Incident replayAtlantic Ocean northeast of Acklins and Crooked Island, BahamasSources checked 6 Sept 2026

El Faro: sinking, wreck discovery and investigation

El Faro sank during Hurricane Joaquin on 1 October 2015, with the loss of all 33 people aboard. Subsequent missions located the hull and recovered the voyage recorder, allowing investigators to examine the ship's final hours.[2][3]

Follow the timeline What happened afterwardOriginal sources (5)

Last documented outcome

As of 12 Dec 2017

Wreck identified; investigation completed

The NTSB completed its investigation. It identified the captain's insufficient action to avoid the hurricane, use of outdated weather information and late crew muster as the probable cause, with additional operational and oversight factors.[2][3]

The sequence of events

6 dated reports · 1 Oct 2015 to 12 Dec 2017
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Distress alerts precede the sinking

An automated alert sent a position at 07:13:49 EDT. El Faro sank that morning during Hurricane Joaquin; all 33 people aboard died.

07:13:49 EDT automated alert position

Reported points only. No inferred track. Playback advances every 5 seconds.

Milestone 1 of 6: 1 Oct 2015. Distress alerts precede the sinking. 07:13:49 EDT automated alert position

  1. Distress alerts precede the sinking

    An automated alert sent a position at 07:13:49 EDT. El Faro sank that morning during Hurricane Joaquin; all 33 people aboard died.

    07:13:49 EDT automated alert position (23.423°, -73.875°)

    NTSBNTSB

  2. Search finds debris and oil sheen

    NOAA recorded damaged survival equipment, cargo containers and an oil sheen in the search area. The Coast Guard requested help assessing the potential movement of oil while search-and-rescue operations continued.

    NOAA IncidentNews

  3. Search for survivors is suspended

    After searches found debris and damaged survival equipment but no survivors, the Coast Guard suspended its search at sundown.

    NTSB

  4. Search team locates the hull

    Apache located the hull at a charted depth of 15,410 feet. A remotely operated vehicle confirmed the finding on 1 November.

    Hull location, confirmed the following day (23.381°, -73.911°)

    NTSB

  5. Voyage recorder recovered from the seabed

    The recovery team retrieved the recorder capsule. It yielded more than 26 hours of recorded data, including bridge audio.

    NTSBNTSB

  6. NTSB adopts its findings

    The investigation examined hurricane decisions, weather information, bridge teamwork, flooding, propulsion loss and company oversight, and issued safety recommendations.

    NTSB

Details in the record

Loss of life
All 33 people aboard[2]
Hull depth
15,410 feet in the NTSB report[3]
Recorder recovered
8 August 2016[5]

Reading this account

The map distinguishes a transmitted position before the sinking from the hull later located on the seabed. These isolated points are not a reconstructed track. Finding the wreck and recovering the recorder did not mean the ship was raised.

A warning being cancelled does not establish that a vessel was recovered or a hazard disappeared. The outcome above comes from the cited follow-up reports.

Original sources

Account checked 6 Sept 2026. Follow-up is reviewed from these sources; this is not a live incident feed.

  1. 1.Container ship El Faro; northeast of Crooked Islands, Bahamas ↗NOAA IncidentNews
  2. 2.Sinking of the freight vessel El Faro ↗NTSB
  3. 3.El Faro marine accident report MAR-17/01, corrected reissue ↗NTSB · 7 Sept 2018
  4. 4.Tropical Cyclone Information for Mariners, MSR-17/02 ↗NTSB
  5. 5.El Faro voyage recorder audio factual report ↗NTSB

Related records in our archive

Original source text, preserved separately from this account.

NOAAORR-9184 NOAA response record
Container Ship El Faro; 35 NM NE of Crooked Islands, Bahamas.
35 NM NE of Crooked Islands, Bahamas.
1. On October 05, 2015, 7th Coast Guard District contacted the NOAA SSC regarding a possible sunken container ship, the El Faro Monday, which is believed to have sunk during Hurricane Joaquin. While searching in the vicinity of the ship's last known position 35 nautical miles northeast of Crooked Islands, Bahamas, the Coast Guard located a deceased person in a survival suit in the water. A heavily damaged life boat with markings consistent with those on board the El Faro, a partially submerged life raft, life jackets, life rings, cargo containers and an oil sheen were also located by Coast Guard aircrews within a 225 square nautical mile search area. Search and rescue operations continue. Coast Guard has requested assistance with trajectory assessment for potential oil spill associated with sunken vessel.
2. THREAT: OIL. MAXIMUM POTENTIAL RELEASE: 273000 GALLONS. TAGS: COLLISION.
3. POSITION 23.120N 073.290W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 9184: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/9184
Open record and warning history →
HYDROLANT 2457/15 Navigational warning
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
BAHAMAS.
DNC 16.
M/V EL FARO DISABLED AND FLOODING IN 23-28N 073-48W.
VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT,
ASSIST IF POSSIBLE. REPORTS TO RCC MIAMI,
PHONE: 305 415 6800, E-MAIL: RCCMIAMI@USCG.MIL.
Open record and warning history →
NAVAREA IV 831/15 Navigational warning
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
BAHAMAS.
1. DEBRIS FROM SUNKEN M/V EL FARO ADRIFT
   WITHIN TEN MILES OF:
   A. 23-29N 074-01W.
   B. 24-24N 073-02W.
   REPORTS TO U.S. COAST GUARD RCC MIAMI,
   PHONE: 305 415 6800, E-MAIL: RCCMIAMI@USCG.MIL.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 091215Z OCT 15.
Open record and warning history →

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