El Faro

Even a 790-ft. cargo ship is no match for a hurricane. The ship, El Faro, disappeared Oct. 1 on its way from Florida to Puerto Rico. Officials believe it was swallowed by Hurricane Joaquin, the Category 4 storm whose flooding wreaked havoc in South Carolina.

After rescuers found a field of debris and one unidentifiable body, Coast Guard Captain Mark Fedor said the focus would shift to finding survivors, not the boat. And he held out hope of rescuing some of the 33 crew members who had been on board, 28 from the U.S. and five from Poland. But at sunset on Oct. 7, the search was set to be suspended, with no survivors found. It remains unclear exactly why the 40-year-old ship failed to withstand the storm. The owner and U.S. regulators are investigating.

–SARAH BEGLEY