Shipwreck: How a Captain, Company, and Culture Sank the SS El Faro

Written & narrated by Maeve McGoran

Length

6h 21m

Rating

4.8 (900 ratings)

2015 saw the worst American maritime disaster in decades. The captain of the SS El Faro commanded his crew to sail straight into a hurricane. The ship sank and all 33 crew members died. The sinking raised troubling questions: Why did the captain choose to sail into the hurricane? Why did no one on board or on shore stop him? And why was such an old and heavily loaded ship even allowed on the water? The crew of the SS El Faro is gone, but their haunting final hours were preserved by the ship’s black box. In Shipwreck, we hear immersive reenactments from their last voyage and new revelations from investigators, crew members’ families, and mariners who sailed on previous voyages of the El Faro. The narrative investigation reveals how corporate greed, government indifference, and a culture of obedience led to the shocking outcome. The same forces that sank the El Faro are still at work today—not just in cargo shipping, but across the entire maritime industry, which carries millions of passengers every year. What happened to the El Faro wasn't just a tragedy. It was a warning we can't afford to ignore. Special thanks to the Fund for Investigative Journalism for helping fund this reporting.