The missing cargo ship El Faro almost assuredly sank while caught in Hurricane Joaquin, the Coast Guard reported. The vessel disappeared Oct. 1 in waters about 35 nautical miles northeast of Crooked Island, Bahamas – its last known location. The Coast Guard and Navy immediately began searching for survivors or traces of the ship, in an area greater than 160,000 nautical miles. On Oct. 4, Coast Guard aircrews spotted a “heavily damaged lifeboat” that likely came from El Faro, along with a partially submerged life raft, life jackets, cargo containers, and an oil sheen. The Coast Guard deployed three cutters – Northland, Resolute, and Charles Sexton – as well as an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and two HC-130 Hercules aircraft, to take part in the search for signs of the stricken vessel’s 33 crewmembers. The Navy deployed two P-8 Poseidon fixed-wing aircraft. Civilian assets also contributed to the search operation.