Research Vessel Returns to Cape Cod After Finding Data Recorder of El Faro

On board the Atlantis, team members are talking about their search for the voyage data recorder from the sunken ship the El Faro.

"Trying to scan several football fields worth of debris for something the size of a can of peas is a significant challenge," said Andy Bowen of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

Scientists and engineers from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution used a robot called the Sentry to locate the voyage data recorder in water 15,000 feet deep - a remote and hostile environment.

The El Faro sunk in October in a violent storm - all 33 on board were killed - it's hoped the voyage data recorder will help solve they mystery of what went wrong.

It could include all sorts of critical information, including the conversations of the crew in the final hours.

Finding the voyage data recorder is one thing, but retrieving it from the ocean has its own complications. It could take months.

The recorder is just one piece of the puzzle as the investigation unfolds. Hearings are scheduled to take place later this month to try and find more answers.

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