Atlantis vessel returns to U.S. after locating El Faro data recorder

Jacksonville-based cargo ship sank in Caribbean Oct. 1 during hurricane

The research vessel Atlantis, which found the data recorder from the sunken cargo ship El Faro, returned to its home port in Woods Hole, Massachusetts on Thursday.

The ship carrying investigators with the National Transportation and Safety Board arrived back in the United States on Thursday morning after finding the data recorder under 15,000 feet of water during a second search last week.

Officials said they hope the recorder can answer questions about what happened to the ship before it sank  

The Jacksonville-based cargo ship sank near the Bahamas en route to Puerto Rico on Oct. 1, 2015, during Hurricane Joaquin. All 33 of the El Faro’s crew perished in the accident.