Family, friends, and the maritime community turned out Saturday to honor the 33 merchant mariners who perished 10 years ago when the cargo ship El Faro was lost at sea.
“On this beautiful fall day we are transported back to a tragic season of loss for this community that has forever changed us,” Rockland Mayor Penny York said. “To a time 10 years ago when the calm waters and skies of Penobscot Bay stood in stark contrast to the fury of Hurricane Joaquin raging over the Bahamas.”
She said the tragedy took two of the best and brightest of Rockland. She said memories of those lost will live on in our hearts forever.
The mayor also said the maritime community creates a bond across Maine.
Jay Sawyer, who created the steel sculpture, “El Faro Salute!” organized the memorial for the 33 crew members lost at sea when their ship, the SS El Faro, went down during Hurricane Joaquin on Oct. 1, 2015.
The crew included five Maine Maritime Academy graduates; four lived in Maine and two were Rockland residents — 34-year-old second mate Danielle Randolph and 23-year-old third assistant engineer Dylan Meklin.
Marissa Cap, the East Coast representative of American Maritime Officers, said the life of a merchant mariner is not an easy one. Cap said the loss of the El Faro forced the industry and regulators to take a hard look at safety and training.
“Changes have been made, lives have been protected, and while no reform can ever erase the grief of the families, the legacy of the El Faro is carried forward in every mariner,” Cap said.
Craig Johnson, the president of Maine Maritime Academy, spoke about the impact of the loss.
The ceremony included the reading of the names and solemnly ringing a bell for each of the 33 crew members, including two from Rockland.
Two original poems were written for the ceremony, one by Michael Robinson, the uncle of Dylan Meklin, and one by former Rockland Poet Laureate Carol Bachofner.
Frank Pusatere, the father of Richard Pusatere who was chief engineer aboard the El Faro, recalled the commitment his son had to his crewmates and the ship.
Dave Sulin said mariners are for the most part, realists, and face dangers and all the challenges that “mother nature can throw at us.” He said they always tell their families and friends that they will be fine and not to worry about them.
“I have no doubt in my mind that the 33 brave souls, who you are honoring today with your presence, felt exactly the same way and gave the same response to their loved ones when they went off on that journey,” Sulin said.
Lindsey Pinkham, a friend of Danielle Randolph, spoke about her friend and the important work that merchant mariners perform.
Pinkham said a common phrase she hears is people will say it is good that a storm is going out to sea, so as not to affect people. But, she noted, there are people out on the seas who are at risk.
“Merchant marines go unnoticed by so much of the population, and most have no idea what we do and the risks we take,” Pinkham said.
She said changes have been made but she hopes more will be done to protect mariners.
The 40-year-old cargo ship El Faro, owned by TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico and operated by TOTE Services Inc., was on a regular route from Jacksonville to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it foundered and sank in the Atlantic Ocean about 40 nautical miles northeast of Acklins and Crooked Island, Bahamas.
The ship had gone directly into the path of Hurricane Joaquin.
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the captain’s actions, use of non-current weather information and inadequate company safety management led to the tragedy.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.
