Posted on 10/05/2015 8:11:56 AM PDT by Kaslin
DEVELOPING -- The U.S. Coast Guard was in a desperate search Monday to locate any survivors of a cargo ship that likely sank in a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday.
Crews found human remains near the ship's last known whereabouts, according to the Coast Guard. The El Faro had 28 Americans and five Polish nationals on board when it lost power near raging Hurricane Joaquin.
“We’re not gonna discount somebody’s will to survive, and that’s why we’re still searching today,” said Capt. Mark Fedor, chief of response for the Coast Guard 7th District.
Search crews received multiple reports of immersion suits, lifeboats and life rafts in the water on Sunday, but hopes were dashed at every turn.
"In one of the survival suits there were human remains," Fedor said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
WHY did someone send a lunker into that kind of weather ?
Captain's last words ... "Hold m'beer ?"
Sad, Despite technology Mother Nature is still the boss.
My thoughts exactly. In 2015 all ships have more than advanced warning not to “set sail” into a hurricane.
That ship should have never been ordered out. I expect law suits against the ship’s company from the families and rightly so
Oh gosh yes, they will come for certain! That hurricane was a high cat 4-5.
YEP! The sailing plan was right into the Hurricane. What could go wrong!?
Sometimes people find creative ways to get killed rather than commit suicide. I wonder if the captain was depressed.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3344819/posts
Agreed. Read #24
I’ve read differing accounts of the captain, a couple say he was well respected and experienced in heavy weather. But someone clearly diagrees, strongly.
Shipping lines are severely penalized for late arrivals.
Captain’s annual bonuses are often related to never being late.
My dad worked on oil rigs in the 70’s/80’s that had something like that.
It’s not rocket surgery. It’s money.
Comment Posted on “First Coast News” on October 2:
David Benning
From GLP: “I’m a Deck Officer in the Merchant Marine. Been shipping out for 20 years now.
This freighter, The El Faro, was due to sink. I know guys working on there. The Captain was a psychotic prick. The ship was in such disrepair that the crew shoveled rust scale off the deck like it was freshly fallen snow.
The boat was always having problems. It was certainly not sea worthy. This same Captain has taken the ship into other storms. Namely a North Atlantic storm where they lost a cargo of new BMW’s coming from Europe.
But this incident is beyond comprehension. No ship master would ever steam directly with full intentions into the heart of a Catrgory 4 Hurricane. He left Jacksonville knowing damn well what the conditions were. He went straight for it. In my experience this appears to be some kind of suicide mission.
There were 33 guys onboard. The last contact they received from the ship was that they had lost power and were beset by the storm. We are talking 80 foot waves.
Some ships can handle that hove too if they can keep their engines running. But when you lose your power plant its game set match. Ships always turn broad to the see. The waves effect what’s called a synchronous roll going from deck edge to deck edge until the righting moment is lost and she sinks like a brick.
The crew had to have known they were going to die. There’s no way this ship is still floating. Not a chance in hell. Maybe they will pick up some survivors. But I doubt it.
Anyway, this whole thing stinks to me. “
True.
Payout settlements to oil rig families can ‘encourage’ safety rules.
In my dad’s case it was Norwegian government regulations.
That makes sense, and may well have been what motivated him. Many questions at this point, no answers.
The last e-mail from the female aboard says - there’s a cat 3 out here and we’re heading right into it.
Strange to me.
It was still a tropical storm when they left Jacksonville, but all of the models pointed towards rapid intensification. And, with all the uncertainty regarding its track, you’ve got to wonder why they didn’t delay the departure, or take a different route. Reportedly, there are three different routes for container ships sailing between Jacksonville and San Juan. It would be interesting to see how those tracks compared to the path of the storm.
Terrible tragedy.
I have been in heavy seas(North Atlantic?Winter),but the ship I was sailing on(QE2)never lost power.We had waves breaking over the bows(never the gunwhales).With No Power,the”Pumps”would have been uselesss.This ship was beaten into pieces.Tragic and TERRIFYING!!!GOD Bless them!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t understand given all the lifesaving equipment, how no one survived
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