NTSB delays mission to retrieve sunken ship’s ‘black box’

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Federal officials have announced a one-month delay in the mission to retrieve the “black box” of a freighter that sank in the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Joaquin.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday in a statement that the launch has been postponed to the first week of August because resources needed for the mission aren’t yet available.

Officials previously had said NTSB, U.S. Coast Guard and Navy personnel would depart in early July from Little Creek, Virginia, to the site near the Bahamas where El Faro sank last October.

The freighter lost propulsion during the storm and sank in 15,000 feet of water between Jacksonville, Florida, and Puerto Rico. All 33 crew members died.

The recorder may hold audio that can shed light on its final moments.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that personnel will depart from Little Creek, Virginia, not Little Rock.