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.

Produced by Audible and Sugar23

Reported and written by Maeve McGoran

Executive producers for Sugar23: Mike Mayer and Michael Sugar

Executive producers for Audible: Anna Stitt and Martha Little

Senior producers: Liam Billingham and Maeve McGoran

Producer: Joshua Lash

Editors: Caitlin Pierce and Ruxandra Guidi

Sound design and mix: Mischa Stanton

Featuring original music by Gary Gunn

Fact-checking: Joseph Frischmuth

Black Box reenactments performed by:

• Chopper Bernet
• Dan Sachoff
• David Perez Babich
• Erica Beck
• Jeff Priskorn
• John Eleby
• Joshua Lash
• Rick Zieff

Directed by: Mike Mayer

Head of creative development at Audible: Kate Navin

Chief content officer at Audible: Rachel Ghiazza

Special thanks to the Fund for Investigative Journalism for helping fund this reporting.