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The Hurricane That Swallowed a Cargo Ship (Classic)

September 19, 2026 · 48 min

Show notes

This week we are revisiting one of our favourite stories. In 2015, Hurricane Joaquin roared over the Bahamas and sank a cargo ship called the El Faro, drowning all 33 people onboard. It was a mystery how a modern US-flagged ship could sail into a hurricane until its black box was found. In this episode, Julian examines the black box transcript to discover a crew that ignored all their own instincts.


Transcript from the El Faro's black box is here.

The US Coast Guard's report is here.

And here is an article and a book that was hugely helpful in researching this case:

“The Clock Is Ticking”: Inside the Worst U.S. Maritime Disaster in Decades by William Langewiesche

Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro by Rachel Slade

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