JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Bob Russo runs a maritime license training company in Mayport.
His simulator puts future mariners at the virtual helm giving them a look at what El Faro's crew likely encountered during Hurricane Joaquin.
“This simulator basically putting us on the bridge of a ship like El Faro, giving us an idea of what those sailors may have been going through.
“We’re going to make the conditions a little worse,” Russo said. “The truth is this simulator won’t simulate a hurricane because no one envisioned sailing in a hurricane,” Russo said. “We just capsized.”
The National Transportation Safety Board said El Faro’s voyage data recorder is a Sperry Marine Voyage Master 2 model. Its purpose is to ping for 30 days so search crews can use special sonar equipment to try to hear it.
“At this point, the ship is capsized, and the VDR is activated at this point. Yes, it’s activated because it’s wet,” Russo said.
“Are we aware of any manual ping? Right now that’s part of our investigation,” Russo said.
Rod Sullivan, a sailor-turned-lawyer, says El Faro’s VDR would’ve sent a ping regardless.
“Whether it capsized or broke up the bridge would have been underwater and it would have been activated,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan says since El Faro is 40 years old, it’s only equipped with basic VDR; data such as the stress on the ship’s hull isn’t recorded.
“It will have very limited data GPS position, course speed and recording of bridge,” Sullivan said.
The NTSB says there are also these little beacons on board called epirbs. When the ship sinks, the epirb detaches and starts sending a signal.
“What could have happened -- this floated free, the boat rolled over, trapped it and sank,” Sullivan said.
Crews suspended the search for El Faro survivors at sunset Wednesday night.