NTSB: Capt. of sunken ship intended to skirt storm by 65 miles
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Federal investigators say the captain of the doomed cargo ship that sank after being battered by a hurricane intended to pass 65 miles from the center of the storm, a decision maritime experts say was risky.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday said the captain, Michael Davidson, emailed a company safety official on Sept. 30 about his route.
The 790-foot El Faro left after the National Hurricane Center sent out an advisory that then-Tropical Storm Joaquin was predicted to become a hurricane.
The freighter eventually sunk, and all 33 crew members aboard were lost. A Navy team is currently searching for the wreckage.
F. John Nicoll, a retired captain who spent years piloting the run to Puerto Rico, says his rule of thumb was always to stay 300 miles away from a storm's center.