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 The team's mission is to document the shipwreck and any debris
field, and to retrieve the sunken vessel's voyage data recorder -
similar to an airplane's black box - as part of an investigation
into its loss, according to the National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB).
If human remains are encountered during the submersible operation
the Navy will attempt to recover them, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson
said.
It was the worst maritime accident involving a U.S.-flag vessel
since 1983.
The cargo ship's owner, Tote Inc., has been hit with four lawsuits
filed by relatives of the crew, alleging the ship was not seaworthy
and should have changed course to avoid Hurricane Joaquin.
Tote filed for protection in a federal court in Florida on Friday,
citing U.S. maritime law and saying the ship was "seaworthy and
properly manned" and that the company bears no responsibility for
its loss.
 As El Faro left port in Jacksonville, Florida, en route to Puerto
Rico, the captain set the ship on what appeared to be a collision
course with the powerful storm, a decision that has baffled shipping
experts.
The El Faro disappeared on Oct. 1 after the captain reported losing
propulsion and taking on water. The crew included 28 Americans and
five Poles.
It was unclear on Sunday what plans were in place to recover remains
of the crew. The wreck site is at a depth of nearly 3 miles beneath
the surface, far beyond the reach of divers, Knudson said.
A week-long search and rescue mission launched by the U.S. Coast
Guard after the ship went missing found only one body.
Some relatives of the crew complained that not enough was being done
to find their loved ones after the Coast Guard called off its
search.
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"We still don't have any closure. I feel it's not really any better
until they find some bodies," Schmiora Hill, 33, of Jacksonville,
said on Sunday. Hill is a cousin of Roosevelt Clark, a veteran
seaman who was aboard the El Faro.
The NTSB said in a statement on Saturday that wreckage consistent
with the missing 790-foot (241 meters) cargo ship was found using
sonar equipment, lying upright and intact on the sea floor.
The submersible, known as CURV-21, is equipped with a video camera
and could be launched as early as Sunday, the NTSB said.
The voyage data recorder attached to the aft of the ship's bridge is
designed to be removable by a remotely controlled device, according
to shipping experts. It preserves the last 12 hours of engine orders
and communications from the bridge and could provide vital clues as
to why the ship sank.
Tote has said the loss of propulsion likely resulted in the ship
sinking as it was unable to steer clear of high seas whipped up by
Joaquin.
(Additional reporting by Barbara Liston in Orlando; Editing by
Andrew Bolton and Andrew Hay)
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