The National Transportation Safety Board announced Tuesday crews found the missing voyage data recorder on the sunken ship El Faro.
About 1 p.m., a team aboard the research vessel Atlantis found and positively identified the ship's mast and data recorder in 15,000 feet of water -- nearly 3 miles deep -- near the ship's final resting place. Crews were working to retrieve it.
“Finding an object about the size of a basketball almost 3 miles under the surface of the sea is a remarkable achievement,” TSB Chairman Christopher Hart said.
The Jacksonville-based cargo ship sank near the Bahamas en route to Puerto Rico Oct. 1, 2015, during Hurricane Joaquin. All 33 of the El Faro’s crew perished in the accident.
Working with the U.S. Navy in November, the NTSB found the upper two decks of the ship and the hull about one-half mile apart on the ocean floor. But the main mast and attached data recorder were not located.
A new search for the recorder began last week.
Dr. Jeremy Stalker, geologist and physical oceanographer with the Department of Marine Science and Biology at Jacksonville University, said he was surprised to hear that the data recorder was found so quickly.
"If you see the pictures of it sitting right there on the ocean floor, out in the open, to me that's very improbable, but incredibly lucky," Stalker said.
The NTSB and U.S. Coast Guard said the data recorder should contain critical information useful in the investigation into the ship's sinking. Besides basic navigational data, the recorder memory is expected to contain voice data from the El Faro’s navigation bridge in the hours before the ship sank.
“Thank goodness the NTSB went back a second time to find the missing data recorder,” Sen. Bill Nelson said. “This could be a big break for investigators as they try to understand what caused the El Faro to sink. The information stored on this device could be the key to determining not only what happened, but also what can be done to ensure that it never happens again.”
TOTE Maritime, the company that owns El Faro, released the following statement Tuesday on the discovery of the recorder:
"TOTE wishes to thank the crew of the research vessel Atlantis and the team from the NTSB for their persistence and success in finding the El Faro’s VDR. We hope that the information contained will help with the goal to learn everything possible about the loss of our crew and vessel. We look forward to the NTSB report and welcome safety related recommendations that benefit our seafarers; there is no more important legacy for our employees and their families."
Maritime attorney Rod Sullivan said the audio tapes will be important in determining if the ship broke before it sank.
"If the data is still intact, you'll be able to hear the conversations of the captain, the captain's side conversations with the engine room. You're going to get an idea of what it was that caused the ship to stop, what the captain said to officers on the bridge and what was going on and why he thought water was going in the scuttle," Sullivan said. "The absolute best information to hear would be a boom. When a ship breaks there is a boom and bubble incident. The deck might rupture and you can hear that. (It) tells you the ship broke before it sank."
The U.S. Coast Guard will conduct a second round of public hearings for the Marine Board of Investigation into the sinking of the El Faro May 16-27 at the Prime Osborn Convention Center in Jacksonville.
There is a third hearing expected to be held as well, but the date of that hearing has not yet been determined, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard told News4Jax Tuesday.
Also Tuesday, the National Weather Service announced it was retiring the name Joaquin from the rotation for future tropical storms and hurricanes.
Families react to discovery of VDR
Opinions on how the discovery of the El Faro's voyage data recorder varies widely from family to family.
Pastor Robert Green lost his son Lashawn Rivera during the disaster. Like many other parents, he’s looking forward to what the recorder may share about the final moments on the ship.
"We were happy. I’ve talked to other family members who were ecstatic also. My hat’s off to Sen. Bill Nelson and his office for really keeping the pressure and the focus on finding the black box," Green said.
The common thread continues to be the stinging, lasting loss and the hope that things will change in the industry.
"I didn't know! I will probably put some closure about what was happening in the last minutes to my son. I possibly might hear he got off the ship. I'm just praying. Whatever happened won't bring them back. This ship should never have left," said Jackie Jones Sr., whose son was aboard the El Faro.
Other family members told News4Jax that they’re still upset and the new information from the investigation won’t end their pain.
"It won't change anything," said Danny Howard, who lost his brother-in-law Brookie Larry Davis. "But maybe we'll find out what was going on, maybe figure it out. (But) it won't bring those people back."
That’s why family members hope the black box discovery will lead to changes.
“Oh my. It doesn’t change anything in my life. But it will give me some information that I will find interesting," said Mary Shevory whose daughter Mariette Wright lost her life. "I just felt like something should be done.”
Now, Green wants to help people heal.
"We have over 12,000 signatures, from around the world. People signed online and paper petition saying there should be change. We’re not maritime experts. We may not know what that change should be exactly. We just know there should be changes where people don’t take these risks, and people aren’t put in harm’s way," Green said.
Green created a ministry called Mending a Heart, which is a support group for the El Faro family members to meet once a month with a therapist, free of charge.