As an old airline captain,frequently flying the Caribbean,I would simply suggest:always listen to your junior officers.They are not impeded by experience and tend to be more cautious.And when more than one of your junior officers suggests a cautious change of course...follow their advice.What a huge tragedy that could have been adverted...with a south passage course.May they all rest in peace and God protect all men and women who adventure into sea and air...
I was thinking about CRM issues here. Not a pilot or captain, but I wonder if the age/experience difference had something to do with it. I can't help but think that had they followed Ms Randolph's course change things might have been different. Also "they are not impeded by experience" That phrase is a keeper
@@asbestosfiberI like how some shade of CRM rubbed on even on driving school. Until early 2000s, the teaching and driving discipline was "do not distract the driver", they are the master of the wheel and they know better New driving school directives now put a licensed driver riding shotgun actually responsible for situational awareness and work with the driver in a tactful manner.
With due respect,an airplane is NOT comparable to a Big Ship.You Dont understand the concept of a ships function and how a plane differs vastly.This ship was on a passage that was heading for trouble.Time and time again suggestions were to change course this was met by the captain with complete distance and sheer incompetence.The following events were all a direct result of this IGNORANT,SELF INDULGED AND STUBBORN CAPTAIN.The sinking was due to flooding and loss of propulsion stemming from the wrong descision to sail.Please don’t compare flying a plane to safely navigating a ship,the difference is HUGE.If you had attempted to walk in on the Investigation with your comments,you would have been escorted out and told to MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND STICK TO FLYING PLANES.
@@Andy-x3e4z. Tell that to the victims of the Tenerife 747 disaster and the junior officers under the KLM pilot. That’s just one case…how about First Air 6560, Korean Air 8509, Birgenair 301, Northwest Airlink 5719??
@@mattskustomkreations I wouldn’t dream of such arrogant interference and commenting on something I know absolutely NOTHING ABOUT.I SUGGEST YOU DO THE SAME WHEN IT COMES TO SEAFARING.
Video is quite kind to the captain/company overall. I did like that you kept flashing the pictures of the various crewmen as they were acting in the story, it really helped both humanize the crew and keep track of who is who.
@@waterlinestories I will say your reporting was not only accurate, but it was tastefully told! Just enough of the technical information to explain to a lay person so that they can understand! So, as sad as this was will say you did a thorough and articulate job here and you’ve gained a follower in me! And I look forward to watching more! Keep up the good work!!
The “calm” and “quiet” chain was under extreme stress😢 The hurricane bearing down, he knew it was either him or them. Blacking out, he was then awoke with a loud “Crack” followed by searing pain… Examining his body…to his horror…he was snapped in half below the waist😮 He couldn’t find his mates either… Seeking relief from the pain… He threw himself into the sea to a certain depth In chain heaven, he’s still peering down at the horror of being “blamed”😅
As a former US Merchant Marine Engineering officer, I believe this was entirely preventable if the Captain would have exercised proper judgement. When you recognize you have uncontrollable flooding, you MUST prepare an escape plan while you attempt to locate and stop the flooding. Time is your enemy. As soon as the flooding reaches a certain point, or it becomes evident that it is uncontrollable, everyone should have their survival suits on or at the ready, and rafts ready for deployment. Waiting until the list was that severe was a huge mistake.
At 05:43 he got the first report of flooding. At 05:53 they (rightly or wrongly) determined it was the scuttle. They were reporting very little flooding. 06:05 the Captain orders Chief Mate back down there to monitor the water levels. Around 06:15 they lose the plant and then 06:18 there's a report of additional flooding. At that point, sounding the alarm for everyone and getting them in position to assist or evacuate seems prudent. At 06:31 the Captain says, "I just want everyone up." But seems clear, he should have sounded an alarm. At 06:49, the second mate is still making coffee, they clearly aren't extremely worried. At 06:55 the Captain says on the phone: "[...]umm there's no need to ring the general alarm yet[...]" He's clearly wrong here. This is absolutely the wrong call. The ship only has about 40 minutes before it founders. Two things, thought. The Captain knew they only had open top lifeboat and it'd be difficult for it to survive this storm (with or without it). Maybe this played into his thinking on the alarm? Second, the Coast Guard dispatched their chopper to the wrong location anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered.
The second mate Danielle was the one who had prepared for them to abandon ship because the captain wasn’t doing it. She prepared the mayday messages before 6:30am (because she had to wait for the captain to give the approval) and made sure people had their survival suits. Hell even the captain was asking her for emergency numbers right before the ship went down. This is all in Brick Immortar’s video on the El Faro as well as the transcripts of the bridge recordings from the investigation on the sinking. Can’t help but think if she had been in charge this would not have happened.
@ripwednesdayadams WOW! Hey! Thanks! I know, fella, that Captains ore ships in the Great Lakes! I had lived in Neah bay in Washington st. It's right at the tip of the Olympic peninsula at the northwest corner of continental US! Cape Flattery has a base that watches the straits of Juan De Fuca! Known for the largest Octopi on the planet! Oh and the coast in both directions! And the straits flowed into the Puget Sound! It's a whole bunch of Islands and Victoria Island is also where find the city of Vancouver! WOW! WHAT A FANTASTIC PLACE! OMG! I just remembered where the uppercase button is! Heh! Maybe an Old dog can learn a new trick! Hey! This Internet things really catching on!
Company management also encouraged this. They fired officers if they navigated around obstacles wasting time and decreasing profits instead of taking straight line between pick-up and drop-off thus maximizing profits. Captain was their creature.
@@Morpheus187I don't think any company insured, wants dead people, on their list of losses. Then you're talking millions with no recovery. Unlike merch. But you're right too.
@@Morpheus187 I knew that, what i hope to say After the Edmond Fitz Sank the insurance companys on the great lake made a new rule, if the weather is bad your ship had better be in a safe harbor
Sylvester was a good friend of mine we called him "worm" im a fellow sailor and remember seeing him at the union hall months before he got that job on the faro. Wish continued healing for his family
@Blkceasar212 I'm glad you wrote so nicely of Sylvester. He was a great neighbor and a good friend. The whole neighborhood was devastated when we heard the news.
It’s funny how it always seems to be a seasoned captain that makes a bad call. Something about the confidence of their already existent longevity that makes them more likely to take a chance like that. Whereas a rookie captain who isn’t sure of himself would apply more caution.
plenty of rookie captains make mistakes, but, they are usually responsible for smaller ships or large boats... therefore, the impact/news-potential is far less.
I’m a long time shooting competitor and concealed carry guy and I say the same about a lot of gun owners. It’s the “I’ve been around guns my whole life” people that seem the most careless with a misplaced sense of confidence
I’m a lifelong Winthrop, Massachusetts resident. A small town with public high school that graduates around 120 kids each year. Worked for the town public works when I was in my early twenties. Used to get high school kids to help cut grass and stuff in summer. Keith Griffin worked for a time with us and he was very mature and helpful. He would make sure other kids pitched in and worked. I appreciated his leadership then and I hope he rests in peace.
Thanks for posting this. As a Navy veteran living in Florida I cannot understand this Captain not knowing more about the source of his weather data. May the Lord Bless these 33 Souls.
This is an excellent question. If I recall correctly BVS took the NHC weather data, then made it real pretty and their predictions were good so over years of relying on the BVS reports, crew easily could have come to rely on them as authoritative. Further, the predictions didn't indicate they were based on old data and there was no indication on the reports of the long lag. So it's easy to imagine there was a loss of awareness. If Joaquin hadn't taken changed direction right during the worst of the lag, they probably would have been fine.
I was the radio officer on a ship that got caught up in a Typhoon en route between Japan and Taiwan in the early '80s. We'd received notification that Keelung, the port we were heading for was closed so the old man decided to cut the engine and let the storm bisect our path .. Then the storm path changed and the old man decided to try and out run it and next thing all hell broke loose, the weather was brutal. I was typing up storm updates every hour alternately from Tokyo and Hong Kong around the clock for nearly 3 days, plus I was broadcasting our weather OBS messages between bulletins and some other ships in the area started doing that too, so I was typing those up for the bridge too and that was about all I could do, there was no automated service back then, it was all morse code. This was an old general cargo ship so there was always a risk of cargo shifting, but fortunately we didn't suffer any such issues or any mechanical issues either. For my part I didn't think too much about it, just concentrated on my bit and hoped everybody else was doing their bit ..
We got caught in a typhoon on Coral Sea on Yankee station in 72-73, the seas rocked our carrier pretty bad, our escorts got pounded but we all got through it okay, but very scary for me...
My buddy is a merchant marine weld inspector. He knew the El Faro & the captain. He said the ship was a rust bucket and not surprised she failed in a big storm.
But the company didn't say "go into the hurricane!". He is 100% to blame: a lousy 160 miles detour would have saved all this tragedy. And wasn't for the lack of warning.
Seems the US Merchant Marine is about the last country to have those. Wasnt that long ago that virtually all us lifeboats were still painted white too.
It was probably refit so that the Arctic Sea gear could be reallocated to another cold weather ship in the fleet, or sold to another company doing cold weather routes. It’s amazing what these companies will do to maximize profits.
Having read El Faro's VDR, the captain's mind must have been stuck in Alaska and the crew didn't want to try snapping him out of it. There are conversations where the crew talk about how nuts it is they aren't trying to avoid the storm. They knew he was making decisions based on older data which conflicted with real-time NWS warnings, but they just talked about how unworried he seemed to be. Will always wonder what could have happened if someone answered his "just a normal day in Alaska" with: "No, this is actually a *f-ing hurricane in the Bahamas* we are heading straight toward."
So frustrating - he had SO MANY CHANCES to listen to what people were telling him, and route change suggestions and so on -- so many chances to save all those lives. So frustrating.
Had they all emphatically exclaimed this to him those words, just maybe they all would be alive. But from observing that the crew were more than 95 percent black, they just by nature submitted to an ass hole Captain's dumb ass decision making attitude. And it cost them their precious lives. Yeah I remember this disaster, I was living in Jacksonville Florida at the time. So very sad and we all should be pissed at such a foolish man that happened to be a Captain leading his doomed crew members.
Yep, it sounds to me like he considered any seas outside of Alaska to be a cakewalk. “There’s no way a piddly Caribbean storm can scare an Alaska sailor.” was his logic.
Was thinking the same thing. As a Floridian, when there is a hurricane with a cone anywhere near my location, I view every update from the NHC. Hard to believe this captain was so unconcerned and unaware about the storm.
I think that this is the first time I have come across the story of the El Faro; thank you very much for your coverage of this tragic loss of 33 souls. I am appalled at the close similarities between this and the loss of the coaster Union Star and lifeboat Solomon Browne on 19 December 1981 with all hands. 15 persons died that night. The four crew of the coaster, the second wife of the Captain and her two daughters, and the 8 valiant crew of the Solomon Browne from Mousehole in Cornwall!
During the late 1980s, the USS Charleston hit a tropical storm in that area, not even a hurricane. We had a forklift that was dogged down to the deck, just not quite tight enough. It destroyed the machine shop, several crew were injured trying to stop the forklift. There was also equipment we though solidly bolted down that broke free. It was a mess. Hitting a storm like this is no joke and not sure how the Charleston would have fared in this storm.
@@moffepolle It was my friend , Danielle Randolph, the 2nd mate, who kept trying to get him to change course. She told me he was an ass right before this trip, we had all gone out for the night in Rockland, Maine. She said he never listened to anyone. My way or the highway type . His way got them all killed....
@@woodnbikes I know how heartbreaking this is and I know it’s nearly 10 years, but I can tell that you still grieve very deeply for your friend so for that I offer my deepest condolences! I hope that one day you find some healing!
His Second Mate and Third Mate were very concerned and yet the Captain wouldn't listen. On a plane, a first officer can now challenge a Captain, well at sea there is no such thing as team management. What did he have to lose to turn his course south ? Time and money vs Safety and pride.
I worked for a car manufacturing company in Europe for many years. One of my jobs was inspecting the condition of cars after the ship had crossed the Atlantic and arrived in the US/Canada ports and occasionally, I had to board a ship to inspect items. Every "RO/RO"* ship that I ever saw had tie-down structures built into the decks arranged into a grid. These were about the size of a large soup plate and were recessed into the deck. There was a curved steel bar inside of each, these bars were approx 1" in diameter and curved upwards so that the bar was near the deck level and easily accessible to the heavy steel tie-down turnbuckles. As many a three cars might be attached to these securing points but every car was secured by at least two points and often by three. I have NEVER seen any shipment where the cars are held down by a long chain. The manufacturing company I worked for contracted with a few different shipping companies so there were small variations in equipment and layout but none ever used chains like the chains in this video. The "old hands" could tell you stories about cars that became partially disengaged and were slammed into nearby cars by the rolling of the sea but every practical means was taken to prevent this. Cars coming loose was considered very dangerous in that completely disconnected cars could slide all the way across an open area and smash into the ship's hull, possibly rupturing it. The ships constantly monitored weather and might delay a sailing or re-route to a different sea lane to assure the most gentle crossing possible. NO AMOUNT of course change needed to be safe was considered too much. We were constantly given ETA's for ships by radio and internet communication and some ships arrived later than planned when they sailed but that was just considered a part of the process. (None of our ships carried containers in addition to their car loads.) (RO/RO is "roll on/roll off". Cars are driven off the dock up a ramp then moved to allocated parts of the ship by internal up/down driveways somewhat like normal multi-level car parking structures on land. When the cars reach their area, they're secured in place. Upon arrival at destination, the securing hardware is released and the cars are driven up or down the internal ramps , then down the external ramp to the shore dock and then driven to the a remote storage area.)
The problem with storms is not only they greatly increase the odds of something bad happening, they also make it impossible to get outside help. With a captain that seamed like he couldnt care less.
Wonder if he - the captain - was on some sort of drug , wether prescribed or not . If he was under the influence , he should have stood down before sailing .
Marked and saved to watch later. This one makes me furious and sick to my stomach, as a former merchant marine engineer. What makes it even more personal is how it affected my Mom. I'd been back ashore for years. But Mom saw that one of the photos of a female officer strongly resembled my similar graduation photo from my academy. She called me to confirm that I was safe, that I didn't personally know any of the crew, and that I wasn't going back to sea. It was the embodiment of all of her worst fears when I had been working at sea.
The presentation of your stories is very good. They flow well, and are easy to follow from beginning to end. Lots of info, and good video make these enjoyable even with the tragedies that are told.
I mean, Powder would get the job done just fine- And there's plenty of evidence to that being the case for people who were not meant to bite the proverbial bullet, (blanks or otherwise, for lack of a better description. . .) However, if you can handle another pun, and I am speaking from personal experience when I say, It's just not normally coming in Unleaded. But, I guess that I could also point out that 'nearly fatal' doesn't make me much of a victim either when its laid on the grand scale, really. All things considered . . . ☠️
That was really upsetting, why risk all those lives, so nonchalant was the Captain's attititude to a tropical low. Getting out of date reports. This was so easily avoided I think is the reason this is so upsetting. How frightening for the crew, I can't even contemplate trying to survive in seas like that. RIP to the brave crew of The El Faro. Condolences to the families❤
The shipping company should be in constant contact in a storm like that. They should have current news and directions and relay them to the ship and everybody should be involved.
The employer didn't subscribe to the most reliable storm warning, and didn't instruct their staff in the appropriate resources to inform their actions ... and the captain gets the blame
Agree. Most of the comments here are putting complete blame on the dead captain. It’s easy to blame him because he’s a visible face but all of the nameless rich owners who were dry at home with no concern for the ships crew get a free pass. There was clearly a lack of training/health and safety culture from the company too.
Honestly reminds me a lot of the Malaysian airways pilot who decided he wanted to go out in a big way You gotta wonder had this ship captain decided to suicide...it is very hard to ignore that many warnings
@@michaelo2522 congrats on the worst possible take. Here is your medal. Now go look at it and reflect on how dimwitted it is to say the captain committed suicide.
In a situation like this you really have to wonder who cut the corner of having not enough lube oil on board to supply the main engine. How many barrels of oil would it have taken to bring the sump up to the full mark? When we were setting up for harsh weather we would go around and top up all of the sumps as part of the preparations. We also had extra barrels on board stored in case we had a leak that caused a loss of oil in the main system. I have seen what happens to ships that go "Cheap" on a critical supply and this could be a test case for that. Even if it is really rough we had barrel pumps and hoses that could transfer the oil from the barrels storage area to the main sump supply without moving the lashed down barrels. In a storm that is critical to plan ahead as each barrel weighs over 500 pounds and it can not be handled safely when the deck is moving like that. In addition to the main sump there is usually a day tank with about 4 barrels in it to supply normal losses of oil in the daily operations. That is a good design to have a day tank available for that purpose.
@@guachingman It's actually quite explicitly mentioned in the accident report that the company repeatedly had no issues with Davidson taking longer route to avoid weather, even far less severe as a matter of caution, they completely left it to his discretion.
Great thought on adding oil to the sump. They can easily remove it to the sludge tank when needed. The fire main doomed the ship. The chain and floating cars made it to dangerous to go below. There are in-line section valves on the main as well. Sad story 9 years ago. I watched the midnight Sun in Tacoma while I was growing up. She was beautiful, sleek and fast looking compared to other container ships.
This is similar to some race cars. On high G corners, the engines oil will slush to one side, and starve the engine of lube oil. When that happens, the engine gets destroyed. One way to overcome this, is to just add more oil.
Pretty good recap. Two critical details you probably should have added: a. The BVS weather report wasn't just a report of current conditions -- it was a prediction. So the report's time stamp gave the impression that he was looking at current conditions but, in fact, it was _predicted_ conditions. No one seemed to realize this and the report was easily misread. b. The Coast Guard screwed up the initial rescue response. They sent a helicopter shortly after it sank but they sent it to the wrong coordinates. Instead of sending the chopper to the EPIRB location, they sent it to what TOTE reported to them earlier. As far as I can tell, this mistake wasn't noticed during the search and rescue operation so they used the wrong origin point, leaving little chance of the crew being located.
Bad "cockpit resource management" where the captain's rank intimidates his subordinates and he dismisses their concerns. The captain reminds me of the CEO of Ocean Gate and the ill-fated Titan crush-mersible: with an ego that got people killed.
I was thinking the exact same thing! And it's rather astonishing how, in photos, both men have that same "I'm smarter than all of you" stupid smirk on their puss. As soon as I saw the photo of this captain, I immediately judged him to be a major A-Hole.
Yeah, BI's the last word when it comes to El Faro documentaries. Waterline appears to have also omitted the extraordinarily ill-considered modification history of the vessel, from RORO to CONRO, with ever-decreasing freeboard, and unspeakably dodgy paperwork from aughts-era "regulatory" agencies.
There’s also a very good episode of Well There’s Your Problem about it. But I agree, the brickimmortar piece is excellent and I’ve watched it about five times so far.
As a retired engineer that sailed on those Sunship RO RO ships, these ships were extremely tender and that captain should have turned around. RO RO ships have only trailers in the under deck cargo holds, which means there is no weight below to keep the ship from rolling in a storm. These ships are scary in a normal storm. Out of the 60 or so captains that I have sailed with, every one (except one) would have turned around. The captain that I know that would have continued sailing could not make a decision, he regularly called the office on every minor situation that developed. He should not have been a captain. Captain Davidson was afraid to turn around because he was concerned that he would not be transferred to a new ship. The El Faro had only a few years left on it's life, it was 40 years old. He killed everyone. The riding crew did leave a scuttle open on the main deck, causing water to fill the after cargo hold and make the list. The chief mate should have made a round around the deck to make sure that all of the water tight doors were secured, so that error condemned the ship. He is correct about the main engine oil sump pickup too, you loose the main engine or a generator in a storm and you are at the whim of nature.
I noticed that during the ship shots. They were placing all the weight on the top deck which will exacerbate the rolling of the ship. Obviously, this also depends on how large the ballast tanks are, and the cargo below the main deck, but even when the cargo area has vehicles, it's still mainly air and empty space.
Like most disasters, it is a series of events and conditions that lead to the catastrophic event. Take one out event, and you probably save the ship and the crew. Tragic loss of life. The use of photos aids in the storytelling.
Steven, the same as you, I was on that trade 30 plus years. Whenever leaving Jax or Elizabeth, if there was a threatening system to the south, the captain would head east for a day or go through the hole in the wall. Jackass Davidson wanted to arrive in SJ on schedule. Even the second mate who was green had it figured out. She emailed her mother telling her that she felt she would never see her again. What a horrible tragedy that was totally avoidable.
The captain surely would have known that detail about the oil sump... you'd think! It makes his decision to try to out-pace the storm all the more reckless.
Very very good Video. Animations, facts and the speaker gives a very detailed view. 😢 how can such an experienced captain make so many mistakes and act so recless😢
Hi, i stumbled upon waterline an hr ago and just watched the El Faro , you had me mesmerized by your dialect, precise narration and detail, also in sync with the picture's of the crew which highlighted the sadness & horror of this avoidable disaster. It's a sad storyline depicting a certain arrogant character ignoring advice from other's, old adage comes to mind..."pride comes before a crash " . You have a new subscriber ! 😊
Then chain was definitely a factor because it was supposed to have each car lashed to a single point on deck-but the captain going into a hurricane is what ultimately killed everyone
It all started with not knowing you are looking at old data and thinking you know where to go. Then wait realizing that, untill 3 more big problems have emerged and not take action untill the ship is actually sinking. The chain was just number 4 in the events that lead to the ship sinking.
Agree 100%. It's mind blowing to me that they would allow this type of sump design in a ship that will be actively rolling around in an ocean, sometimes to an extreme degree. An engine on an ocean going vessel needs either a centralized deep sump or dry sump system. It also blows my mind that knowing this, they didn't even keep the regular oil sump topped off.
When I lived in Baltimore in 2013 I used to crew on a racing sailboat owned by a retired weatherman. The marina was right next to the pier where El Faro was moored. Every Tuesday night we would sail past her on our way out to race. Over the span of a year the ship never left and I never saw anyone working on it, so I assumed it was just an old retired ship waiting to be scrapped. I was pretty shocked to hear she was later put back into service and sank in a hurricane.
What I don't understand in this video is this: at about 1:4 in the video the narrator says: and was powered by an Steam turbine engine, but at 22:26 it shows clkearly the crankshaft of a Diesel engine which doesn't make sense to me unless I missed something.. I cou;d only find information about some conversions adding a section to the hull and adding cranes, but nothing about an engine conversion.
I was in Jacksonville with the harbor pilots taking us on tour of the ports when I saw the El Faro docked, I believe at Blount Island Terminal.. A storm was heading in that day and El Faro was sailing that night which I thought was dangerous. When I arrived home we experienced one of the worst storms, it was called the 1,000 year rain even. Later I heard that vessel had sunk enroute with no survivors. It was eerie knowing I had been one of the few to last see that vessel before sunk in the Atlantic. I had video and pics of it from the pilot boat as we passed. Remember thinking that doesn’t look too sea-worthy. God bless that crew and they experienced. 🙏
Kudos! on a job well done in narrating this unfortunate bit of history. It was well told in a very informative and concise way. You did a good job and based on the number of subscribers you currently have, you must be doing a great job! RIP to the poor souls who lost their lives in this tragedy. The lesson hear is sometimes one has to take a step back at some point or reconsider other peoples viewpoints when certain doubts or fears have been raised no matter the years of experience. Mistakes do happen, no matter the level of experience. Greed also had a part to play in one way or the other and that's why the most unsafe, fastest route was chosen.
Ultimately the final decision was the captain’s however those who have never been involved in moving freight and even people don’t understand the pressure that companies can put on their employees to save as much fuel and time as possible to increase profits. Some companies don’t mind telling their employees that if they don’t want to go there’s others waiting to do their jobs. I’m guessing that at the captain’s age he was looking to finish up his career without having to make waves with the company.
I was a US Navy officer. It is always the Captains fault. I have made two Pacific crossings, sailed through two "typhoons", sailed the North Atlantic and one hurricane off the "VA Capes", and sailed the Caribbean from Cuba to Barbados. As a private sailboat captain I was the skipper of a 55 foot Sloop that carried tourists north and south through the Sir Francis Drake channel and to every island in both the British and US Virgin Islands. This Captain killed his crew and lost his vessel because he forgot that the sea is unforgiving and will kill you if you "look away" for one minute. He was overconfident and killed his crew because he wanted a profitable passage instead of a safe one.
The employer didn't subscribe to the most reliable storm warning, and didn't instruct their staff in the appropriate resources to inform their actions But, sure, it's the captains fault
Condolences to his family as well, if any. Best of all, by blaming him personally in a public place, you, too can be held responsible for soiling his good name and can be made to pay millions of dollars to the family in a libel case in court. There, you said his name by your own admission. Brilliant.
@@caffiend. The law cares about facts and you slandered someone in writing, no less. Has nothing to do with my feelings. I, of course, also feel for everyone who lost their lives in this incident and their families. I even feel sorry for you.
Had the same I was lucky. Going across Dover straits to st valery France found captain asleep drunk in warehouse alone had a go at him. Coming back there was a big storm warning all he wanted was to get back to the pub. Stormforce 12 heading in for 18 hours 1978 I think I was scared and excited at the same time. It was only a small Costa jumped ship when we got ashore and reported him.
The captain is a classic example of the Peter Principle. The saying, " Rough waters are a truer test of leadership. In calm waters, every ship has a good captain" comes to mind.
I really enjoy the calm, informative presentation that doesn't make me feel stupid not having a nautical background. With that being said, the captain of El Faro had no right to risk his crew or ship racing a hurricane, period.
Firstly, your presentation is possibly the highest quality one on a subject I have followed for a long time. Simply standard setting, congratulations and thank you. Secondly it would be interesting to know if the captain was taking any ( prescription or OTC ) medication as his behavior appears out of character and he mentions sleeping like a baby. It’s not impossible this would be the route cause of the whole sad tragedy.
This was sickening to watch why was the captain so confident and unmoved by changes in weather was he overconfident or just on a suicide trip bloody madness 33 lives lost which surely should never have happened god rest there souls good video
The employer didn't subscribe to the most reliable storm warning, and didn't instruct their staff in the appropriate resources to inform their actions.
The shipping company also very badly maintained the El Faro, her sister ship was inspected after the El Faro sank and it was virtually condemned on the spot as there were numerous issues especially with the deck scuttles which is believed was the route on how the initial free flooding started on the El Faro. You have a company that put profit over maintenance and who's main aim was to get the newer vessels into service and in the process they took their eyes off the most basic rule, maintaining what you have so it remains seaworthy in ALL conditions.
I was on a cruise ship sailing from Fla to the Caribbean at this time. The Captain announced on the PA system that a storm was brewing. Instead of sailing directly to San Juan, He chose to hug the coast of Florida, then hugged the coast of Cuba, then Hispaniola. We arrived safely in San Juan a day late. That is when we found out the Faro was lost.
As an ex Australian Navy Veteran R.I.P its always soo sad. The mighty ocean has claimed more brave soles who sail the beautiful but at times deadly seas.
Thats true and the waters here are littered with ships on the bottom, but at present day, there is no reason why this would happen. There is an abundance of weather information, a lot of which close to or in real time. This 'captain' f'd up big time.
I was in the USAF. I was maintenance but flew often. I saw a lot of overconfidence in flight crew, and I was involved in several 'well that could have went bad fast' moments.
This is the first time I have seen your channel. I am now following it. This video production is excellent. Thank you so much. Keep up the fabulous work.
I'm from Jacksonville. Whenever the coast guard is dispatched it always makes the news here. I remember when this story first aired, within a couple days or so (potentially sooner) tracking information about the ship's route and last known position were revealed. At the same time, maps of the hurricane's path at the same date and time were also available. IMMEDIATELY it was evident that this captain literally steered his ship directly into the storm because he didn't want to divert around the islands for safety (diverting would waste time and time equals money). It pissed me off. There were so much news coverage about the lost crew and grieving families. Every other ship diverted their paths and went around. Even the US Navy docked at Mayport frequently sends their ships away to safer water AWAY from hurricane force storms. The crew of the El Faro should have mutanied, as they knew full well their path was seriously life-threatening. It's not like the storm just sprang up on them. Nope. At sea, they had hours to change course and didn't. Such an ignorant waste that could have sensibly been avoided. What's even worse is that weather reports and the hurricane projections were available for several days before the ship even departed.
I have read two books about this and one small difference in their report and what was said here is that Davidson had the BVS system in his cabin and that was what he relied on despite it being a delayed report. The bridge crew were going by the more up to date NWS and NHC reports. Davidson ignored those. I was on a sea going tug departing JAX the same day the El Faro Departed JAX We ran down the Florida coast to the Old Bahama Channel and had a good ride to San Juan. We were far slower so not as close to the storm. On our return trip from San Juan we took the direct route and went slowly through the debris field. That was a very emotional point.
You would think a captain with 20+ years of experience would know how the weather reporting systems work... What an incredibly embarrassing, completely avoidable tragedy.
Fantastic reporting! As a Navy Quartermaster I really appreciate this. This captain reminds me of Hazelwood's attitude when he ran aground in Prince William Sound. He got 30 days community service for his crime.
I sailed in El Faro when it was named Northern Lights for a few months starting January 1995. Yes it had white uncovered lifeboats and a steam turbine engine. From this story I gather at some point in the future they got rid of the steam turbine engine and put a diesel one. It is very possible that the steam turbine would have not failed in part because it doesn´t develop anomalies when ship is listing. Who knows, because the underlying issue was water ingress from the fire main. We used to sail from Tacoma, WA to Anchorage Alaska, it was a shuttle service 3 days sailing north, discharge for 12 hours and 3 days back down to Tacoma. This is where I got proficient doing celestial navigation as a deck cadet.
I think Davidson was gunning for a promotion (that he'd already been denied for without his knowledge) and wanted to show management "I'll deliver cargo on time through a hurricane for you".
Dunno how much blame I'd put on the chain! Firstly I'd blame the company for letting the rust bucket said atall, then I'd blame the Captain for sailing into a storm.
. He was still cutting it pretty close. And he disregarded the more accurate weather info his officers had. Another video said Davidson had missed a promotion and was anxious to excel, so fast delivery may have been important to him...
@@LindaYariger. I think it maybe said that in Brick Immortar's video on this too. Yea, the Officer's seemed able to have up to date weather info & seemed fully aware of what they were heading into. By many accounts though the ship shouldn't have been at sea atall as it was in such a condition of disrepair.
@@jamesricker3997 I disagree. He was told of the most up-to-date information that came in on the emergency, alert systems, computer at least twice he chose to ignore it, and not listen to those with “less experience”
@@jamesricker3997 He, by choice used the BVS system because he preferred that, That system was in his cabin. The mates used the up to date NOAA, NHC, NWS information. Hid decision making was based on what BVS said to the exclusion of the up to date information the mates tried to impress on him.
Very sad. Their last words are so chilling. They knew they were about to die. Dear God. Bless their souls. I read up on this story as it really touched my soul, reading their final words. i also live in hurricane alley too. I know how dangerous they are. So sad to take a chance with a hurricane out there. And one person, the captain, determined whether they lived or died.
Just found this channel and I’m HOOKED! I’ve binge watched all videos apart from the diving incident ones as I just get through those without panicking. Looking forward to follow this channel going forward!
He wasn’t forced to take these risks, in fact on a previous journey some months prior he’d taken a slower route that provided coastal shelter due to weather. Totes leadership were happy with this decision even though it added time and cost to the journey. This is well covered in Brick Immortars documentary.
That may be, but as captain, you are STILL responsible. If that means you get fired, so be it. Better unemployed than dead and guilty of dragging 30+ people down with you.
That was great, kept me engrossed till the end. Your diction is fantastic and the minimal use of subtle music really made the difference. The Captain must have had a lot on his mind at home, it wasnt present on the ship.
I cannot believe that Captain didn’t know about the delay in the weather data, nor anyone else in the entire ship! Secondly, the holes of the Swiss cheese holes model lined up one after another 1. Improper securing method for cars in the cargo bay 2. Relying on delayed weather data 3. Not taking prevention measures seriously during a storm 4. Less engine oil in sump than recommended 5. Not adequate or proper life boats
Abandoning ship at sea, like this crew was forced to do that fateful morning, while in the eye wall of a cat-4 hurricane, would all but likely be , *an unsurvivable event* for ANYONE. Just making it to where the lifeboats were supposed to be, with the ship turning over, and waves larger than the ship itself, crashing into it, and decks almost vertical, would have been impossible for most aboard. The open top lifeboats were more of an insult than a means to continue living, so those who did make it would’ve put all their hopes in the covered, inflatable rafts, but taking those down and deploying them, while being blasted by wind and rain of a ferocity very few will ever experience in their own lifetime on land, couldn’t have been possible. Anyone not trapped down in the ship, or crushed and killed at once as thousands of tons of equipment and cargo broke loose all around them, would go straight into the sea. Those not wearing survival suits would try to swim, only to be buried with merciful speed by the collapsing waves of a mountainous sea, being pushed down so fast and so far by the cold, dark water, that’d they’d not ever know which way was up when the blackness took them away forever. Those in survival suits would hope to live, maybe, because if properly put on, the suit is designed to keep one at the surface, but the horrible truth is, in the eye-wall of such a powerful storm at sea, there is no definite point where the sea becomes the air, not with that kind of wind, those waves, the rain, and all that power. Each breath one must take to live, does not contain the air one needs to breath, but an emulsion of water, salt, and surf, and it will forcibly fill your lungs and drown you nearly as quickly as if you had sank 50 fathoms down into the sea.
Congratulations! Your novel has been chosen by my book of the month club as our _Disaster Fan Fiction_ selection for April. We believe it takes a real fan of avoidable yet inescapable death to so vividly imagine the horrors no one has survived to describe themselves. Your work so meticulously describes, in rich and lugubrious prose, the grim details to the point where it is absolutely certain that you've died these deaths a thousand times. Again, congratulations on your selection. We'd send you a nice certificate to commemorate the event, but no.
A very good description How lonely and frightening it must have been Only hope the crawl sea took them quickly They had so many chances to change course 🥲
Pretty sure the caption taking his ship into the eye of a strong hurricane was more the factor on why the El Fargo went down, everything else just made sure that it was inevitable
the ship would have been completely fine going the course it was going if THE CREW properly secured the cars and if THE CREW properly closed the scuttle. there would have been no serious flooding if THE CREW had done these 2 simple things.... if the flooding didnt happen, the listing would have been very manageable and the engine would have been completely fine, they all would have survived the storm. it is obvious that the captain made a huge mistake but that doesnt change the fact that the crews simple mistakes sank the ship.
@gasad01374 if the damn ship wasn't there they would have been fine, with the condition of the ship it was only a mater of time, easy to blame the crew when they are all dead right?
I'm interested in people's thoughts on whether this tragedy would have occurred even if the El Faro had taken the safer route through the Old Bahama Channel? The reason I ask is because I suspect the 'safer route' would still have been a rough ride and the chain may still have failed, leading to flooding in rough weather and ultimately the ship going down. I feel this Captain was capable of sinking a ship in a desert with his cavalier attitude but I can't help but contemplate if the outcome would have been the same even through the Old Bahama Channel. Your thoughts?
No mention that this was the captain's last voyage and that he wanted to get a record time to burnish his record. Hoping this would secure him a new job. He took a stupid risk for personal benefit. So much for his "safety first" attitude. You also downplay the objections from the crew who knew this was insane and likely to kill them. Why are you trying to rewrite history to exonerate him ? Was he your uncle?
In the Beginning when you were describing the captain you used words like a Careful well planned Captain . Well from how you are describing how this all unfolded it sounds like the captain has fallen down on his job completely and no longer anything like the captain you first described .
When in the USN on an AOR (USS Milwaukee, AOR-2) that was sitting high and dry, we had the CO ignore all warnings and ended up in a cat 3 all by ourselves as we had detached from the carrier group we were part of so we could refuel and resupply and then return to the group. We had forktrucks break loose and go through bulkheads and even lost one that was on the main deck when we rolled in excess of what, on paper, we should have never recovered from. Fun times. In my 10 years, that wasn't my only CO who made extremely poor decisions. The USN seemed full of COs that had no business being COs.
As an old airline captain,frequently flying the Caribbean,I would simply suggest:always listen to your junior officers.They are not impeded by experience and tend to be more cautious.And when more than one of your junior officers suggests a cautious change of course...follow their advice.What a huge tragedy that could have been adverted...with a south passage course.May they all rest in peace and God protect all men and women who adventure into sea and air...
I was thinking about CRM issues here. Not a pilot or captain, but I wonder if the age/experience difference had something to do with it. I can't help but think that had they followed Ms Randolph's course change things might have been different. Also "they are not impeded by experience" That phrase is a keeper
@@asbestosfiberI like how some shade of CRM rubbed on even on driving school. Until early 2000s, the teaching and driving discipline was "do not distract the driver", they are the master of the wheel and they know better
New driving school directives now put a licensed driver riding shotgun actually responsible for situational awareness and work with the driver in a tactful manner.
With due respect,an airplane is NOT comparable to a Big Ship.You Dont understand the concept of a ships function and how a plane differs vastly.This ship was on a passage that was heading for trouble.Time and time again suggestions were to change course this was met by the captain with complete distance and sheer incompetence.The following events were all a direct result of this IGNORANT,SELF INDULGED AND STUBBORN CAPTAIN.The sinking was due to flooding and loss of propulsion stemming from the wrong descision to sail.Please don’t compare flying a plane to safely navigating a ship,the difference is HUGE.If you had attempted to walk in on the Investigation with your comments,you would have been escorted out and told to MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND STICK TO FLYING PLANES.
@@Andy-x3e4z. Tell that to the victims of the Tenerife 747 disaster and the junior officers under the KLM pilot. That’s just one case…how about First Air 6560, Korean Air 8509, Birgenair 301, Northwest Airlink 5719??
@@mattskustomkreations I wouldn’t dream of such arrogant interference and commenting on something I know absolutely NOTHING ABOUT.I SUGGEST YOU DO THE SAME WHEN IT COMES TO SEAFARING.
Video is quite kind to the captain/company overall. I did like that you kept flashing the pictures of the various crewmen as they were acting in the story, it really helped both humanize the crew and keep track of who is who.
Thanks, that's helpful feedback
Well said
You know it’s not going to end well for them when the pictures used look like funeral bookmarks.
@@waterlinestories I will say your reporting was not only accurate, but it was tastefully told! Just enough of the technical information to explain to a lay person so that they can understand! So, as sad as this was will say you did a thorough and articulate job here and you’ve gained a follower in me! And I look forward to watching more! Keep up the good work!!
@LauraleyB Thanks, I really appreciate that
I would say that the captain killed 33 sailors, not the chain.
No!!! The inanimate chain did it! Gosh
33 likes... Ominous
ban all chains lol
Operators neglect captain
The “calm” and “quiet” chain was under extreme stress😢
The hurricane bearing down, he knew it was either him or them.
Blacking out, he was then awoke with a loud “Crack” followed by searing pain…
Examining his body…to his horror…he was snapped in half below the waist😮
He couldn’t find his mates either…
Seeking relief from the pain…
He threw himself into the sea to a certain depth
In chain heaven, he’s still peering down at the horror of being “blamed”😅
As a former US Merchant Marine Engineering officer, I believe this was entirely preventable if the Captain would have exercised proper judgement. When you recognize you have uncontrollable flooding, you MUST prepare an escape plan while you attempt to locate and stop the flooding. Time is your enemy. As soon as the flooding reaches a certain point, or it becomes evident that it is uncontrollable, everyone should have their survival suits on or at the ready, and rafts ready for deployment. Waiting until the list was that severe was a huge mistake.
At 05:43 he got the first report of flooding. At 05:53 they (rightly or wrongly) determined it was the scuttle. They were reporting very little flooding. 06:05 the Captain orders Chief Mate back down there to monitor the water levels. Around 06:15 they lose the plant and then 06:18 there's a report of additional flooding.
At that point, sounding the alarm for everyone and getting them in position to assist or evacuate seems prudent.
At 06:31 the Captain says, "I just want everyone up." But seems clear, he should have sounded an alarm. At 06:49, the second mate is still making coffee, they clearly aren't extremely worried. At 06:55 the Captain says on the phone: "[...]umm there's no need to ring the general alarm yet[...]"
He's clearly wrong here. This is absolutely the wrong call. The ship only has about 40 minutes before it founders.
Two things, thought. The Captain knew they only had open top lifeboat and it'd be difficult for it to survive this storm (with or without it). Maybe this played into his thinking on the alarm?
Second, the Coast Guard dispatched their chopper to the wrong location anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered.
The second mate Danielle was the one who had prepared for them to abandon ship because the captain wasn’t doing it. She prepared the mayday messages before 6:30am (because she had to wait for the captain to give the approval) and made sure people had their survival suits. Hell even the captain was asking her for emergency numbers right before the ship went down. This is all in Brick Immortar’s video on the El Faro as well as the transcripts of the bridge recordings from the investigation on the sinking. Can’t help but think if she had been in charge this would not have happened.
The Second mate 'had his shit together'
I mean who else would make coffee knowing that everyone was about to drown ?
@ripwednesdayadams
WOW! Hey! Thanks! I know, fella, that Captains ore ships in the Great Lakes! I had lived in Neah bay in Washington st. It's right at the tip of the Olympic peninsula at the northwest corner of continental US! Cape Flattery has a base that watches the straits of Juan De Fuca! Known for the largest Octopi on the planet! Oh and the coast in both directions! And the straits flowed into the Puget Sound! It's a whole bunch of Islands and Victoria Island is also where find the city of Vancouver! WOW! WHAT A FANTASTIC PLACE! OMG! I just remembered where the uppercase button is! Heh! Maybe an Old dog can learn a new trick! Hey! This Internet things really catching on!
@@kevwills858harsh! So she knew what was going to happen next and decided going down with her grog! Damn fine sailor under appreciated for damn sure!
Company management also encouraged this. They fired officers if they navigated around obstacles wasting time and decreasing profits instead of taking straight line between pick-up and drop-off thus maximizing profits. Captain was their creature.
Of course, insurance companies will pay for the ship and cargo so the companies don’t care.
@@Morpheus187I don't think any company insured, wants dead people, on their list of losses. Then you're talking millions with no recovery. Unlike merch. But you're right too.
@@Morpheus187they quit.doing that on the great lakes not sure about the Ocean
@@dknowles60 The US Coast guard requires insurance for all vessels. It’s part of the inspection process that they do each year.
@@Morpheus187 I knew that, what i hope to say After the Edmond Fitz Sank the insurance companys on the great lake made a new rule, if the weather is bad your ship had better be in a safe harbor
My neighbor, Sylvester Crawford, was on this ship. I can still see the grief on the faces of his wife and two young sons.
That's horrible.
Thanks for bringing it back into perspective.
So terribly sorry. May God bless him and his loved ones. 🙏
Sylvester was a good friend of mine we called him "worm" im a fellow sailor and remember seeing him at the union hall months before he got that job on the faro. Wish continued healing for his family
@Blkceasar212 I'm glad you wrote so nicely of Sylvester. He was a great neighbor and a good friend. The whole neighborhood was devastated when we heard the news.
It’s funny how it always seems to be a seasoned captain that makes a bad call. Something about the confidence of their already existent longevity that makes them more likely to take a chance like that. Whereas a rookie captain who isn’t sure of himself would apply more caution.
It’s called survivors bias, it’s a real psychological phenomenon.
It's a game of hot potato who'll get blamed when it's usually a few things all coming to a head
plenty of rookie captains make mistakes, but, they are usually responsible for smaller ships or large boats... therefore, the impact/news-potential is far less.
Sometimes, experience can lead to complacency.
I’m a long time shooting competitor and concealed carry guy and I say the same about a lot of gun owners. It’s the “I’ve been around guns my whole life” people that seem the most careless with a misplaced sense of confidence
Very well presented.
RIP crew of the El Farro.
👌🏻
I’m a lifelong Winthrop, Massachusetts resident. A small town with public high school that graduates around 120 kids each year. Worked for the town public works when I was in my early twenties. Used to get high school kids to help cut grass and stuff in summer. Keith Griffin worked for a time with us and he was very mature and helpful. He would make sure other kids pitched in and worked. I appreciated his leadership then and I hope he rests in peace.
"Captain, the ship's hull broke in half! We are sinking!"
Capt. Davidson: "'Tis but a scratch."
keep rowing "whip lashing"
tis but a flesh wound!
Captian yells....Hahaha hulls are OVERRATED ANYWAYS!
Captain was surely on a bender, no other reason to be so lax and not present.
Arrrrrrrh, we had worse when i was a lad arrrrrrrh
Ah yes, the chain of command.
It's always prone to fail.
🤣
THE BEST! THE BEST! And...it's funny because it's true... :-/
lmao
Brilliant
Chains of Command are only as good as the weakest link. The captains job is oversight and decision-making. Seems to have failed at both.
Thanks for posting this. As a Navy veteran living in Florida I cannot understand this Captain not knowing more about the source of his weather data. May the Lord Bless these 33 Souls.
This is an excellent question. If I recall correctly BVS took the NHC weather data, then made it real pretty and their predictions were good so over years of relying on the BVS reports, crew easily could have come to rely on them as authoritative. Further, the predictions didn't indicate they were based on old data and there was no indication on the reports of the long lag. So it's easy to imagine there was a loss of awareness.
If Joaquin hadn't taken changed direction right during the worst of the lag, they probably would have been fine.
I was the radio officer on a ship that got caught up in a Typhoon en route between Japan and Taiwan in the early '80s. We'd received notification that Keelung, the port we were heading for was closed so the old man decided to cut the engine and let the storm bisect our path .. Then the storm path changed and the old man decided to try and out run it and next thing all hell broke loose, the weather was brutal. I was typing up storm updates every hour alternately from Tokyo and Hong Kong around the clock for nearly 3 days, plus I was broadcasting our weather OBS messages between bulletins and some other ships in the area started doing that too, so I was typing those up for the bridge too and that was about all I could do, there was no automated service back then, it was all morse code. This was an old general cargo ship so there was always a risk of cargo shifting, but fortunately we didn't suffer any such issues or any mechanical issues either. For my part I didn't think too much about it, just concentrated on my bit and hoped everybody else was doing their bit ..
We got caught in a typhoon on Coral Sea on Yankee station in 72-73, the seas rocked our carrier pretty bad, our escorts got pounded but we all got through it okay, but very scary for me...
Once in a Lifetime makes evrryonr Appreciate Life and Others
Our Mother Earth is very un-forgiving when stupiduty defies her ❤
That's a hell of a predicament! Glad you made it in one piece.
“Sleeping like a baby” … no truer words spoken - figuratively and literally, he (capt) was SLEEP.
My buddy is a merchant marine weld inspector.
He knew the El Faro & the captain.
He said the ship was a rust bucket and not surprised she failed in a big storm.
The crazy captain did that. Regardless of the company order when you are in charge, you must do what is necessary for the safety of the crew,first.
Crews have responsibilities so each man makes his own decisions. No eeoc at sea. Dismissed
Renamed the ship, red flag right there. Gotta respect the boat first
But the company didn't say "go into the hurricane!". He is 100% to blame: a lousy 160 miles detour would have saved all this tragedy. And wasn't for the lack of warning.
I'm amazed that a ship formerly operating in Alaskan waters didn't have closed free-fall lifeboats.
Seems the US Merchant Marine is about the last country to have those. Wasnt that long ago that virtually all us lifeboats were still painted white too.
It was probably refit so that the Arctic Sea gear could be reallocated to another cold weather ship in the fleet, or sold to another company doing cold weather routes. It’s amazing what these companies will do to maximize profits.
@@quindariusgooch-hc4gnthe average human cadaver is worth $9+ in reclaimable chemicals and minerals!
@@glennrishton5679I have an old British lifeboat hull from 1961 it was bright yellow even then, and that colour was moulded into it!.
Free fall lifeboats are of no use in a hurricane with the Ship going bow down,
Having read El Faro's VDR, the captain's mind must have been stuck in Alaska and the crew didn't want to try snapping him out of it. There are conversations where the crew talk about how nuts it is they aren't trying to avoid the storm. They knew he was making decisions based on older data which conflicted with real-time NWS warnings, but they just talked about how unworried he seemed to be.
Will always wonder what could have happened if someone answered his "just a normal day in Alaska" with: "No, this is actually a *f-ing hurricane in the Bahamas* we are heading straight toward."
So frustrating - he had SO MANY CHANCES to listen to what people were telling him, and route change suggestions and so on -- so many chances to save all those lives. So frustrating.
He wouldn’t have listened. He was too deep into his denial. A mutiny would have saved lives and ended careers. Tragic.
Had they all emphatically exclaimed this to him those words, just maybe they all would be alive. But from observing that the crew were more than 95 percent black, they just by nature submitted to an ass hole Captain's dumb ass decision making attitude. And it cost them their precious lives. Yeah I remember this disaster, I was living in Jacksonville Florida at the time. So very sad and we all should be pissed at such a foolish man that happened to be a Captain leading his doomed crew members.
Yep, it sounds to me like he considered any seas outside of Alaska to be a cakewalk. “There’s no way a piddly Caribbean storm can scare an Alaska sailor.” was his logic.
looks like aviation's CRM still hasn't reached the seas... 😑
I check the weather several times a day. I check the weather more than a captain sailing into a hurricane.
Was thinking the same thing. As a Floridian, when there is a hurricane with a cone anywhere near my location, I view every update from the NHC. Hard to believe this captain was so unconcerned and unaware about the storm.
I think that this is the first time I have come across the story of the El Faro; thank you very much for your coverage of this tragic loss of 33 souls. I am appalled at the close similarities between this and the loss of the coaster Union Star and lifeboat Solomon Browne on 19 December 1981 with all hands. 15 persons died that night. The four crew of the coaster, the second wife of the Captain and her two daughters, and the 8 valiant crew of the Solomon Browne from Mousehole in Cornwall!
It’s allso wery similar to the loss of sailing ship Fantome (Duke of westminster) in hurricane ”Mitch”.
During the late 1980s, the USS Charleston hit a tropical storm in that area, not even a hurricane. We had a forklift that was dogged down to the deck, just not quite tight enough. It destroyed the machine shop, several crew were injured trying to stop the forklift. There was also equipment we though solidly bolted down that broke free. It was a mess. Hitting a storm like this is no joke and not sure how the Charleston would have fared in this storm.
The captain and management were at fault here, not a chain.
only the captain, they several times advised changing heading and he ignored it!
@@moffepolle It was my friend , Danielle Randolph, the 2nd mate, who kept trying to get him to change course. She told me he was an ass right before this trip, we had all gone out for the night in Rockland, Maine. She said he never listened to anyone. My way or the highway type . His way got them all killed....
@@woodnbikes I know how heartbreaking this is and I know it’s nearly 10 years, but I can tell that you still grieve very deeply for your friend so for that I offer my deepest condolences! I hope that one day you find some healing!
Not the Captain. The chain (if there was one as stated( each vehicle is made fast to indevidual hold-fast slots in the deck.
@@bazra19 dude if he had listend to the crew to change heading the chain would not have broken.
His Second Mate and Third Mate were very concerned and yet the Captain wouldn't listen. On a plane, a first officer can now challenge a Captain, well at sea there is no such thing as team management.
What did he have to lose to turn his course south ? Time and money vs Safety and pride.
Actually officers on ships 500 ton and above are required to have a 5 day bridge resource management training
Very similar to airline pilots
I believe the airline pilots have 3 day renewal assessments yearly, at least the ones in the UK do.@@robertschutt5328
He re-checked the data.
Captain Ahole.
It's called CRM.
I worked for a car manufacturing company in Europe for many years. One of my jobs was inspecting the condition of cars after the ship had crossed the Atlantic and arrived in the US/Canada ports and occasionally, I had to board a ship to inspect items. Every "RO/RO"* ship that I ever saw had tie-down structures built into the decks arranged into a grid. These were about the size of a large soup plate and were recessed into the deck. There was a curved steel bar inside of each, these bars were approx 1" in diameter and curved upwards so that the bar was near the deck level and easily accessible to the heavy steel tie-down turnbuckles. As many a three cars might be attached to these securing points but every car was secured by at least two points and often by three.
I have NEVER seen any shipment where the cars are held down by a long chain. The manufacturing company I worked for contracted with a few different shipping companies so there were small variations in equipment and layout but none ever used chains like the chains in this video. The "old hands" could tell you stories about cars that became partially disengaged and were slammed into nearby cars by the rolling of the sea but every practical means was taken to prevent this.
Cars coming loose was considered very dangerous in that completely disconnected cars could slide all the way across an open area and smash into the ship's hull, possibly rupturing it. The ships constantly monitored weather and might delay a sailing or re-route to a different sea lane to assure the most gentle crossing possible. NO AMOUNT of course change needed to be safe was considered too much. We were constantly given ETA's for ships by radio and internet communication and some ships arrived later than planned when they sailed but that was just considered a part of the process.
(None of our ships carried containers in addition to their car loads.)
(RO/RO is "roll on/roll off". Cars are driven off the dock up a ramp then moved to allocated parts of the ship by internal up/down driveways somewhat like normal multi-level car parking structures on land. When the cars reach their area, they're secured in place. Upon arrival at destination, the securing hardware is released and the cars are driven up or down the internal ramps , then down the external ramp to the shore dock and then driven to the a remote storage area.)
That poor chain took the blame for the captain's decision
Chain of command. (That comment is on top)
The problem with storms is not only they greatly increase the odds of something bad happening, they also make it impossible to get outside help. With a captain that seamed like he couldnt care less.
Wonder if he - the captain - was on some sort of drug , wether prescribed or not . If he was under the influence , he should have stood down before sailing .
learn spelling..it's free
@@davidarundel6187 ost likely under the influence of his own hubris and cognitive rigidity. 😑
As horrifying today as it was back in 2015.
Marked and saved to watch later. This one makes me furious and sick to my stomach, as a former merchant marine engineer. What makes it even more personal is how it affected my Mom. I'd been back ashore for years. But Mom saw that one of the photos of a female officer strongly resembled my similar graduation photo from my academy. She called me to confirm that I was safe, that I didn't personally know any of the crew, and that I wasn't going back to sea. It was the embodiment of all of her worst fears when I had been working at sea.
I worked with a 3A'E before I think 2009 or 2010 named Elizabeth. I think the ship was Sealand Racer
@@JeffOnboard My various jobs were Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, and Sea of Okhotsk. I came ashore '97. So, it probably wasn't me.
The presentation of your stories is very good. They flow well, and are easy to follow from beginning to end. Lots of info, and good video make these enjoyable even with the tragedies that are told.
Thanks I appreciate that
Saying the chain killed them is like saying burning gunpowder killed a gunshot victim.
The burning of the gunpowder ,,all about perception
Absolutely
Well it's not as click baity as water killed these 33 sailor's.
@@MeloFever I dunno, I kinda feel like it's way more clickbaity than that
I mean, Powder would get the job done just fine-
And there's plenty of evidence to that being the case for people who were not meant to bite the proverbial bullet, (blanks or otherwise, for lack of a better description. . .) However, if you can handle another pun, and I am speaking from personal experience when I say, It's just not normally coming in Unleaded.
But, I guess that I could also point out that 'nearly fatal' doesn't make me much of a victim either when its laid on the grand scale, really.
All things considered . . . ☠️
That was really upsetting, why risk all those lives, so nonchalant was the Captain's attititude to a tropical low. Getting out of date reports. This was so easily avoided I think is the reason this is so upsetting. How frightening for the crew, I can't even contemplate trying to survive in seas like that.
RIP to the brave crew of The El Faro. Condolences to the families❤
The shipping company should be in constant contact in a storm like that. They should have current news and directions and relay them to the ship and everybody should be involved.
The employer didn't subscribe to the most reliable storm warning, and didn't instruct their staff in the appropriate resources to inform their actions ... and the captain gets the blame
Agree. Most of the comments here are putting complete blame on the dead captain. It’s easy to blame him because he’s a visible face but all of the nameless rich owners who were dry at home with no concern for the ships crew get a free pass. There was clearly a lack of training/health and safety culture from the company too.
Honestly reminds me a lot of the Malaysian airways pilot who decided he wanted to go out in a big way
You gotta wonder had this ship captain decided to suicide...it is very hard to ignore that many warnings
@@michaelo2522 congrats on the worst possible take. Here is your medal. Now go look at it and reflect on how dimwitted it is to say the captain committed suicide.
True, but if you have out of date systems that cant give one accurate info then what?
In a situation like this you really have to wonder who cut the corner of having not enough lube oil on board to supply the main engine. How many barrels of oil would it have taken to bring the sump up to the full mark? When we were setting up for harsh weather we would go around and top up all of the sumps as part of the preparations. We also had extra barrels on board stored in case we had a leak that caused a loss of oil in the main system. I have seen what happens to ships that go "Cheap" on a critical supply and this could be a test case for that. Even if it is really rough we had barrel pumps and hoses that could transfer the oil from the barrels storage area to the main sump supply without moving the lashed down barrels. In a storm that is critical to plan ahead as each barrel weighs over 500 pounds and it can not be handled safely when the deck is moving like that. In addition to the main sump there is usually a day tank with about 4 barrels in it to supply normal losses of oil in the daily operations. That is a good design to have a day tank available for that purpose.
not to mention the pressure of adding 160 miles to the route at x$$$$ per mile
@@guachingman It's actually quite explicitly mentioned in the accident report that the company repeatedly had no issues with Davidson taking longer route to avoid weather, even far less severe as a matter of caution, they completely left it to his discretion.
Great thought on adding oil to the sump. They can easily remove it to the sludge tank when needed. The fire main doomed the ship. The chain and floating cars made it to dangerous to go below. There are in-line section valves on the main as well. Sad story 9 years ago. I watched the midnight Sun in Tacoma while I was growing up. She was beautiful, sleek and fast looking compared to other container ships.
This is similar to some race cars. On high G corners, the engines oil will slush to one side, and starve the engine of lube oil. When that happens, the engine gets destroyed. One way to overcome this, is to just add more oil.
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your expertise!! Really appreciate, much clearer!!
Pretty good recap. Two critical details you probably should have added:
a. The BVS weather report wasn't just a report of current conditions -- it was a prediction. So the report's time stamp gave the impression that he was looking at current conditions but, in fact, it was _predicted_ conditions. No one seemed to realize this and the report was easily misread.
b. The Coast Guard screwed up the initial rescue response. They sent a helicopter shortly after it sank but they sent it to the wrong coordinates. Instead of sending the chopper to the EPIRB location, they sent it to what TOTE reported to them earlier. As far as I can tell, this mistake wasn't noticed during the search and rescue operation so they used the wrong origin point, leaving little chance of the crew being located.
Ever since I read William Langewiesche's spectacular reporting on this I have been waiting for you to cover it. Amazing job as always!
Thanks
Bad "cockpit resource management" where the captain's rank intimidates his subordinates and he dismisses their concerns. The captain reminds me of the CEO of Ocean Gate and the ill-fated Titan crush-mersible: with an ego that got people killed.
OH, WOW. Exactly. Tyvm!!
"Crush-mersible" !! Trying to be serious and you made me laugh!!!
I was thinking the exact same thing! And it's rather astonishing how, in photos, both men have that same "I'm smarter than all of you" stupid smirk on their puss. As soon as I saw the photo of this captain, I immediately judged him to be a major A-Hole.
Crew Resource Management is a better term.
@@doobybrother21 Bridge resource management or Bridge Team Management is the nautical version of CRM. Just as important on ship as it is in the air
Brickimmortar did a great piece in this.
Yeah, BI's the last word when it comes to El Faro documentaries. Waterline appears to have also omitted the extraordinarily ill-considered modification history of the vessel, from RORO to CONRO, with ever-decreasing freeboard, and unspeakably dodgy paperwork from aughts-era "regulatory" agencies.
Agree. Not taking anything away from this one on this great channel but BI’s El Faro is an absolute work of art
There’s also a very good episode of Well There’s Your Problem about it. But I agree, the brickimmortar piece is excellent and I’ve watched it about five times so far.
@@kailoveskitties good to know thanks. Ha I’ve watched it about 5 times too, one of the few long form pieces I’ll never tire of
Yes,I've seen it. It's really good. I'm a subscriber.
As a retired engineer that sailed on those Sunship RO RO ships, these ships were extremely tender and that captain should have turned around. RO RO ships have only trailers in the under deck cargo holds, which means there is no weight below to keep the ship from rolling in a storm. These ships are scary in a normal storm. Out of the 60 or so captains that I have sailed with, every one (except one) would have turned around. The captain that I know that would have continued sailing could not make a decision, he regularly called the office on every minor situation that developed. He should not have been a captain. Captain Davidson was afraid to turn around because he was concerned that he would not be transferred to a new ship. The El Faro had only a few years left on it's life, it was 40 years old. He killed everyone. The riding crew did leave a scuttle open on the main deck, causing water to fill the after cargo hold and make the list. The chief mate should have made a round around the deck to make sure that all of the water tight doors were secured, so that error condemned the ship. He is correct about the main engine oil sump pickup too, you loose the main engine or a generator in a storm and you are at the whim of nature.
I noticed that during the ship shots. They were placing all the weight on the top deck which will exacerbate the rolling of the ship. Obviously, this also depends on how large the ballast tanks are, and the cargo below the main deck, but even when the cargo area has vehicles, it's still mainly air and empty space.
Like most disasters, it is a series of events and conditions that lead to the catastrophic event. Take one out event, and you probably save the ship and the crew. Tragic loss of life. The use of photos aids in the storytelling.
Steven, the same as you, I was on that trade 30 plus years. Whenever leaving Jax or Elizabeth, if there was a threatening system to the south, the captain would head east for a day or go through the hole in the wall. Jackass Davidson wanted to arrive in SJ on schedule. Even the second mate who was green had it figured out. She emailed her mother telling her that she felt she would never see her again. What a horrible tragedy that was totally avoidable.
The captain surely would have known that detail about the oil sump... you'd think! It makes his decision to try to out-pace the storm all the more reckless.
Why wouldn't there be a pick up (Oil) in a position where it never is in danger of being out of oil?
Very very good Video. Animations, facts and the speaker gives a very detailed view. 😢 how can such an experienced captain make so many mistakes and act so recless😢
Hi, i stumbled upon waterline an hr ago and just watched the El Faro , you had me mesmerized by your dialect, precise narration and detail, also in sync with the picture's of the crew which highlighted the sadness & horror of this avoidable disaster. It's a sad storyline depicting a certain arrogant character ignoring advice from other's, old adage comes to mind..."pride comes before a crash " .
You have a new subscriber ! 😊
Thanks. Welcome aboard
Then chain was definitely a factor because it was supposed to have each car lashed to a single point on deck-but the captain going into a hurricane is what ultimately killed everyone
Yeah...all those "little oversights" were the tipping point that lost the engine though...but no doubt, the hurricane!!
There is million factors you cant control.
It all started with not knowing you are looking at old data and thinking you know where to go.
Then wait realizing that, untill 3 more big problems have emerged and not take action untill the ship is actually sinking.
The chain was just number 4 in the events that lead to the ship sinking.
Yep, the chain an extra oil, might have saved them all
Sounds like this captain is qualified to be the CEO of Boeing.
Ouch!! Razor-sharp!! Unfortunately...
It's unfortunate that in a great many cases people confuse loudness and arrogance for competency, when in fact often the complete opposite is true.
Or Ocean Gate
"Was qualified".
He failed his crew hugely, but he died too.
Or president of the USA. Lol.
Diesel mechanic here. Engineers center the oil pickup tube and put some baffles in that sump. Blows me away how poorly designed so many things are.
That hurricane blew away this ship, her cargo, its captain, and crew.
Was that she diesel or steam turbine?
Agree 100%. It's mind blowing to me that they would allow this type of sump design in a ship that will be actively rolling around in an ocean, sometimes to an extreme degree. An engine on an ocean going vessel needs either a centralized deep sump or dry sump system. It also blows my mind that knowing this, they didn't even keep the regular oil sump topped off.
@@BuceGar I had a small motorbike with a dry sump. Very useful when you are frequently on one side or the other.
Adcock baffling is a quick and easy to do.
When I lived in Baltimore in 2013 I used to crew on a racing sailboat owned by a retired weatherman. The marina was right next to the pier where El Faro was moored. Every Tuesday night we would sail past her on our way out to race. Over the span of a year the ship never left and I never saw anyone working on it, so I assumed it was just an old retired ship waiting to be scrapped. I was pretty shocked to hear she was later put back into service and sank in a hurricane.
What I don't understand in this video is this: at about 1:4 in the video the narrator says: and was powered by an Steam turbine engine, but at 22:26 it shows clkearly the crankshaft of a Diesel engine which doesn't make sense to me unless I missed something..
I cou;d only find information about some conversions adding a section to the hull and adding cranes, but nothing about an engine conversion.
,,, " There's an hurricane in front of us and we are going straight into it" ,,, said the Chief ,,, no comment
If my daughter sent me that email, I'd have demanded that the crew lock the captain in his cabin and change course NOW
RIGHT ON,--I'M WTH YOU,-AND I COULD CARE-LESS,--HOW HARD MY ASS GOT KICKED LATER,-SOME PEOPLE JUST WILL NOT LISTEN TO "REASON"-!!@@LindaYariger
October 1st 2015 at 07:39 am Rest in peace to the crew of the El faro.
Who the hell designs a ship engine oil sump takeup which is sensitive to pitching and rolling?
You couldn't make it up
@@ryand141 Yea someone designed it
same people hat think the Earth is flat
My god....even some race cars have sump pick-ups that swivel side to side...wth
I was thinking the same thing
I’ve seen this covered on 4 different channels but I am going to watch it a 5th time on yours because I love your channel!
Thanks, I really appreciate that
I was in Jacksonville with the harbor pilots taking us on tour of the ports when I saw the El Faro docked, I believe at Blount Island Terminal.. A storm was heading in that day and El Faro was sailing that night which I thought was dangerous. When I arrived home we experienced one of the worst storms, it was called the 1,000 year rain even. Later I heard that vessel had sunk enroute with no survivors. It was eerie knowing I had been one of the few to last see that vessel before sunk in the Atlantic. I had video and pics of it from the pilot boat as we passed. Remember thinking that doesn’t look too sea-worthy. God bless that crew and they experienced. 🙏
Kudos! on a job well done in narrating this unfortunate bit of history. It was well told in a very informative and concise way. You did a good job and based on the number of subscribers you currently have, you must be doing a great job! RIP to the poor souls who lost their lives in this tragedy. The lesson hear is sometimes one has to take a step back at some point or reconsider other peoples viewpoints when certain doubts or fears have been raised no matter the years of experience. Mistakes do happen, no matter the level of experience. Greed also had a part to play in one way or the other and that's why the most unsafe, fastest route was chosen.
Captain`s fault, he didn`t want to listen.
Your vote has been noted and registered.
Ultimately the final decision was the captain’s however those who have never been involved in moving freight and even people don’t understand the pressure that companies can put on their employees to save as much fuel and time as possible to increase profits. Some companies don’t mind telling their employees that if they don’t want to go there’s others waiting to do their jobs. I’m guessing that at the captain’s age he was looking to finish up his career without having to make waves with the company.
Rename a ship "bad luck to do so" add a ignoramus as a Capt. ? What could possibly go wrong??
I was a US Navy officer. It is always the Captains fault. I have made two Pacific crossings, sailed through two "typhoons", sailed the North Atlantic and one hurricane off the "VA Capes", and sailed the Caribbean from Cuba to Barbados. As a private sailboat captain I was the skipper of a 55 foot Sloop that carried tourists north and south through the Sir Francis Drake channel and to every island in both the British and US Virgin Islands. This Captain killed his crew and lost his vessel because he forgot that the sea is unforgiving and will kill you if you "look away" for one minute. He was overconfident and killed his crew because he wanted a profitable passage instead of a safe one.
The employer didn't subscribe to the most reliable storm warning, and didn't instruct their staff in the appropriate resources to inform their actions
But, sure, it's the captains fault
Michael Davidson caused the death 33 mariners and the loss of a ship There I said his name. RIP to the 33 mariners.
Thank you for the video.
Condolences to his family as well, if any. Best of all, by blaming him personally in a public place, you, too can be held responsible for soiling his good name and can be made to pay millions of dollars to the family in a libel case in court. There, you said his name by your own admission. Brilliant.
@@WilliamMurphy-uv9pm facts don't care about your feelings I stand for all the crew who perished and their families.
@@caffiend. The law cares about facts and you slandered someone in writing, no less. Has nothing to do with my feelings. I, of course, also feel for everyone who lost their lives in this incident and their families. I even feel sorry for you.
@@WilliamMurphy-uv9pmLibeled?
@@richardbartley5906 Beats me. I'm not a lawyer and do not play one on TV.
Had the same I was lucky. Going across Dover straits to st valery France found captain asleep drunk in warehouse alone had a go at him. Coming back there was a big storm warning all he wanted was to get back to the pub. Stormforce 12 heading in for 18 hours 1978 I think I was scared and excited at the same time. It was only a small Costa jumped ship when we got ashore and reported him.
Glad you made it back alive!
The captain is a classic example of the Peter Principle. The saying, " Rough waters are a truer test of leadership. In calm waters, every ship has a good captain" comes to mind.
I really enjoy the calm, informative presentation that doesn't make me feel stupid not having a nautical background. With that being said, the captain of El Faro had no right to risk his crew or ship racing a hurricane, period.
👌🏻
Firstly, your presentation is possibly the highest quality one on a subject I have followed for a long time. Simply standard setting, congratulations and thank you. Secondly it would be interesting to know if the captain was taking any ( prescription or OTC ) medication as his behavior appears out of character and he mentions sleeping like a baby. It’s not impossible this would be the route cause of the whole sad tragedy.
Thanks, I appreciate that.
Not to my knowledge. It's possible though
This was sickening to watch why was the captain so confident and unmoved by changes in weather was he overconfident or just on a suicide trip bloody madness 33 lives lost which surely should never have happened god rest there souls good video
It's almost like the captain did it on purpose....
seems misplaced idea of competence and overly confident.
Very bad combo.
The captain ignored mountains of data and warnings. Damn fool killed everyone.
The man did his best. He had a bad deal of luck.
The employer didn't subscribe to the most reliable storm warning, and didn't instruct their staff in the appropriate resources to inform their actions.
He didn't have a brain!
The shipping company also very badly maintained the El Faro, her sister ship was inspected after the El Faro sank and it was virtually condemned on the spot as there were numerous issues especially with the deck scuttles which is believed was the route on how the initial free flooding started on the El Faro.
You have a company that put profit over maintenance and who's main aim was to get the newer vessels into service and in the process they took their eyes off the most basic rule, maintaining what you have so it remains seaworthy in ALL conditions.
Probably did his own research.
I was on a cruise ship sailing from Fla to the Caribbean at this time. The Captain announced on the PA system that a storm was brewing. Instead of sailing directly to San Juan, He chose to hug the coast of Florida, then hugged the coast of Cuba, then Hispaniola. We arrived safely in San Juan a day late. That is when we found out the Faro was lost.
coast guard: WARNING WARNING YOU ARE IN EXTREME DANGER TAKE CAUTION
captain: eh, that's probably not for us, we're fine guys
🤣
As an ex Australian Navy Veteran R.I.P its always soo sad. The mighty ocean has claimed more brave soles who sail the beautiful but at times deadly seas.
Thats true and the waters here are littered with ships on the bottom, but at present day, there is no reason why this would happen. There is an abundance of weather information, a lot of which close to or in real time.
This 'captain' f'd up big time.
I was in the USAF. I was maintenance but flew often. I saw a lot of overconfidence in flight crew, and I was involved in several 'well that could have went bad fast' moments.
Its indeed overconfidence. And misplaced idea of competence.
Thats a sure deadly combo.
also
rhp rank has its privilege
like the last b52 to go down at that air show
iv seen the report
rip b52 you wouldn't have done that
This is the first time I have seen your channel. I am now following it.
This video production is excellent. Thank you so much.
Keep up the fabulous work.
Thanks, I really appreciate that. Welcome aboard
Captain! The bow of the ship is 20ft under water. Ah, nothing to worry about, full steam ahead.
I'm from Jacksonville. Whenever the coast guard is dispatched it always makes the news here. I remember when this story first aired, within a couple days or so (potentially sooner) tracking information about the ship's route and last known position were revealed. At the same time, maps of the hurricane's path at the same date and time were also available. IMMEDIATELY it was evident that this captain literally steered his ship directly into the storm because he didn't want to divert around the islands for safety (diverting would waste time and time equals money). It pissed me off. There were so much news coverage about the lost crew and grieving families. Every other ship diverted their paths and went around. Even the US Navy docked at Mayport frequently sends their ships away to safer water AWAY from hurricane force storms. The crew of the El Faro should have mutanied, as they knew full well their path was seriously life-threatening. It's not like the storm just sprang up on them. Nope. At sea, they had hours to change course and didn't. Such an ignorant waste that could have sensibly been avoided. What's even worse is that weather reports and the hurricane projections were available for several days before the ship even departed.
I have read two books about this and one small difference in their report and what was said here is that Davidson had the BVS system in his cabin and that was what he relied on despite it being a delayed report. The bridge crew were going by the more up to date NWS and NHC reports. Davidson ignored those.
I was on a sea going tug departing JAX the same day the El Faro Departed JAX We ran down the Florida coast to the Old Bahama Channel and had a good ride to San Juan. We were far slower so not as close to the storm. On our return trip from San Juan we took the direct route and went slowly through the debris field. That was a very emotional point.
How is this comment not starred, or even pinned?! It's a crucial addition to the video!
You would think a captain with 20+ years of experience would know how the weather reporting systems work... What an incredibly embarrassing, completely avoidable tragedy.
he got bored...
Another incredible and chilling story. Thanks for breaking it down so well!
👌🏻
I’m special. It won’t happen to me.
Fantastic reporting! As a Navy Quartermaster I really appreciate this. This captain reminds me of Hazelwood's attitude when he ran aground in Prince William Sound. He got 30 days community service for his crime.
Yep, miscarriage of justice
Very professionally made videos. Your fellow South African is impressed!
👍🏻 Thanks I appreciate that
The photo of the engine at 21:10 is a slow speed diesel engine .
The El Faro had steam turbines .
How much of the rest of the story was not quite factual?
@@WilliamMurphy-uv9pm often stolen pics
and lousy research
Congratulations on your 100k milestone 🎉. Love seeing this channel grow.
Thank you so much!!
I sailed in El Faro when it was named Northern Lights for a few months starting January 1995. Yes it had white uncovered lifeboats and a steam turbine engine. From this story I gather at some point in the future they got rid of the steam turbine engine and put a diesel one. It is very possible that the steam turbine would have not failed in part because it doesn´t develop anomalies when ship is listing. Who knows, because the underlying issue was water ingress from the fire main. We used to sail from Tacoma, WA to Anchorage Alaska, it was a shuttle service 3 days sailing north, discharge for 12 hours and 3 days back down to Tacoma. This is where I got proficient doing celestial navigation as a deck cadet.
I think Davidson was gunning for a promotion (that he'd already been denied for without his knowledge) and wanted to show management "I'll deliver cargo on time through a hurricane for you".
Actual "death or glory" moment
Those crazy BMW's always freak out during hurricane.
Dunno how much blame I'd put on the chain!
Firstly I'd blame the company for letting the rust bucket said atall, then I'd blame the Captain for sailing into a storm.
The Captain was operating on outdated information.
If he had accurate Information on the weather he most likely would have acted differently
. He was still cutting it pretty close. And he disregarded the more accurate weather info his officers had. Another video said Davidson had missed a promotion and was anxious to excel, so fast delivery may have been important to him...
@@LindaYariger. I think it maybe said that in Brick Immortar's video on this too. Yea, the Officer's seemed able to have up to date weather info & seemed fully aware of what they were heading into. By many accounts though the ship shouldn't have been at sea atall as it was in such a condition of disrepair.
@@jamesricker3997 I disagree. He was told of the most up-to-date information that came in on the emergency, alert systems, computer at least twice he chose to ignore it, and not listen to those with “less experience”
@@jamesricker3997 He, by choice used the BVS system because he preferred that, That system was in his cabin. The mates used the up to date NOAA, NHC, NWS information.
Hid decision making was based on what BVS said to the exclusion of the up to date information the mates tried to impress on him.
Brick Immortar also did a video on the El Faro, but its like an hour long too both WS and BI are now my most watched channels.
Between the two, you get a really comprehensive overview of this tragedy.
@@TheMonkeyNeuron yup hence why I watch both! never trust one source or video.
Lame!
Very sad. Their last words are so chilling. They knew they were about to die. Dear God. Bless their souls. I read up on this story as it really touched my soul, reading their final words. i also live in hurricane alley too. I know how dangerous they are. So sad to take a chance with a hurricane out there. And one person, the captain, determined whether they lived or died.
Just found this channel and I’m HOOKED! I’ve binge watched all videos apart from the diving incident ones as I just get through those without panicking. Looking forward to follow this channel going forward!
good god man this is the stuff of actual NIGHTMARES.
Great review. A terrible tragedy. A case of captains being forced to take huge risks to cut costs for the ship owners.
I imagine so. Thanks for watching
He wasn’t forced to take these risks, in fact on a previous journey some months prior he’d taken a slower route that provided coastal shelter due to weather. Totes leadership were happy with this decision even though it added time and cost to the journey. This is well covered in Brick Immortars documentary.
Even if not in this situation, I know you are right in general!!
That may be, but as captain, you are STILL responsible.
If that means you get fired, so be it. Better unemployed than dead and guilty of dragging 30+ people down with you.
How much was the captain's on-time bonus again? hmm nobody discussed that! Potentially there was incentive for him to cut the storm
The captain condemned his crew.
Well sure but have you considered the actions of the chain in question? Did you even watch the video?
That was great, kept me engrossed till the end. Your diction is fantastic and the minimal use of subtle music really made the difference. The Captain must have had a lot on his mind at home, it wasnt present on the ship.
Thanks 👍🏻😀
I cannot believe that Captain didn’t know about the delay in the weather data, nor anyone else in the entire ship!
Secondly, the holes of the Swiss cheese holes model lined up one after another
1. Improper securing method for cars in the cargo bay
2. Relying on delayed weather data
3. Not taking prevention measures seriously during a storm
4. Less engine oil in sump than recommended
5. Not adequate or proper life boats
Abandoning ship at sea, like this crew was forced to do that fateful morning, while in the eye wall of a cat-4 hurricane, would all but likely be , *an unsurvivable event* for ANYONE.
Just making it to where the lifeboats were supposed to be, with the ship turning over, and waves larger than the ship itself, crashing into it, and decks almost vertical, would have been impossible for most aboard. The open top lifeboats were more of an insult than a means to continue living, so those who did make it would’ve put all their hopes in the covered, inflatable rafts, but taking those down and deploying them, while being blasted by wind and rain of a ferocity very few will ever experience in their own lifetime on land, couldn’t have been possible. Anyone not trapped down in the ship, or crushed and killed at once as thousands of tons of equipment and cargo broke loose all around them, would go straight into the sea. Those not wearing survival suits would try to swim, only to be buried with merciful speed by the collapsing waves of a mountainous sea, being pushed down so fast and so far by the cold, dark water, that’d they’d not ever know which way was up when the blackness took them away forever. Those in survival suits would hope to live, maybe, because if properly put on, the suit is designed to keep one at the surface, but the horrible truth is, in the eye-wall of such a powerful storm at sea, there is no definite point where the sea becomes the air, not with that kind of wind, those waves, the rain, and all that power. Each breath one must take to live, does not contain the air one needs to breath, but an emulsion of water, salt, and surf, and it will forcibly fill your lungs and drown you nearly as quickly as if you had sank 50 fathoms down into the sea.
Congratulations! Your novel has been chosen by my book of the month club as our _Disaster Fan Fiction_ selection for April. We believe it takes a real fan of avoidable yet inescapable death to so vividly imagine the horrors no one has survived to describe themselves.
Your work so meticulously describes, in rich and lugubrious prose, the grim details to the point where it is absolutely certain that you've died these deaths a thousand times.
Again, congratulations on your selection. We'd send you a nice certificate to commemorate the event, but no.
@@skipdreadman8765 Haha. You know who likes my lugubrious prose the most of all? Your mother dearest of course. 👉👌👍
@skipdreadman8765 Yes, I agree. Reads like a mini novel right out of Moby Dick. Very good 👍 prose.
A very good description
How lonely and frightening it must have been
Only hope the crawl sea took them quickly
They had so many chances to change course 🥲
Pretty sure the caption taking his ship into the eye of a strong hurricane was more the factor on why the El Fargo went down, everything else just made sure that it was inevitable
The clickbait is strong with this one.
And I read it quickly as anchor chain so the story was more confusing to me.
Well, when the car chain popped, the cars started rolling around, they couldn't close that hatch, and the engine flooded....but yeah. Agree.
the ship would have been completely fine going the course it was going if THE CREW properly secured the cars and if THE CREW properly closed the scuttle. there would have been no serious flooding if THE CREW had done these 2 simple things.... if the flooding didnt happen, the listing would have been very manageable and the engine would have been completely fine, they all would have survived the storm. it is obvious that the captain made a huge mistake but that doesnt change the fact that the crews simple mistakes sank the ship.
@gasad01374 if the damn ship wasn't there they would have been fine, with the condition of the ship it was only a mater of time, easy to blame the crew when they are all dead right?
Excellent explanation of this tragedy. Thank you.
Thanks, I really appreciate that
I'm interested in people's thoughts on whether this tragedy would have occurred even if the El Faro had taken the safer route through the Old Bahama Channel?
The reason I ask is because
I suspect the 'safer route' would still have been a rough ride and the chain may still have failed, leading to flooding in rough weather and ultimately the ship going down.
I feel this Captain was capable of sinking a ship in a desert with his cavalier attitude but I can't help but contemplate if the outcome would have been the same even through the Old Bahama Channel.
Your thoughts?
No mention that this was the captain's last voyage and that he wanted to get a record time to burnish his record. Hoping this would secure him a new job. He took a stupid risk for personal benefit. So much for his "safety first" attitude. You also downplay the objections from the crew who knew this was insane and likely to kill them. Why are you trying to rewrite history to exonerate him ? Was he your uncle?
This story hits me like no other one. How to die because your leader is completely blinded by events is unconscionable.
The captain failed to do his duty of safety to the ship and crew and thus killed all 33 of his crew.
In the Beginning when you were describing the captain you used words like a Careful well planned Captain . Well from how you are describing how this all unfolded it sounds like the captain has fallen down on his job completely and no longer anything like the captain you first described .
No one tells me how to sink my ship - The Captain.
The arrogance of the captain killed them all...why didn't he just change course its not like he was paying for the fuel himself!
Evidently a problem with the chain of command
Perfect timing. Love the contents and narration.
Thanks, I really appreciate that
These are so nicely presented. So tragic.
That chain held everything together for as long as it could. But it was a thankless task and who wants to work under those conditions.
So true!@@waterlinestories
When in the USN on an AOR (USS Milwaukee, AOR-2) that was sitting high and dry, we had the CO ignore all warnings and ended up in a cat 3 all by ourselves as we had detached from the carrier group we were part of so we could refuel and resupply and then return to the group. We had forktrucks break loose and go through bulkheads and even lost one that was on the main deck when we rolled in excess of what, on paper, we should have never recovered from.
Fun times.
In my 10 years, that wasn't my only CO who made extremely poor decisions. The USN seemed full of COs that had no business being COs.
Cheeping out of the weather services? Madness. It must be such a small amount of the overall cost.