2020-04-01 Reader\'s Digest AUNZ

strength. He was a by-the-book

marinerwitha reputationforbeing

unusuallycompetentandorganised.

Bytrainingandtemperamenthewas

a safety-firstman.

Heswitchedtodry-cargoshipson

theEastCoast,andeventuallysigned

onwithashippingcompanycalled

TOTE.Hewasgivenaweeklyrun

fromJacksonville,Florida,toSanJuan,

PuertoRico,andElFaro, a 241-metre

US-flaggedcargoship,tocommand.

OnMonday,Septem-

ber28,2015,theloading

ofElFaro, whichmeans

‘thelighthouse’inSpan-

ish,startedinJackson-

villeat1pmandcon-

tinuedonTuesdayuntil

shortlyaftersundown.

Theweatherwasbalmy,

with lightwinds and

mostlyovercastskies.

FaroutintheAtlan-

tic,a tropicaldepression

hadbeenintensifying

and progressing towards

Thestorybeginswiththecaptain,
MichaelDavidson.Hegrewupin
Portland,Maine,andatage 16 gota
jobona localharbourferry.Hegrad-
uatedfromtheMaineMaritimeAcad-
emyin1988,thenbegansailingon
oiltankersbetweenAlaskaandWest
Coastports,risingtotherankofchief
mate.
TheGulfofAlaskaisnotoriously
rough,andDavidsonsailedthrough
countless storms, some of hurricane

READER’SDIGEST

InthedarknessbeforedawnonOctober1,

2015,anAmericanmerchantcaptainnamed

MichaelDavidson,53,saileda 241-metreUS-

flaggedcargoship,ElFaro, intotheeyewallofa

Category3 hurricaneneartheBahamaIslands.

Thehurricane,namedJoaquin,overwhelmed

andsanktheship.Davidsonandthe 32 others

aboarddrowned.ElFaroshouldhavebeen able

to avoid the hurricane. Why didn’t it?

CaptainMichaelDavidson(left)andseaman

Frank Hammstruggledtogetoffthe bridge

asEl Faro went down

PHOTOILLUSTRATION,

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PHOTOS THIS PAGE: (LEF T) COURTESY OF DAVIDSON FAMILY (RIGHT) COURTESY OF ROCHELLE HAMM

116 April 2020