New Hearings to Probe For More Details of El Faro Sinking

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WJZ) -- We are learning more about one of the deadliest cargo shipwrecks in recent US history. A hearing Monday revealed the captain of El Faro knew about the storm brewing in his path and tried going under it.

Tracey Leong has the latest on this investigation.

This is the second round of hearings. Investigators are probing for answers and looking for evidence of negligence.

On El Faro's final voyage, Captain Michael Davidson was aiming to avoid the storm by shooting under it, taking a faster but less safe route. This plan was revealed at the second round of El Faro hearings.

"Anyone discussing preparing the ship or the consequences of Hurricane Joaquin?" one of the investigators asked.

The US Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation is trying to determine what went wrong, causing the ship to sink and killing 33 crew members.

Distressing calls from Captain Davidson went out right before El Faro went down near the Bahamas last October. Since the catastrophic accident, the ship's owner has updated weather tracking systems in all its fleet.

Baltimore County native Frank Hamm was one of the members on board. His relative says the updates should have happened long before this disaster at sea.

"Kind of scary that it has to be an accident of this magnitude that hasn't happened in decades that you have to pay attention to things you were doing all along," said Gordon Outlaw, Hamm's wife's uncle.

Following the hearings, the Coast Guard panel will prepare a report with recommendations to prevent another disaster at sea.

A third hearing is set to be scheduled in the near future.