NTSB: El Faro's bridge and deck are missing

Voyage data recorder not located

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The National Transportation Safety Board announced Tuesday the sunken cargo ship El Faro did partially break up and the navigation bridge and deck below separated from the vessel.

The bridge and deck have not been located.

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The El Faro is in an upright position and the stern is buried in approximately 30 feet of sediment.

The U.S. Navy was contracted to locate the sunken ship, document the wreckage and debris field and recover the voyage data recorder.

The recorder has not been located as of Tuesday.

The Curve 21 remote operated vehicle (ROV) was used to confirm the vessel found was the El Faro. The ROV documented both the port and starboard sides of the vessel, the NTSB said Tuesday.

The Navy plans to redeploy the Orion side scan sonar system to generate a map of the debris field to locate the navigation bridge.

The 790-foot ship left port in Jacksonville heading for Puerto Rico but went down Oct. 1 near the Bahamas as Hurricane Joaquin tore through the area. The 33 crew members on board are presumed dead.