Once again the U.S. Maritime Authorities seem to be finding reasons not to recover the VDR from the SS EL FARO which sank in a hurricane off the Bahamas with loss of all hands.
This week various media sources including U.S. Military websites stated that it will take "months to cover the VDR". One asks WHY ? Also some of the publications say that the VDR is attached to a deck girder to which the signal mast was also attached. NAUTICAL LOG described this in a previous Post. The photos shown to not appear to confirm that the VDR was still attached to that deck girder when found on the ocean floor. Confusion or a deliberate cover-up ?
All this is not encouraging because of the appalling condition of this U.S. flag vessel which if it had been a non-U.S. flagged vessel would have been condemned by the USCG under IMO Regulations.
The various actors involved in this deplorable affair give the impression of feeling they will be better off if the VDR is never recovered and the possibility of obtaining data of the ship's last moments never known.
Good Watch.
This week various media sources including U.S. Military websites stated that it will take "months to cover the VDR". One asks WHY ? Also some of the publications say that the VDR is attached to a deck girder to which the signal mast was also attached. NAUTICAL LOG described this in a previous Post. The photos shown to not appear to confirm that the VDR was still attached to that deck girder when found on the ocean floor. Confusion or a deliberate cover-up ?
All this is not encouraging because of the appalling condition of this U.S. flag vessel which if it had been a non-U.S. flagged vessel would have been condemned by the USCG under IMO Regulations.
The various actors involved in this deplorable affair give the impression of feeling they will be better off if the VDR is never recovered and the possibility of obtaining data of the ship's last moments never known.
Good Watch.
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