Shipwreck

How a Captain, Company, and Culture Sank the SS El Faro

By: Maeve McGoran

Narrated by: Maeve McGoran

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.

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

©2025 Sugar23 Podcast Group, LLC (P)2025 Audible Originals, LLC

WOW

Everything about this program was just so well done! I was completely intrigued and invested in this story.May all the crew rest in peace.

Uncharted Waters: The Brave Story Behind Shipwreck*

I rarely write nonfiction reviews, but Shipwreck: How a Captain, Company, and Culture Sank the SS El Faro by Maeve McGoran deeply moved me in a way I didn’t expect. As someone who has served in the Navy—and with a nephew in the Coast Guard—this book struck a chord. It’s more than a story of tragedy; it’s a searing portrait of human courage, flawed decisions, and systemic failings that led to loss on a tragic scale.

Maeve McGoran is brave, not just for what she investigates, but for how she carries it out—with compassion and rigor. She gives voice to the crew, to families, to the investigators—letting none of them be reduced to statistics. The way she weaves in the maritime industry’s culture, its pressures, and its vulnerabilities is both enlightening and deeply troubling.

Listening to the Audible version made it even more visceral. The narration, the re‐creations of last hours, the testimonies—it felt like history unfolding in real time. I don’t usually listen to nonfiction, but “Shipwreck” held me captive from beginning to end.

The families of the 33 crewmembers lost on El Faro showed an incredible strength in the face of overwhelming grief. They not only sought truth and accountability through wrongful-death lawsuits against TOTE Maritime, but also pressed for regulatory changes to prevent something like this from ever happening again. Rochelle Hamm, along with many others, became a powerful advocate for greater oversight of vessel safety, route decision-making, and emergency systems, including pushing for congressional attention and petitions like the Hamm Alert.  They memorialized their loved ones publicly—with lighthouses, monuments, renamed parks, ceremonies, and reading of names—not just to mourn, but to ensure the legacy of those lost becomes a force for change. 

This book isn’t just for people interested in ships or storms—it’s for anyone who cares about leadership, accountability, and humanity in crisis. I highly recommend it—and I hope more people read or listen to it. It deserves to be heard.

Shipwreck

I don't know anything about maritime subjects and I don't typically listen or read about it. I started listening to this on a whim. I am so glad I did, this was excellent!! Very well done and enjoyable.

Disturbing truth

Learned so much - the bravery of the crew and the mistakes they were required to make

At times, I teared up (and I’m not prone to tears).

This is a very entertaining podcast, filled with real life stories of the people affected by this tragedy.

Because the author had the NTSB transcripts from the bridge of the El Faro we can hear what the crew was saying and doing in the hours leading up to the sinking.

Because you know these crew members are all going to be lost in the sinking, their stories become very real.

Highly recommended storytelling.