Maine Maritime training crew pays tribute to El Faro victims

On Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, the crew of the Maine Maritime Academy training ship State of Maine held a ceremony at sea, in the area where the container ship El Faro sank last October during Hurricane Joaquin.

http://www.pressherald.com/media/gallery/maine-maritime-academy-honors-el-faro-crew/

The ceremony honored the five MMA alumni — Michael Davidson, Danielle Randolph, Mitchell Kuflik, Michael Holland, and Dylan Meklin — and 28 other El Faro crew members who died in the worst shipping industry disaster in recent history.

Berman & Simmons attorney Steven Silin represent the families of Randolph, 34, and Meklin, 23, from Rockland, Maine. Click here to read a summary of the current legal situation.

Randolph was second mate on El Faro, and was a role model for women in the male-dominated Merchant Marine. She graduated from Rockland District High School in 2000 and from Maine Maritime Academy in 2004. Randolph was remembered at a memorial service for her love of the sea, steadfast friendship, and hobbies including retro fashion, photography, Zumba, and cooking. She was a parishioner of the Advent Christian Church in Port Clyde, Maine.

El Faro’s planned cargo run from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico was Meklin’s first-ever trip as a professional mariner. A standout three-sport athlete, Meklin graduated from Rockland District High School in 2010 and Maine Maritime Academy in 2015. After an internship with Alion Science and Technology Corp., he took his first job as an assistant engineer with TOTE Maritime.