El Faro ‘black box’ recovered from 15K-feet beneath the sea

Almost 10 months after the cargo ship El Faro sank during Hurricane Joaquin, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recovered a key piece of evidence that could answer many remaining questions about the loss of El Faro and its 33-member crew.

The recovery the VDR, a steel-mounted capsule created to record key navigational data and communications between crewmembers on the ship’s bridge, was announced Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The ship’s recorder, similar to an airplane’s black box, could provide key details into what was happening on the ship before it sank.

This undated image made from a video and released Tuesday, April 26, 2016, by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the stern of the sunken ship El Faro.

“There is still a great deal of work to be done in order to understand how the many factors converged that led to the sinking and the tragic loss of 33 lives”, he said.

The press release said Military Sealift Command’s fleet ocean tug USNS Apache departed Virginia Beach, Virginia, Friday with personnel from NTSB, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy and Phoenix International aboard.

All 33 crew died when the El Faro disappeared sailing from Florida to Puerto Rico in October 2015.

The NTSB said in a statement that the U.S. Navy research vessel Atlantis will remain in the area where El Faro was found to further chart the scene of the disaster.

NTSB’s Hart said the data recorder will help give more information about what happened on the ship’s bridge, including any conversations between Davidson, crew and Tote officials, but it’s just one part of the agency’s ongoing investigation.

The 790-foot El Faro sank in 15,000 feet of water October 1 while traveling between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico.

The VDR will now be examined at sea by NTSB investigators aboard the USNS Apache to assess the condition of the device and to ensure proper preservation for readout and further examination ashore.

The NTSB does not plan any more missions to the wreckage site unless the investigation warrants them.

The NTSB said in the release that it will begin processing the audio and other data when crews return from sea around August 12.

“Critical to this investigation will be the navigation bridge audio from the numerous microphones located in the overhead of the bridge”. NTSB said recorders are required to maintain at least 12 hours of recording, though they sometimes include more.

Neubauer led two two-week Coast Guard hearings into the El Faro sinking and the Coast Guard is planning a third hearing later this year.