Story highlights
The NTSB has concluded its search of the El Faro cargo ship
The American cargo ship El Faro sunk with 33 people on board in October
The ship was found October 31 at the bottom of the sea near the Bahamas
Given that the data recorder has been submerged for seven months, the value of the data is in question. But the so-called “black box” may help answer many lingering questions about what happened to the ship during the final hours before it sank, as it records conversations on the ship’s bridge.
The National Transportation Safety Board did not locate the ship’s data recorder, a critical part of the investigation into why she ship sank during its fateful run-in with Hurricane Joaquin. A Navy search team was able to locate the ship’s navigation bridge last week.
“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,” NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said.
Thirty-three people, including 28 Americans, were on board. The remains of only one have thus far been recovered.
The wreckage of the nearly 800-foot container ship was located in late October. It was in 15,000 feet of water near its last known position near Crooked Island.
The fact that the bridge separated presented a chilling scenario to those in the industry.
“I’m pretty sure it happened very quickly and very violently,” Larry Legere, a ship captain based in Portland, Maine, said of the El Faro’s sinking. “If it was enough to rip the bridge right off that ship, it was a very violent end, and probably why they didn’t recover any survivors.”
The NTSB said Thursday it will continue the search for the voyage data recorder. As for how much longer, board spokesman Eric Weiss said that’s “a daily conversation.”
CNN’s Kevin Conlon contributed to this report.