JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The captain of the freighter El Faro that sunk in a hurricane last year refused to take vacation the day before his ill-fated voyage because he wanted to use the time-off to be home for his 25th wedding anniversary.
Head of labor relations for Tote Services Inc., Mick Kondracki, said Wednesday he emailed Michael Davidson about using vacation time on the day before El Faro left port in Jacksonville.
Fighting through tears, he said Davidson, who was from Windham, Maine, was focused on using the time to be home for his anniversary.
The 790-foot-long El Faro sank Oct. 1 after losing propulsion while sailing from Jacksonville to San Juan, Puerto Rico. All 33 crew aboard died.
Kondracki's testimony came before a U.S. Coast Guard panel investigating whether misconduct or other problems led to the ship's sinking in 15,000 feet of water near the Bahamas.
