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Hearing seeks answers about why El Faro sailed into storm

The investigative board stands during a moment of silence for the crew members lost during the sinking of the El Faro ship at the hearings in Jacksonville, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. The series of U.S. Coast Guard hearings will seek answers about why freighter El Faro sank near the Bahamas last fall, killing all crew members in the worst U.S. commercial maritime disaster in decades. (Bruce Lipsky/The Florida Times-Union via AP, Pool) MANDATORY CREDIT The investigative board stands during a moment of silence for the crew members lost during the sinking of the El Faro ship at the hearings in Jacksonville, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. The series of U.S. Coast Guard hearings will seek answers about why freighter El Faro sank near the Bahamas last fall, killing all crew members in the worst U.S. commercial maritime disaster in decades. (Bruce Lipsky/The Florida Times-Union via AP, Pool) MANDATORY CREDIT

By Associated Press February 16, 2016 1 min read

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – The captain of the doomed freighter El Faro emailed his superiors asking about changing the route home the day before his ship sank near the Bahamas.

The email from Michael Davidson asked whether he could take a slower route home from Puerto Rico. The El Faro sank Oct. 1 while sailing from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico, killing all 33 aboard. Investigators are seeking answers about who bears responsibility for the ship sailing into a hurricane.

Philip Morrell, vice president of marine operations for Tote Services Inc., told a U.S. Coast Guard investigative panel on Tuesday that it is not company policy for captains to ask for permission about voyages or routes. Morrell said the email showed common courtesy by the captain, not evidence that management dictated the ship’s route.