The USNS Apache has announced the discovery of a wreck located  in the vicinity of Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bahamas, near El Faro's last-known position. El Faro disappeared off the eastern Bahamas during Hurricane Joaquin.

el faro
Video still of the recovery efforts - watch the full video below.

The Apache was using Orion, a "side-scanning sonar system" and identified the wreck, which is consistent with the 790-foot cargo ship. The ship was identified as being in an upright position, located in 15,000 feet below the surface, and considered to be in one piece. The Navy salvage team was preparing to launch a remotely operated vehicle to confirm the identity of the ship, retrieve the ship's black box data recorder, and search for any remains.

"The ship will certainly not be recovered," says Peter Knudsen, NTSB spokesman. "The ship is going to stay there. The containers are too deep to do any kind of recovery mission." Knudsen did say, however, that if human remains were identified, an attempt to recover them would be made. 

Currently, investigators are waiting on the ROV's video footage to confirm the identity of the wreckage. Recovery operations are estimated to take up to 15 days. During the last communication with the crew, on October 1, 2015, El Faro's captain, Michael Davidson, said that the ship was taking on water, and was listing 15 degrees without propulsion. Onboard, 28 Americans and five Polish crewmembers lost their lives in a mysterious wreck.

A search for the ship and its crew was suspended after one week after finding only a floating debris field and one body in a survival suit, which was not recovered. "There may be a telltale sign like her back is broken or that she's split in half, and that caused a quick sinking," said Jim Staples, a ship captain and maritime consultant to the New York Times. That the ship is in an upright position is promising for the recovery effort.

The Navy is using CURV-21, a deep ocean roving vehicle that can be used in waters as deep as 20,000 feet. The Titanic was found in 12,500 feet of water. The El Faro sat for an extended time near Baltimore's Tidewater Marina.