Feds: Wreckage Believed to Be El Faro Cargo Ship Located

Searchers using high-tech sonars have discovered the deep-water wreckage of a vessel believed to be the cargo ship El Faro, which went missing Oct. 1 with 33 crewmembers during Hurricane Joaquin, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said late Saturday.

In this Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, photo, Massachusetts Maritime Academy second class cadets practice advanced seamanship aboard a crew boat near the training vessel USTS Kennedy, behind, in Bourne, Mass. AP Photo/Steven Senne

WASHINGTON—Searchers using high-tech sonars have discovered the deep-water wreckage of a vessel believed to be the cargo ship El Faro, which went missing Oct. 1 with 33 crewmembers during Hurricane Joaquin, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said late Saturday.

The federal agency said the wreckage is some 15,000 feet below the water’s surface and its identity still must be confirmed by sending down a remotely operated deep ocean vehicle.

The federal agency’s statement added that experts aboard a specially equipped Navy vessel reported they located the wreckage at 1:36 p.m. EDT Saturday deep underwater in the area of the ship’s last known position. The wreckage was detected on the fifth of 13 surveying passes by that ship, USNS Apache.

This undated photo provided by TOTE Maritime shows the cargo ship, El Faro.  TOTE Maritime via AP