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  • January 2021 (Revised March 2022)
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Into the Raging Sea: Final Voyage of the SS El Faro

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Mel Martin
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
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Abstract

Captain Michael Davidson of the container ship SS El Faro was determined to make his planned shipping trip on time—but a hurricane was approaching his intended path. To succeed, Davidson and his fellow officers must plot a course to avoid the storm in the face of conflicting weather reports from multiple sources and differing opinions among the officers on what to do. Over the 36-hour voyage, tensions rise as the ships gets closer and closer to the storm. Compounding the challenge, the El Faro was an old ship about to be scrapped. Its owner, TOTE Marine, was in the process of selecting officers to crew its new ships. Davidson and some of his officers were worried that they would soon lose their jobs.

Keywords

Power Dynamics; Management; Leadership Style; Crisis Management; Failure; Groups and Teams; Rank and Position; Decision Choices and Conditions; Shipping Industry; United States

Citation

Fuller, Joseph B., and Mel Martin. "Into the Raging Sea: Final Voyage of the SS El Faro." Harvard Business School Case 321-014, January 2021. (Revised March 2022.)
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About The Author

Joseph B. Fuller

Entrepreneurial Management
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Related Work

    • March 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Into the Raging Sea: Final Voyage of the SS El Faro

    By: Joseph B. Fuller and Mel Martin
    • January 2021 (Revised March 2022)
    • Faculty Research

    Into the Raging Sea: Final Voyage of the SS El Faro

    By: Joseph B. Fuller and Mel Martin
Related Work
  • Into the Raging Sea: Final Voyage of the SS El Faro By: Joseph B. Fuller and Mel Martin
  • Into the Raging Sea: Final Voyage of the SS El Faro By: Joseph B. Fuller and Mel Martin
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