JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two weeks of testimony in front of a U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board investigative panel into the sinking last October ended Friday. After questioning to 27 witnesses over the course of the 10 days hearings in Jacksonville, the Marine Safety Board will now wait for another NTSB search for the ship’s voyage data recorder before scheduling another round of hearings.
The hearings opened with a 33-second moment of silence -- one second for every person who died when El Faro sank north of the Bahamas on Oct. 1 during Hurricane Joanquin. Just before adjourning, those conducting the inquiry thanked the families and offered condolences.
Testimony covered everything from extremely technical to highly emotional testimony, even from Coast Guard personnel and management of TOTE Services, the owner of the El Faro.
Many of the victims' families attended every day.
"I anticipated nothing, so it’s all been a positive revelation for me," said Glenn Jackson, whose brother died when the ship went down.
"It’s been pretty difficult to hear some of the testimony, pretty trying," Robert Green said. "We’re thankful that the hearings are going on, that they are very in depth, that the Coast Guard and NTSB are asking the questions they are asking."
There were times throughout the hearings when sensitive topics were discussed, like a rescue swimmer finding an unrecognizable body in a survival suit, but leaving it to move to what they thought was another of the suits.
Families said they have some answers now that they didn’t two weeks ago.
"From the very beginning, we have all tried to wrap our minds around how it could have happened and what might have happened while it was occurring," Green said. "It helps to add some texture to maybe some possibilities. And it gives some comfort of knowing what may have happened."
The last day of testimony focused on surveys done on El Faro and more talk about Michael Davidson's role as captain.
Some of the family members say they feel some things were missing from this round.
"The fact that no former crew members who are not still TOTE employees have been subpoenaed for this session," Green said. "I understand that some may for the next one, but I think that would be crucial. Every former crew member that you have heard testimony from is still a TOTE employee."
"I think this whole issue has to have a human face. Certainly, the presence of the families during the hearings added a human side to this, which you have heard is a very technical, very tedious experience," Green said.
The Coast Guard says that these two weeks of hearings have gone a long way to helping them decide what recommendations should be made. The next round of hearings will further that.
The timing of those hearings will depend on whether or not the NTSB finds El Faro’s data recorder, but they are expect it to be sometime between May and July. The location has not been decided.