JACKSONVILLE, Fl. (NEWS CENTER) -- El Faro Captain Michael Davison of Windham, who died when the vessel went down east of the Bahamas last fall along with 32 others, was the focus of some questioning in Jacksonville, Florida.
Captain Kevin Stith worked alongside Davidson just weeks before his final journey and was questioned Tuesday.
Stith was first mate on the El Faro for about three weeks. Stith was on board the when the ship encountered rough weather from Tropical Storm Erika in August about a month before the El Faro’s final voyage.
Captain Davidson changed course to avoid the storm on that trip. Stith said the captain was very aware of weather situations and made sure his crew did not become complacent about rough weather. He said the captain relied heavily on the Bon Voyage Weather update system.
This is the same weather system heard about in the hearings last week which failed to update the track of Hurricane Joaquin. The system gave El Faro weather information that was at least 10 hours old.
Stith said he believed Davidson had full faith in the Bon Voyage System because it had been proven reliable over the years.
Stith said Captain Davidson led by example and had high standards. He said those standards resonated with the crew and helped keep them from getting complacent, something that has been heard throughout the hearings which can lead to trouble out at sea.