SS El Faro: Difference between revisions
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==Disappearance of ''El Faro''== |
==Disappearance of ''El Faro''== |
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On September 29th, 2015, ''El Faro'' sailed from Jacksonville, FL for San Juan on a routine voyage. At the time of departing Jacksonville, Hurricane Joaquin was still only a tropical storm and the vessel took a track to the north of the Bahamas Chain. This track may have been intended to keep the ship in the safe semicircle of the circulation and pass to the south of the eye<ref>no source cited, the El Faro track appears to an almost direct track from Jacksonville to San Juan, without storm evasion. A storm evasion route would have been to pass southwest of the Bahama's rather than northeast. Questioning the statement source "This track may have been intended to keep the ship in the safe semi circle.....". If originated by the company </ref>. By October 1st, however, the ship was steaming straight for the eye. On 29 September, the evening that ''El Faro'' sailed from Jacksonville, [[NOAA]]'s [[National Hurricane Center]] forecast stated that "Joaquin [was] expected to become a hurricane later tonight or Wednesday."<ref>http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2015/al11/al112015.public.009.shtml</ref> At approximately 7:00 a.m. EDT 01 October, less than 48 |
On September 29th, 2015, ''El Faro'' sailed from Jacksonville, FL for San Juan on a routine voyage. At the time of departing Jacksonville, Hurricane Joaquin was still only a tropical storm and the vessel took a track to the north of the Bahamas Chain. This track may have been intended to keep the ship in the safe semicircle of the circulation and pass to the south of the eye<ref>no source cited, the El Faro track appears to an almost direct track from Jacksonville to San Juan, without storm evasion. A storm evasion route would have been to pass southwest of the Bahama's rather than northeast. Questioning the statement source "This track may have been intended to keep the ship in the safe semi circle.....". If originated by the company </ref>. By October 1st, however, the ship was steaming straight for the eye. On 29 September, the evening that ''El Faro'' sailed from Jacksonville, [[NOAA]]'s [[National Hurricane Center]] forecast stated that "Joaquin [was] expected to become a hurricane later tonight or Wednesday."<ref>http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2015/al11/al112015.public.009.shtml</ref> At approximately 7:00 a.m. EDT 01 October, less than 48 hours after the ship sailed from Jacksonville, the master reportedly held a conversation over satellite communications with the management offices of the owners. The exact content of the conversation is not yet available to the public, but the [[United States Coast Guard]] has reported that the master reported some flooding which had been stopped, but which has left the vessel with a 15 degree list. The master, Captain Michael Davidson, also reported a loss of propulsion, but it is unknown what caused it, or whether propulsion was regained. After that conversation, it appears that the ship's [[Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon]] (EPIRB) was activated, whose signal was received by the USCG in Portsmouth, VA. This signal prompted the USCG to contact the vessel owners, who informed them of the ship's reported condition. Subsequent attempts by the USCG to open communications with ''El Faro'' since October 1st have been unsuccessful. At the time of disappearance, ''El Faro'' had a crew of 28 US citizens and five Polish supernumeraries. Marine Traffic last reported position of El Faro was 24.2742 N 072.94522 W on 01 October 04:01<ref>http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/details/ships/shipid:454389/mmsi:368208000/imo:7395351/vessel:EL_FARO</ref> |
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On October 1st, [[Hurricane Hunters]] aircraft made attempts to locate ''El Faro'' without result. Beginning on Friday, October 2nd the USCG commenced a dedicated search for the ship with HC-130 aircraft which continued on Saturday October 3rd, with additional resources, including helicopters, cutters, and commercial tugboats. On that date, a life ring belonging to ''El Faro'' was recovered 70 miles northeast of the last known location of the ship. On the morning of Sunday, October 4th, the search was resumed. |
On October 1st, [[Hurricane Hunters]] aircraft made attempts to locate ''El Faro'' without result. Beginning on Friday, October 2nd the USCG commenced a dedicated search for the ship with HC-130 aircraft which continued on Saturday October 3rd, with additional resources, including helicopters, cutters, and commercial tugboats. On that date, a life ring belonging to ''El Faro'' was recovered 70 miles northeast of the last known location of the ship. On the morning of Sunday, October 4th, the search was resumed. |
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Revision as of 12:15, 5 October 2015
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (October 2015) |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2015) |
 Life ring recovered October 3, 2015
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| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | list error: <br /> list (help) Puerto Rico (until 1991) Northern Lights (1991–2006) El Faro (2006–present)[1] |
| Owner | TOTE Maritime |
| Operator | SeaStar Line |
| Port of registry | San Juan, Puerto Rico[1] |
| Route | Jacksonville, FL to San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Ordered | 1973 |
| Builder | Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.[1] |
| Laid down | 1974 |
| Launched | 1974 |
| Completed | 1975 |
| Identification | list error: <br /> list (help) Call sign: WFJK IMO number: 7395351 MMSI number: 368208000 |
| Status | Missing |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Type | Roll-on/roll-off cargo ship |
| Tonnage | list error: <br /> list (help) 31,515 GT 21,473 NT 14,971 DWT |
| Length | 241 m (791 ft) (after lengthening) |
| Beam | 28.6 m (94 ft) |
| Depth | 12.8 m (42 ft) |
| Propulsion | Single shaft, double reduction compound steam turbine (11,190 kW) |
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
El Faro is a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship sailing under the flag of the United States. Built in 1975 by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. as Puerto Rico, the vessel was renamed Northern Lights in 1991 and finally El Faro in 2006.[1]
El Faro sailed from Jacksonville, Florida to Puerto Rico on September 29, 2015 when then Tropical Storm Joaquin was several hundred miles to the east.[2] As of October 4, 2015, the ship is the subject of a major search and rescue effort by the United States Coast Guard in waters immediately northeast of the Bahamas Islands.
Construction and earlier career
El Faro was built by the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Corporation in Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1975 as Puerto Rico.[1] In 1991, the ship was renamed Northern Lights; two years later, it was lengthened by 90 feet (27 m) at Alabama Shipyard, Inc.[1]
Originally operated by the Navieras de Puerto Rico Steamship Company, the Puerto Rico hauled cargo to and from the U.S. East Coast for more than two decades.[citation needed] The vessel was purchased by TOTE Maritime in Tacoma, Washington, renamed Northern Lights, and placed in service between Tacoma and Anchorage, Alaska.[citation needed] Northern Lights continued to sail between these two ports until the early 2000s, when the ship was chartered to the Military Sealift Command of the United States Navy.[citation needed] Under MSC charter, it carried vehicles and equipment to U.S. military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.[citation needed] The ship was later transferred by TOTE to its subsidiary company Sea Star Lines and renamed El Faro. It then returned to coastwise liner service between Jacksonville, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.[citation needed]
Disappearance of El Faro
On September 29th, 2015, El Faro sailed from Jacksonville, FL for San Juan on a routine voyage. At the time of departing Jacksonville, Hurricane Joaquin was still only a tropical storm and the vessel took a track to the north of the Bahamas Chain. This track may have been intended to keep the ship in the safe semicircle of the circulation and pass to the south of the eye[3]. By October 1st, however, the ship was steaming straight for the eye. On 29 September, the evening that El Faro sailed from Jacksonville, NOAA's National Hurricane Center forecast stated that "Joaquin [was] expected to become a hurricane later tonight or Wednesday."[4] At approximately 7:00 a.m. EDT 01 October, less than 48 hours after the ship sailed from Jacksonville, the master reportedly held a conversation over satellite communications with the management offices of the owners. The exact content of the conversation is not yet available to the public, but the United States Coast Guard has reported that the master reported some flooding which had been stopped, but which has left the vessel with a 15 degree list. The master, Captain Michael Davidson, also reported a loss of propulsion, but it is unknown what caused it, or whether propulsion was regained. After that conversation, it appears that the ship's Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) was activated, whose signal was received by the USCG in Portsmouth, VA. This signal prompted the USCG to contact the vessel owners, who informed them of the ship's reported condition. Subsequent attempts by the USCG to open communications with El Faro since October 1st have been unsuccessful. At the time of disappearance, El Faro had a crew of 28 US citizens and five Polish supernumeraries. Marine Traffic last reported position of El Faro was 24.2742 N 072.94522 W on 01 October 04:01[5]
On October 1st, Hurricane Hunters aircraft made attempts to locate El Faro without result. Beginning on Friday, October 2nd the USCG commenced a dedicated search for the ship with HC-130 aircraft which continued on Saturday October 3rd, with additional resources, including helicopters, cutters, and commercial tugboats. On that date, a life ring belonging to El Faro was recovered 70 miles northeast of the last known location of the ship. On the morning of Sunday, October 4th, the search was resumed.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "El Faro (7500285)". ABS Record. American Bureau of Shipping. Retrieved 2015-10-04.
- ^ Two days later, with Joaquin now a category 4 hurricane, the vessel ceased all communications with shore and was declared missing on October 2nd.CNN reports 4 October 2015
- ^ no source cited, the El Faro track appears to an almost direct track from Jacksonville to San Juan, without storm evasion. A storm evasion route would have been to pass southwest of the Bahama's rather than northeast. Questioning the statement source "This track may have been intended to keep the ship in the safe semi circle.....". If originated by the company
- ^ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2015/al11/al112015.public.009.shtml
- ^ http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/details/ships/shipid:454389/mmsi:368208000/imo:7395351/vessel:EL_FARO
External links
- El Faro Incident – updates from the ship owner
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