US calls off hunt for black box of doomed ‘El Faro’ freighter
This undated photo provided by TOTE Maritime shows the cargo ship, El Faro. On Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said a search team using sophisticated scanning sonar has found the wreckage of a vessel believed to be the ship which went missing with 33 crewmembers on Oct. 1 during Hurricane Joaquin. (TOTE Maritime via AP)
MIAMI, United States—US crews said Monday they were calling off their hunt for the data recorder of the doomed “El Faro” freighter but voiced confidence they could still determine why the ship sank.
READ: More debris but no word on fate of ship lost off Bahamas
The El Faro was en route from Florida to Puerto Rico with a cargo of containers and automobiles when it was caught in a ferocious storm off the Bahamas on October 1.
All 33 crew members—mostly Americans as well as five Poles—are believed to have perished. One body was recovered.
“While it is disappointing that the voyage data recorder was not located, we are hopeful that we’ll be able to determine the probable cause of this tragedy and the factors that may have contributed to it,” the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement.
Investigators did locate the debris field of the ship at a depth of 15,000 feet (4,500 meters).
The 735-foot El Faro was carrying 391 containers in addition to 294 trailers and automobiles below deck when it disappeared during Hurricane Joaquin.
READ: US east under water due to Hurricane Joaquin
The last contact with the ship was a satellite notification that it had lost propulsion and was listing.
Joaquin has proved to be the Atlantic hurricane season’s most powerful storm so far this year, reaching Category four out of maximum five in intensity.
The storm caused serious damage in the Bahamas, as well as major power outages in Bermuda.
