JUNE 7, 2016– The National Transportation Safety Board states it will certainly introduce a goal very early July to recoup the trip information recorder (VDR) from the TOTE freight ship El Faro.
The 790-foot, U.S.-flagged, freight ship sank October 1, 2015, throughout Hurricane Joaquin while cruising from Jacksonville, FL, to San Juan,Puerto Rico All 33 aboard died in the crash.
The El Faro’s VDR lay April 26 in around 15,000 feet of water near the Bahamas.
Earlier, the El Faro wreck was favorably recognized onNov 1, 2015, yet video clip disclosed the ship’s navigating bridge framework and also the deck listed below it had actually divided from the hull. The missing out on bridge framework consisted of the pole and also its base to which the trip information recorder was placed.
The navigating bridge was locatedNov 11, yet searchers were not able to situate the pole or the VDR up until a succeeding objective prospered in situating the VDR and also finishing video clip- and also photo-documentation of the crash website.
Shortly after the VDR lay, the NTSB revealed that an additional objective to recoup the VDR would certainly be introduced.
After private investigators teamed up in May with researchers and also deep water recuperation specialists, to figure out just how the VDR can be recouped provided its closeness to close-by challenges, the NTSB acquired with the UNITED STATE Navy Supervisor of Salvage to help in the recuperation initiative.
The marine sources joining the recuperation initiative consist of the USNS Apache and also CURV-21, a from another location run undersea car. CURV-21 coincides devices made use of to situate the El Faro wreck in November.
Investigators from the NTSB and also the UNITED STATE Coast Guard, and also designers from the UNITED STATE Navy and also Phoenix International, the driver of CURV-21, will certainly be aboard USNS Apache when it leaves in very early July for the crash website near the Bahamas.
The journey to the crash website is anticipated to take 3 to 4 days, complied with by 5 days on scene to recoup the VDR. After the VDR is recouped and also USNS Apache go back to coast, the VDR will certainly be given the NTSB research laboratory in Washington, DC, where private investigators will certainly check out the VDR and also download and also assess any type of details it might consist of.
