Jacksonville mourns crew of lost cargo ship El Faro
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It has been nine days since the El Faro vanished off the Bahamas during Hurricane Joaquin.
The ship is believed to be 15,000 feet down on the ocean floor -- nearly 3,000 feet deeper than where the Titanic was found.
Most of the 33 crew members were from Jacksonville, Florida. Now, the community is in mourning.
Football practice ended a little bit differently Thursday night, with a vigil for Jackie Jones Jr.
His 12-year-old son, Jackie Jones III, last talked to him on their way to practice the night before he boarded the El Faro.
"He was like, remember what I said -- work hard, practice hard, play hard," Jackie said.
"He was one of the best men in my life as a dad," he added. "He treated me like a king."
A 38-year-old father working on boats to provide for young Jackie and his other siblings.
His grandpa, Jackie Sr., stepped in at practice Thursday night.
"I can't give him what he was giving them. I can only give my support and love," Jones told CBS News.
The tragedy is bringing the city of Jacksonville together.
"It's agonizing, agonizing," said Carla Newkirk, who lost her dad, Larry Davis. "We all need to know why it happened and hopefully that we can learn from this."
"I was watching the news, but when I read it, Jackie R. Jones, Jr. -- I just dropped," Jones said. "You can wake up from a nightmare, but you think I can wake up from this?"
He is comforted by seeing so much of his son in Jackie Jones III.
"I'm like my dad," Jackie said. "I'm just a Mini-Me version of him."
As for what he'll miss most about his father, Jackie answered, "his voice and his personality."
The El Faro was nearly 40 years old, and some ex-crew members had complained of leaks and cracks on the ship. The NTSB says that will be part of its investigation into what happened.
But for families, that investigation will not be a fast one. It could take a year or more.