship sank; officials are searching for survivors.

 

“The missing container ship El Faro lost propulsion and was disabled at sea, a Coast Guard official said Tuesday [Oct 6], leaving it floundering in the path of Hurricane Joaquin. The U.S. Coast Guard has concluded that El Faro, which was carrying 28 Americans and five Polish nationals, sank last week.

 

“It was headed from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it disappeared near the Bahamas. The president and CEO of the ship owner, Tote Services Inc., told The Associated Press that the captain had planned to move ahead of Joaquin — with room to spare. ‘Regrettably, he suffered a mechanical problem with his main propulsion system, which left him in the path of the storm,’ Phil Greene told the AP. ‘We do not know when his engine problems began to occur, nor the reasons for his engine problems.’

 

“Coast Guard Capt. Mark Fedor said El Faro lost propulsion Thursday [Oct 1]. ‘They were disabled right by the eye of Hurricane Joaquin,’ Fedor told CNN’s “New Day” on Tuesday. ‘If they were able to abandon ship and put on their survival suits, they would have been abandoning ship into that Category 4 hurricane. So you’re talking about 140-mile-an-hour winds, 50-foot seas, zero visibility. It’s a very dire situation, a very challenging situation even for the most experienced mariner.’

 

“The massive search in the Caribbean Sea has yielded a 225-square-mile debris field, but no ship and no survivors….

 

“Family members told CNN affiliate WFOC/WSVN they questioned why the ship sailed into what was then a tropical storm. The forecast changed significantly the day El Faro left port, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said. That morning, Joaquin was forecast to be a tropical storm whose possible paths would not interfere with El Faro’s route. Near midday, the forecast was still for a tropical storm, but moving closer to the ship’s path. At 5 p.m., the forecast showed that Joaquin would reach hurricane strength and that the ship’s path would take it straight into the track of the storm. El Faro left the port of Jacksonville about 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to Marinetraffic.com.

 

“Fedor said the disappearance of a 790-foot ship is unusual. But ‘no matter how big the ship is, when you are disabled, and you’re at sea, and you’re in the middle of a storm… the size and strength of that storm is just enough to overcome just about anything’.” (CNN (Holly Yan). “El Faro ship lost propulsion near eye of hurricane, Coast Guard says.” 10-6-2015.)

 

Oct 9, CNN: “Story highlights: Men who worked on El Faro say the 40-year-old ship was rusty, had holes in the deck and didn’t drain water well. Company says ship was well-maintained, regularly inspected. Ex-crew members are surprised ship sailed with really bad weather near the planned path.) (CNN (Steve Almasy and Yasmin Khorram). “El Faro had leaks, holes, other structural issues, former crew members say.” 10-9-2015.)

 

Vesselfinder.com: “Vessel EL FARO (IMO: 7395351, MMSI: 368208000) is a ro-ro cargo ship[3] built in 1975 and currently sailing under the flag of USA. EL FARO has 224m length overall and beam of 28m. Her gross tonnage is 31515 tons.” (Vesselfinder.com. El Faro – Ro-Ro Cargo Ship.” Accessed 10-7-2015.)

 

Crew List:

U.S.

  1. Louis Champa, Jr., 51, merchant marine, [4] Palm Coast, FL.[5]
  2. Roosevelt (Bootsy)[6] Clark, 38, merchant marine, Jacksonville, FL.[7]
  3. Sylvester Crawford, Jr., Lawrenceville, GA.[8]
  4. Capt. Michael Davidson, 53, Windham, Maine.[9]
  5. Brookie (Larry) Davis,[10] 62, merchant marine, Jacksonville, FL.
  6. Keith Griffin, 33, engineer,[11] Winthrop, Massachusetts, MA Maritime Academy grad.[12]
  7. Frank Hamm III, 49, merchant marine, Jacksonville, FL.[13]
  8. Joe Hargrove, Orange Park, FL.[14]
  9. Carey Hatch, 49, crew member, Jacksonville, FL.
  10. Michael Holland, 25,[15] 3rd assistant engineer,[16] Wilton, Maine.
  11. Jack Jackson, Jacksonville, FL.[17]
  12. Jackie Jones, 38, crew member, Jacksonville, FL.[18]
  13. Lonnie Jordan, 33, cook,[19] Jacksonville, FL.
  14. Mitch Kuflik, Mystic, Connecticut,[20] and Brooklyn, NY.[21]
  15. Roan Lightfoot, 54, Jacksonville Beach, FL.[22]
  16. Jeffrey Mathias, 42, consultant and marine engineer,[23] Kingston, Massachusetts[24]
  17. Dylan Meklin, 23, engineer, Rockland, Maine, graduate of Maine Maritime Academy.[25]
  18. James Porter, 40, merchant seaman, Jacksonville, FL.[26]
  19. Richard Pusatere, Virginia Beach, Virginia.[27]
  20. Theodor “Earl” Quammie, 66,[28] Jacksonville, FL.[29]
  21. Danielle Randolph, 34, Second Mate, Rockland, Maine.[30]
  22. Jeremy Riehm, 46, crew member, Camden, Delaware,[31] and Bokeelia, FL.
  23. LaShawn Rivera, 32, crew member and cook[32], Jacksonville, FL.
  24. Howard Schoenly, 50, engineer, Cape Coral, FL.[33]
  25. Steven Shultz, 51, crew member, Roan Mountain, TN,[34] and Cape Coral, FL.
  26. German Solar-Cortes, Orlando, FL.[35]
  27. Anthony[36] Shawn Thomas, oiler, worked in engine room,[37] Jacksonville, FL.
  28. Mariette Wright, 51, crew member, native of Brockton, Massachusetts.[38]

 

Polish national crew members[39]:

  1. Piotr Krause, 28, maintenance technician.[40]
  2. Marcin Nita.[41]
  3. Jan Pidgorski.[42]
  4. Andrzej Truszkowski.[43]
  5. Rafal Zdobych.[44]

 

Sources

 

ABC News (Meghan Keneally). “El Faro Cargo Ship: NTSB Launches Investigation into How it Sank During Hurricane Joaquin.” 10-6-2015. Accessed 10-6-2015 at: http://abcnews.go.com/US/el-faro-cargo-ship-ntsb-launches-investigation-sank/story?id=34281316

 

ActionNewsJax.com, Jacksonville, FL (Larry Spruill). “El Faro officials meet with family members of members on board the missing ship.” 10-2-2015. Accessed 10-7-2015 at: http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/news/local/el-faro-officials-meet-family-members-members-boar/nns8s/

 

ActionNewsJax.com, Jacksonville, FL. “Family of Polish national El Faro crew member frustrated with lack of communication.” 10-7-2015. Accessed 10-7-2015 at: http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/news/local/family-polish-national-el-faro-crew-member-frustra/nnxGS/

 

Associated Press. “Did hurricane sink El Faro cargo ship near Bahamas? Life jackets, oil sheen spotted.” Times-Picayune, New Orleans, LA, 10-4-2015. Accessed 10-7-2015 at: http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2015/10/did_hurricane_sink_el_faro_car.html

 

Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015. Accessed 10-9-2015 at: https://bangordailynews.com/2015/10/07/news/state/el-faro-crew-list/

 

CNN (Holly Yan and Dana Ford) “El Faro disappearance: Who are the missing crew members?” 10-8-2015. Accessed 10-9-2015 at: http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/07/us/el-faro-missing-ship-victims/

 

CNN (Steve Almasy and Yasmin Khorram). “El Faro had leaks, holes, other structural issues, former crew members say.” 10-9-2015. Accessed 10-9-2015: http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/08/us/el-faro-missing-ship/

 

CNN (Holly Yan). “El Faro ship lost propulsion near eye of hurricane, Coast Guard says.” 10-6-2015. Accessed 10-6-2015 at: http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/06/us/el-faro-missing-ship/

 

Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville (Tessa Duvall). “Crew members of missing El Faro cargo ship a diverse lot.” 10-5-2015, updated 10-6-2015. Accessed 10-6-2015 at: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2015-10-05/story/crew-members-missing-el-faro-cargo-ship-diverse-lot

 

Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville (Andrew Pantazi). “Who is Michael Davidson, captain of the missing El Faro?” 10-5-2015, updated 10-6-2015. Accessed 10-7-2015 at: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2015-10-05/story/who-michael-davidson-captain-missing-el-faro

 

Fox News/AP. “Coast Guard believes missing cargo ship has sunk,” 10-4-2015. Accessed 10-5-2015 at: http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2015/10/04/us-coast-guard-searching-for-33-people-missing-in-hurricane-joaquin/

 

Heavy.com (Tom Cleary). “El Faro Crew Names: Who was on the Sunken Cargo Ship?” 10-5-2015. Accessed 10-6-2015 at: http://heavy.com/news/2015/10/el-faro-crew-names-passenger-manifest-list-sunk-sank-dead-deaths-victims-photos-captain-missing-hurricane-joaquin/4/

 

New York Daily News (Jason Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship continues.” 10-7-2015. Accessed 10-7-2015 at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/el-faro-ship-passengers-identified-article-1.2388303

 

Vesselfinder.com. El Faro – Ro-Ro Cargo Ship.” Accessed 10-7-2015 at: https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/EL-FARO-IMO-7395351-MMSI-368208000

 

Washington Post (Michael E. Miller). “Last message from El Faro: ‘There is a hurricane out here and we are heading straight into it’.” 10-5-2015. Accessed 10-6-2015 at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/10/05/daughters-last-message-from-el-faro-there-is-a-hurricane-out-here-and-we-are-heading-straight-into-it/

 

WCVB5, Boston. “2 Mass. Maritime grads among missing on sunken cargo ship.” 10-6-2015. Accessed 10-6-2015 at: http://www.wcvb.com/news/massachusetts-mom-awaits-word-of-daughter-on-missing-ship/35655658

 

Wikipedia. “Roll-on/roll-off.” 10-7-2015 modification. Accessed 10-7-2015: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll-on/roll-off

 

[1] Twenty-eight U.S. nationals and five Polish nationals.

[2] Cites as sources: United States Coast Guard and TOTE Maritime.

[3] Roll-on/roll-off: “Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as automobiles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle, such as a self-propelled modular transporter.” (Wikipedia. “Roll-on/roll-off.”)

[4] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[5] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[6] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[7] Heavy.com (Tom Cleary). “El Faro Crew Names: Who was on the Sunken Cargo Ship?” 10-5-2015.

[8] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[9] Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville. “Crew members of missing El Faro cargo ship a diverse lot.” 10-6-2015.

[10] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[11] Heavy.com (Tom Cleary). “El Faro Crew Names: Who was on the Sunken Cargo Ship?” 10-5-2015.

[12] WCVB5, Boston. “2 Mass. Maritime grads among missing on sunken cargo ship.” 10-6-2015.

[13] Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville. “Crew members of missing El Faro cargo ship a diverse lot.” 10-6-2015.

[14] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[15] Age is from New York Daily News (Jason Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship continues.” 10-7-2015. Notes he was a recent graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy.

[16] Heavy.com (Tom Cleary). “El Faro Crew Names: Who was on the Sunken Cargo Ship?” 10-5-2015.

[17] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[18] Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville. “Crew members of missing El Faro cargo ship a diverse lot.” 10-6-2015.

[19] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[20] Heavy.com (Tom Cleary). “El Faro Crew Names: Who was on the Sunken Cargo Ship?” 10-5-2015.

[21] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[22] Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville. “Crew members of missing El Faro cargo ship a diverse lot.” 10-6-2015.

[23] Heavy.com (Tom Cleary). “El Faro Crew Names: Who was on the Sunken Cargo Ship?” 10-5-2015.

[24] Mass. Maritime Academy grad. (WCVB5, Boston. “2 Mass. Maritime grads among missing…” 10-6-2015.)

[25] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[26] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[27] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[28] CNN (Holly Yan and Dana Ford) “El Faro disappearance: Who are the missing crew members?” 10-8-2015.

[29] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[30] Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville. “Crew members of missing El Faro cargo ship a diverse lot.” 10-6-2015.

[31] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[32] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[33] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[34] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[35] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[36] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015. Lists name as Anthony Thomas. NY Daily News lists name as Shawn Thomas.

[37] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[38] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[39] According to Andrew Pantazi, Florida Times Union piece on Jacksonville.com (“Who is Michael Davidson, captain of the missing El Faro?”, 10-5-2015, updated 10-6-2015, “The El Faro…had five Polish contractors working on maintenance on the ship, including calibrating the engines, according to some of the El Faro’s former crew.”

[40] ActionNewsJax.com, Jacksonville, FL. “Family of Polish national El Faro crew member frustrated with lack of communication.” 10-7-2015.

[41] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[42] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[43] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[44] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.