[061115.EN.SEA] US Navy Finds What Is Believed To Be Sunken El Faro Cargo Ship

USING side-scanning sonar, the United States Navy ship 'Apache' has found what is believed be the wreckage of the cargo ship, El Faro, which sunk during hurricane Joaquin in October, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Thirty-three crew members who perished included 28 Americans.

The cargo vessel went missing on October 1 about 35 miles northeast of Crooked Island in the Bahamas, as it was sailing from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Juan in Puerto Rico. The crew reported that the ship lost power and had taken on water before contact was lost, reported NBC News.

The Navy will use a remotely operated deep ocean vehicle to determine whether the images picked up by the Apache are those of the sunken 790-foot vessel. The sonar images indicate the sunken ship found 15,000 feet down may be upright and in one piece, the NTSB said.

If the wreckage is the El Faro, the deep ocean salvage vehicle, CURV-21, will take video of the wreckage and debris field in an effort to recover the voyage data recorder, which could reveal what happened aboard the ship before it sank, the NTSB said.

The family of one of the mariners on board the El Faro has filed a lawsuit against the ship's owners. The suit alleges the El Faro "had a history of losing power while under voyage and during hurricanes." The family of another crew member on board has also filed a lawsuit.

Source : HKSG.