Ten years after the container ship El Faro sank in 40-foot seas, Rockland will be memorializing crew members who perished in the tragedy.
A day of remembrance of El Faro will begin at noon Sept. 27 at 44 Atlantic Street, the site of The Lost at Sea Memorial, “El Faro Salute.”
The steel memorial was designed by artist Jay Sawyer, a Maine Maritime Academy graduate.
The statue, dedicated three years ago, features two maritime officer uniforms in salute position to signify honor to the maritime community.
Included in the 33 lives lost were two Rockland crew members, second mate Danielle Randolph and third-assistant engineer Dylan Meklin.
Also lost were Capt. Michael Davidson of Windham and Michael Holland, third-assistant engineer from Jay.
The 791-foot El Faro encountered Hurricane Joaquin in the Bahamas as the cargo ship was bound from Jacksonville, Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The accident was the deadliest shipping disaster involving a U.S.-flagged vessel in more than 30 years.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation blamed the disaster on the captain’s decision to sail into the path of the strengthening hurricane despite available weather information.
The board also cited the ship’s aging condition and structural problems, as well as the ship’s open lifeboats.
