El Faro ‘black box’ recovered from 15,000 feet beneath the sea

In this undated photo made available Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016, by the NTSB shows the voyage data recorder from the El Faro freighter, seen aboard the USNS Apache in the Atlantic Ocean. The recorder was recovered from El Faro, a cargo ship that sank in the Bahamas during Hurricane Joaquin in October 2015. All 33 crew members died. (NTSB via AP)

By Associated Press August 9, 2016 4 min read

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Search crews have retrieved the “black box” from the wreckage of the freighter El Faro that sank in 15,000-feet of water near the Bahamas during Hurricane Joaquin last year, officials said Tuesday.

Using a remotely operated vehicle in the pitch black deep sea, crews brought the El Faro’s voyage data recorder to the surface Monday night, the National Transportation Safety Board’s chairman said.

The 790-foot El Faro sank Oct. 1 after losing propulsion and getting caught in the hurricane while traveling between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico. All 33 crew members died.

“The recovery of the recorder has the potential to give our investigators greater insight into the incredible challenges that the El Faro crew faced,” NTSB Chairman Christophe Hart said in a news release.

Search crews found the recorder in April attached to a piece of the ship, but couldn’t remove it.