Languish.org

QuoteCruise tragedy off Italy conjures images of frantic passengers fleeing Titanic 100 years ago

By Associated Press, Updated: Monday, January 16, 9:28 AM

ORLANDO, Fla. — The first interviews of survivors — and the first impressions of people across the world — of the ill-fated Costa Concordia cruise liner that ran aground and tipped over in Italy are yielding predictable comparisons to another tragedy.

"Have you seen 'Titanic'? That's exactly what it was," said Valeria Ananias, a 31-year-old Los Angeles schoolteacher aboard the ship who crawled along nearly vertical hallways and stairwells in a desperate attempt to reach rescue boats

Are such comparisons to a 100-year-old tragedy fair? Accurate? It seems that the world views the Concordia through a prism of fact, myth and fantasy that surrounds the Titanic, largely because of the popular movie that came out in 1997 and is being re-released in 3D this year.

Just ask the handful of people visiting "Titanic the Experience," a tour through recovered artifacts and replicas of the famed ship in Orlando.

"When I saw the Concordia on the news this morning, this is what I thought about," said Tom Keill, a Pennsylvania tourist who took the Titanic tour Sunday morning. He and his family shuffled past rooms that recreated first-class cabins, past the lavish replica staircase, past an actual deck chair that once sat on the vessel. (The restrooms in the museum are described by staff as being "through the gift shop, behind the wall and past the iceberg.")

Keill, like virtually everyone who has seen the movie, has thought about what they would have done during such a disaster — and now the Concordia allows us to update and refresh those thoughts. The vessel hit a reef or rock just off the coast of Italy, leaving five people dead and sending hundreds more searching for a way to escape as the boat tipped. Authorities said 15 people remain unaccounted for.

"It looked like it was sheer panic on the Concordia," said Keill, whose two young sons are "really into" Titanic history, which is why the family visited the exhibit while on vacation.

His son, 6-year-old Tyler Keill, was a bit more philosophical after walking past a piece of the Titanic's hull and a large piece of white frost meant to replicate the iceberg that the Titanic struck.

"It's really sad that the Titanic is history," Tyler said to his mom while in the gift shop that sells Titanic replica china, jewelry and 100th anniversary mugs. "But life goes on and we learn from our past."

But have we?

The Titanic and the Concordia have many similarities.

The Titanic was the biggest ship built to date in England at that time — and the Concordia was the biggest ship built so far in Italy. One crashed into an iceberg, the other, a reef or rock.

Christened in 2006, the Concordia was the largest and most luxurious in the Costa cruise fleet, boasting bars, restaurants, a gym, large spa and several lavish suites.

In its day, the Titanic had similar amenities — although there were more severe class differences on the Titanic, and the chasm between first- and third-class passengers was enforced by class-only eating, sitting and mingling areas. In today's cruising world, the passengers in the $199 cabins on the weekend cruises out of Miami can, and do, sun themselves alongside the folks in the $3,000 suites.

The Concordia was slightly larger (952 feet to the Titanic's 883 feet) and both had a top speed of 23 knots. Ominously, both had issues with their christening, and believers in superstition may attribute the ships' tragedies to it.

Before a ship's maiden voyage, it's common for a dignitary to "christen" the vessel by breaking a bottle of champagne on the hull for good luck.

The Titanic was never christened. The Concordia was christened during a ceremony when the ship came online, but the champagne bottle never broke. After each tragedy, people wondered whether the lack of a proper christening was a bad omen.

But then there are the differences. The Titanic had 2,207 people on board; the Concordia about 4,200. The Titanic was much smaller: 46,328 tons compared with the Concordia's 114,500 tons.

And of course, there were the safety measures developed over a century to ensure safety.

Safety standards for large passenger ships grew out of a convention in 1914, two years after the Titanic disaster — which means that all modern-day cruise ships, including the Concordia, should have benefited from the lessons learned from the Titanic. The rules eventually were adopted by the International Maritime Organization, an agency of the United Nations.

Ships are required to have public address systems for announcements to passengers, and lifeboats must be at least partially enclosed. They also must hold weekly "abandon ship" and fire drills. More recently, the safety group had determined that the greatest safety threat to passengers was the evacuation of large ships.

Lifeboats also are required to be capable of being loaded, launched and maneuvered away from the ship within 30 minutes of the Master's signal to abandon ship.

As was detailed during the hour-long tour of "Titanic: The Experience" in Orlando — complete with a guide dressed in a Victorian-looking peacoat and hat — the radio operators aboard the ship didn't relay what they thought were non-essential messages about icebergs to the ship's officers. Meanwhile, people aboard the ship didn't panic because the ship listed only a few degrees. There weren't enough lifeboats for all of the passengers aboard and some lifeboats left without being full.

And that's one comparison between the Concordia and Titanic that appears to be correct: Both were disasters affected by human error.

"It's amazing that 100 years later, we're still arguing about how many lifeboats are needed, what kind of training the crew had and what the evacuation procedures were," said Bob Jarvis, a maritime law professor at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "One-hundred years later, we still don't do a good job getting passengers ready for a disaster."

Many passengers aboard the Concordia have complained the crew didn't give them good directions on evacuating and waited so long to lower the lifeboats that many couldn't be released because the ship was listing so heavily.

Ananias, the L.A. schoolteacher, said they were forced to shimmy along a rope down the exposed side of the ship to a waiting rescue boat below.

Some passengers also have complained that the Concordia's captain, Francesco Verusio, abandoned the cruise liner before all his passengers had escaped. The Titanic's captain, Edward Smith, died the night the ship sank. Some historians say he went down with the boat.

Authorities are holding the Italian captain for investigation of suspected manslaughter and abandoning his ship, among other possible charges. According to the Italian navigation code, a captain who abandons a ship in danger can face up to 12 years in prison.

A century ago, people thought the Titanic was unsinkable because it was so large and mighty. Today, people marvel that a ship like the Concordia could have run aground while sailing a routine course.

"To see a ship like this in 2012, with all the sophisticated navigation equipment, doing something that it does every week, you don't expect that today," Jarvis said. "And we all think we know about the Titanic because of the 1997 film. Now we have something to compare it to."

Stories like the Concordia make people like Cindy and Terry Carroll think long and hard about taking a cruise. The married couple from Hamilton, Ontario, are longtime Titanic buffs and made sure to stop by the museum — which also features a Titanic-themed dinner theater in the evenings — during their weeklong Orlando vacation. Neither has ever been on a cruise, though, in part reluctant because of what they know of the Titanic. It was a fear Cindy Carroll had overcome — at least until now.

"A friend had finally talked me into going," Cindy Carroll said with a laugh. "Now, probably not."

___

AP Business Writer Daniel Wagner contributed from Washington.

QuoteThe captain was spotted on land during the evacuation, and he ignored pleas by officers that he return to his ship and honor his duty to stay aboard until everyone else was safely off the vessel, a Coast Guard official said Sunday.

"We did our duty," Italian Coast Guard Cmdr. Francesco Paolillo told The Associated Press, referring to efforts to get Francesco Schettino back on the Costa Concordia Friday night.

Schettino, who is in police custody while officials investigate the cause, has insisted he didn't leave the liner before all passengers were off, saying "we were the last ones to leave the ship."

According to the Italian navigation code, a captain who abandons a ship in danger can face up to 12 years in prison.

Quote from: Caliga on January 15, 2012, 08:54:58 PM
Italians are legendary for their great skill in the retreat. :)

Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 15, 2012, 08:58:09 PM
On a cruise ship is the fake captain expected to stay on board too?

Quote from: jimmy olsen on January 15, 2012, 09:19:04 PM
Fake captain? Tell me more, I don't know much about the cruise ship business.

Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 15, 2012, 10:25:32 PM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on January 15, 2012, 09:19:04 PM
Fake captain? Tell me more, I don't know much about the cruise ship business.

My understanding is cruise ships have a real captain that runs the boat and a fake one who's job is to have dinner with the passengers.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 15, 2012, 08:52:42 PM
Captain must've served in the Italian Navy.  Bobbada boobada.  Boopada beepada.

QuoteThe captain was spotted on land during the evacuation, and he ignored pleas by officers that he return to his ship and honor his duty to stay aboard until everyone else was safely off the vessel, a Coast Guard official said Sunday.

"We did our duty," Italian Coast Guard Cmdr. Francesco Paolillo told The Associated Press, referring to efforts to get Francesco Schettino back on the Costa Concordia Friday night.

Schettino, who is in police custody while officials investigate the cause, has insisted he didn't leave the liner before all passengers were off, saying "we were the last ones to leave the ship."

According to the Italian navigation code, a captain who abandons a ship in danger can face up to 12 years in prison.

Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 15, 2012, 10:46:32 PM
That explains your upper class bohemian mannerisms.  :hmm:

Quote from: dps on January 15, 2012, 09:08:28 PM
Comparisons between this incident and the sinking of the Titanic are stupid.  Leave if to Timmay to post an article full of them.

Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 15, 2012, 10:25:32 PM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on January 15, 2012, 09:19:04 PM
Fake captain? Tell me more, I don't know much about the cruise ship business.

My understanding is cruise ships have a real captain that runs the boat and a fake one who's job is to have dinner with the passengers.

Quote from: Martinus on January 16, 2012, 03:22:44 AM

Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 15, 2012, 10:46:32 PM
That explains your upper class bohemian mannerisms.  :hmm:

His family owns a fucking castle. Maybe his dad just felt the call of the sea. :P

Quote from: Sheilbh on January 16, 2012, 03:33:56 AM

Quote from: Martinus on January 16, 2012, 03:22:44 AM

Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 15, 2012, 10:46:32 PM
That explains your upper class bohemian mannerisms.  :hmm:

His family owns a fucking castle. Maybe his dad just felt the call of the sea. :P

:blink: What?

My dad, and both his brothers, joined the merchant navy (as deckboys) because it was the reliable route out of Liverpool.

Quote from: Sheilbh on January 16, 2012, 03:33:56 AM

Quote from: Martinus on January 16, 2012, 03:22:44 AM

Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 15, 2012, 10:46:32 PM
That explains your upper class bohemian mannerisms.  :hmm:

His family owns a fucking castle. Maybe his dad just felt the call of the sea. :P

:blink: What?

My dad, and both his brothers, joined the merchant navy (as deckboys) because it was the reliable route out of Liverpool.

Quote from: Martinus on January 16, 2012, 03:24:58 AM

Quote from: dps on January 15, 2012, 09:08:28 PM
Comparisons between this incident and the sinking of the Titanic are stupid.  Leave if to Timmay to post an article full of them.

I was about to post something like this (only more coherent). Yeah, 5 people die (with a possible death toll of up to 20) as the ship crashes into a reef off the coast in the Mediterranean - that's exactly the same as Titanic.  :lol:

Next in the news: a truck crashes into a building. "That's exactly like 911."

Quote from: Pedrito on January 16, 2012, 12:21:16 PM
Strange thing is, Italy did not sink.

Yet.

L.

QuoteBy NBC News, msnbc.com staff and news services

La Repubblica newspaper has published what it says is a telephone conversation between the port authority and the captain of the Costa Concordia on the night the cruise ship veered off course and crashed into rocks off the coast of Tuscany, NBC News reports.

The transcript of the conversation is in the hands of prosecutors.

The captain, Francesco Schettino, had sailed perilously close to the coast so that the Costa Concordia's head waiter could salute his family on land, according to other media reports.

Here is the translation of the conversation between him and the port authority shortly after the accident, according to NBC News:
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00:32am
The port authority asks the captain, Francesco Schettino, how many people are left on board. He says 200-300, therefore claiming unrealistically that 4,000 people were evacuated in only 40 minutes. It quickly becomes clear he has already abandoned ship.

Schettino: "Now I'll go back up", he claims. "I came out to check out to figure out what was happening."

PA (Port Authority):"Will you be the last on board?"

Schsttino:"I will be the last on board."

00:42am
PA asks how many people still need to be evacuated.

Schettino:"I called and they told me there are about 100 people. I am coordinating the operations. But I can't go back on it. We have abandoned the ship."

PA:"Captain, did you really abandon the ship??"

Schettino:"No, no, I am here, I am coordinating the evacuation."

PA:"Captain, this is an order, now I am in charge. Get back on that ship and coordinate the operations. There are already casualties."

Schettino:"How many?"

PA:"You should tell me that! What do you want to do, go home? Now you get back on that ship and tell us what can be done, how many people are still there and what do they need."

Schettino:"OK, OK, I am going."

(The captain will not get back on the ship)

Meanwhile, Italian coast guard officials late Monday raised number of missing from Friday's shipwreck to 29 -- four crew members and 25 passengers, a top coast guard official, Marco Brusco, said on state TV. That total is up from 16 cited by authorities earlier in the day. Bruno didn't immediately explain the rise. Six bodies have been recovered.
Get latest updates on breakingnews.com


Story updated 4:53 p.m. ET: The captain of the luxury cruise ship that capsized after hitting rocks off Italy had sailed perilously close to the coast to "make a bow" to people on a Tuscan island, according to media reports.

Francesco Schettino made the dangerous maneuver so that the Costa Concordia's head waiter could salute his family on land, according to reports.

Schettino denies charges of manslaughter and his lawyer has said his actions had saved many lives.

The father of the ship's head waiter told Reuters that his son had telephoned him before the accident to say the crew would salute him by blowing the ship's whistle as they passed by the island of Giglio, where both the waiter, Antonello Tievoli, and his 82-year-old father Giuseppe live.

"The ship obviously came too close," the elder Tievoli said, according to Reuters.

NBC's Tom Costello reports.

"I don't know if Antonello asked the captain to come near, but the responsibility is always the captain's."

Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper quoted witnesses as saying that shortly before the accident, the captain called the head waiter to the bridge saying, "Antonello, come see, we are very close to your Giglio."

Schettino was detained on Saturday. He is accused of manslaughter and abandoning his ship before all those on board were evacuated. Prosecutors say he also refused to go back on board when requested by the coast guard.

Shortly before the ship hit the rocks, the waiter's sister, Patrizia Tievoli, had posted on Facebookthat: "In a short period of time the Concordia ship will pass very close. A big greeting to my brother who finally gets to have a holiday on landing in Savona," the Telegraph reported.

The sail-past was a private affair, part of a code of courtesy shared only by the crew, and there was no public announcement about it, according to Corriere della Sera.

After the head waiter reached the safety of dry land, he reportedly told friends and relatives on Giglio: "I would never have imagined that I'd end up disembarking on my own island like this," the Telegraph reported, citing the Corriere della Sera report.

Costa Cruises Chief Executive Pier Luigi Foschi on Monday blamed errors by Schettino for the disaster. He said at a news conference the company would provide its captain with any assistance he required, although he added, "But we need to acknowledge the facts and we cannot deny human error," he added.

"These ships are ultra-safe. It is an exceptional event, which was unforeseeable," he said, fighting back tears.

He said the ship deviated from its correct route and Schettino had contravened safety procedures. "The company disavows such behavior, which caused the accident," he said.

Foschi said company vessels were forbidden to come closer than 500 meters (547 yards) to the Giglio coast. Investigators say the liner, designed as a floating pleasure palace for over 3,000 paying customers, was about 150 meters (164 yards) offshore when it hit the rocks that tore a long gash in its thousand-foot hull.

Schettino denies being too close to the coast and says the rock he hit was not marked on charts.

His lawyer, Bruno Leporatti, issued a statement saying Schettino was "broken-up, troubled and saddened by the loss of life". But he believed he had saved many lives by carrying out a difficult emergency maneuver with anchors after the accident, which turned the ship closer to the shore.

A Facebook pagehas been set up in which people are venting their anger at Schettino. The page had more than 1,000 "likes" as of Monday.

Meanwhile, authorities are trying to prevent the tragedy from turning into an environmental crisis, as rough seas battering the stricken mega-ship raised fears that fuel might leak into pristine waters off Tuscany that are part of a protected sanctuary for dolphins, porpoises and whales.

Waters that had remained calm for the first three days of the rescue turned choppy Monday, shifting the wreckage of the Costa Concordia a few inches and temporarily suspending divers' searches for people still unaccounted for.

Italy's environmental minister raised the alarm about a potential environmental catastrophe if any of the 500,000 gallons (2,300 tons) of fuel begins to leak into the pristine waters off Giglio, which are popular with scuba divers and form part of the protected Tuscan archipelago.

"At the moment there haven't been any fuel leaks, but we have to intervene quickly to avoid an environmental disaster," Corrado Clini told RAI state radio.

Story updated at 12 p.m. ET: While the hunt continues for missing passengers, including an American couple from Minnesota, Italian authorities have declared a state of emergency in a bid to prevent an environmental disaster. The country's environment minister says liquid has started to emerge from the stricken Costa Concordia, but it is not known whether the substance is the vessel's 500,000 gallons of fuel. Protective barriers are being put in place to contain a potential fuel leak, Reuters reports.

...

Quote from: Berkut on January 17, 2012, 12:56:40 AM
So I wonder what you do with a ship that size - try to refloat it to get it out of there to where it can be repaired?

Quote from: Sheilbh on January 16, 2012, 03:33:56 AM

Quote from: Martinus on January 16, 2012, 03:22:44 AM

Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 15, 2012, 10:46:32 PM
That explains your upper class bohemian mannerisms.  :hmm:

His family owns a fucking castle. Maybe his dad just felt the call of the sea. :P

:blink: What?

Quote from: jimmy olsen on January 17, 2012, 01:33:24 AM

Quote from: Berkut on January 17, 2012, 12:56:40 AM
So I wonder what you do with a ship that size - try to refloat it to get it out of there to where it can be repaired?

How would you do that? I don't think a ship of any size could get near enough do the depth of the water.

Quote from: grumbler on January 17, 2012, 11:07:12 AM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on January 17, 2012, 01:33:24 AM

Quote from: Berkut on January 17, 2012, 12:56:40 AM
So I wonder what you do with a ship that size - try to refloat it to get it out of there to where it can be repaired?

How would you do that? I don't think a ship of any size could get near enough do the depth of the water.

Not sure what your question is.

You refloat the ship by patching the holes in the hull, pumping it out, and offloading enough weight that it can float above the bottom of the sea there, and then tow it away to someplace with a drydock big enough to accommodate it.  No "ship of any size" need come near.

Quote from: Berkut on January 17, 2012, 11:57:30 AM
I think they should have stayed further away from the rocks and stuff.

I wonder if they've considered putting GPS on those things? That might help them avoid countries that stick out into the ocean like Italy does.

Quote from: Berkut on January 17, 2012, 11:57:30 AM
I think they should have stayed further away from the rocks and stuff.

Quote from: Berkut on January 17, 2012, 11:57:30 AM
I think they should have stayed further away from the rocks and stuff.

I wonder if they've considered putting GPS on those things? That might help them avoid countries that stick out into the ocean like Italy does.

Quote from: Jacob on January 17, 2012, 12:02:02 PM

Quote from: Berkut on January 17, 2012, 11:57:30 AM
I think they should have stayed further away from the rocks and stuff.

I wonder if they've considered putting GPS on those things? That might help them avoid countries that stick out into the ocean like Italy does.

Yeah, that or use boats that don't go as deep.

Quote from: Ed Anger on January 17, 2012, 12:18:22 PM
The captain threw a chicken into the sea before the voyage. Bibant, quoniam esse nolunt.

QuoteHere is a translation of the transcript.

—De Falco: "This is De Falco speaking from Livorno. Am I speaking with the commander?"

—Schettino: "Yes. Good evening, Cmdr. De Falco."

—De Falco: "Please tell me your name."

—Schettino: "I'm Cmdr. Schettino, commander."

—De Falco: "Schettino? Listen Schettino. There are people trapped on board. Now you go with your boat under the prow on the starboard side. There is a pilot ladder. You will climb that ladder and go on board. You go on board and then you will tell me how many people there are. Is that clear? I'm recording this conversation, Cmdr. Schettino..."

—Schettino: "Commander, let me tell you one thing..."

—De Falco: "Speak up! Put your hand in front of the microphone and speak more loudly, is that clear?"

—Schettino: "In this moment, the boat is tipping..."

—De Falco: "I understand that, listen, there are people that are coming down the pilot ladder of the prow. You go up that pilot ladder, get on that ship and tell me how many people are still on board. And what they need. Is that clear? You need to tell me if there are children, women or people in need of assistance. And tell me the exact number of each of these categories. Is that clear? Listen Schettino, that you saved yourself from the sea, but I am going to... I'm going to make sure you get in trouble. ...I am going to make you pay for this. Go on board, (expletive)!"

—Schettino: "Commander, please..."

—De Falco: "No, please. You now get up and go on board. They are telling me that on board there are still..."

—Schettino: "I am here with the rescue boats, I am here, I am not going anywhere, I am here..."

—De Falco: "What are you doing, commander?"

—Schettino: "I am here to co-ordinate the rescue..."

—De Falco: "What are you co-ordinating there? Go on board! Coordinate the rescue from aboard the ship. Are you refusing?"

—Schettino: "No, I am not refusing."

—De Falco: "Are you refusing to go aboard commander? Can you tell me the reason why you are not going?"

—Schettino: "I am not going because the other lifeboat is stopped."

—De Falco: "You go aboard. It is an order. Don't make any more excuses. You have declared 'abandon ship.' Now I am in charge. You go on board! Is that clear? Do you hear me? Go, and call me when you are aboard. My air rescue crew is there."

—Schettino: "Where are your rescuers?"

—De Falco: "My air rescue is on the prow. Go. There are already bodies, Schettino."

—Schettino: "How many bodies are there?"

—De Falco: "I don't know. I have heard of one. You are the one who has to tell me how many there are. Christ."

—Schettino: "But do you realize it is dark and here we can't see anything..."

—De Falco: "And so what? You want go home, Schettino? It is dark and you want to go home? Get on that prow of the boat using the pilot ladder and tell me what can be done, how many people there are and what their needs are. Now!"

—Schettino: "...I am with my second in command."

—De Falco: "So both of you go up then ... You and your second go on board now. Is that clear?"

—Schettino: "Commander, I want to go on board, but it is simply that the other boat here ... there are other rescuers. It has stopped and is waiting..."

—De Falco: "It has been an hour that you have been telling me the same thing. Now, go on board. Go on board! And then tell me immediately how many people there are there."

—Schettino: "OK, commander"

—De Falco: "Go, immediately!"

Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on January 17, 2012, 11:55:28 AM
From the pics it doesn't look like there is much depth where the ship is, it was essentially run aground.

Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on January 17, 2012, 01:28:20 PM
I dunno, it could make an interesting tourist attraction all by itself.

Quote from: DGuller on January 17, 2012, 01:36:46 PM

Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on January 17, 2012, 01:28:20 PM
I dunno, it could make an interesting tourist attraction all by itself.

Is there really a tourism market for Italian engineering disasters?

Quote from: jimmy olsen on January 15, 2012, 08:20:39 PM
The Captain should be keelhauled.  :mad:

Quote from: DGuller on January 17, 2012, 01:36:46 PM

Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on January 17, 2012, 01:28:20 PM
I dunno, it could make an interesting tourist attraction all by itself.

Is there really a tourism market for Italian engineering disasters?

Quote from: DGuller on January 17, 2012, 01:36:46 PM

Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on January 17, 2012, 01:28:20 PM
I dunno, it could make an interesting tourist attraction all by itself.

Is there really a tourism market for Italian engineering disasters?

Quote from: Rasputin on January 17, 2012, 11:50:41 AM

Quote from: grumbler on January 17, 2012, 11:07:12 AM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on January 17, 2012, 01:33:24 AM

Quote from: Berkut on January 17, 2012, 12:56:40 AM
So I wonder what you do with a ship that size - try to refloat it to get it out of there to where it can be repaired?

How would you do that? I don't think a ship of any size could get near enough do the depth of the water.

Not sure what your question is.

You refloat the ship by patching the holes in the hull, pumping it out, and offloading enough weight that it can float above the bottom of the sea there, and then tow it away to someplace with a drydock big enough to accommodate it.  No "ship of any size" need come near.

that's certainly how its done, but those are going to have to be some gigantic portable bilge pumps; has it been done with a ship this size before?

Quote from: mongers on January 17, 2012, 04:47:54 PM
Why is this story getting so much coverage in the media, it's not as if there are other things going on in the world like a debt crises, global economic slowdown, nr civil war in Syria etc.   :hmm:

Quote from: DGuller on January 17, 2012, 01:36:46 PM

Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on January 17, 2012, 01:28:20 PM
I dunno, it could make an interesting tourist attraction all by itself.

Is there really a tourism market for Italian engineering disasters?

QuoteView from the bridge: the inside story of Italy's cruise disaster

Coastguard tapes and witness accounts paint damning picture of captain's dereliction
Michael Day Author Biography

Giglio

Wednesday 18 January 2012

As further details emerged yesterday of the chaotic events that led to the Costa Concordia disaster, one constant remained – the blame continued to fall squarely (many would say fairly) on the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino.

Mulletted, jowly and not averse to a photo-opportunity, Mr Schettino, 52, who left his passengers and crew behind on the sinking vessel, was questioned yesterday at a court in the mainland town of Grosseto. He was released under house arrest and faces charges that could see him jailed for 15 years.

Investigators have accused him of multiple counts of manslaughter and abandoning ship before all of the survivors could be saved. At least 11 people died and up to 29 were still unaccounted for last night. Captain Schettino's arrest is expected to be upheld by a preliminary investigating judge.

Recordings of Mr Schettino's startling conversations with a shocked fellow seaman and a coastguard have revealed the disorder, incompetence and cowardice that doomed so many.

As terrified passengers tried to abandon the sinking cruise ship in the early hours of Saturday, its commander had already beaten most of his charges in the scramble for dry land. An incredulous and apoplectic captain of the Livorno coast guard, Gregorio Maria De Falco, can be heard on the tapes shrieking at Mr Schettino to "get back on board, for fuck's sake!"

The evening had started calmly enough. But catastrophe was on the cards the moment that Captain Schettino – who, according to Italian media reports, "drives his ship like a Ferrari" – decided on a special show-boating approach to the pretty island of Giglio, in order to salute a legendary local cruise liner captain, Mario Palombo. The stunt was even promoted on Facebook.

According to a transcript of the conversation between the captain and the coastguard, just minutes before the Costa Concordia hit a submerged rock at 9.45pm, Mr Schettino was making a phone call to the retired Mr Palombo, who lives on Giglio. "I'm going to salute you," he said, even though Mr Palombo was not on the island at the time.

The call was interrupted, apparently as the liner collided with rocks. At 9.49pm, Captain De Falco, aware that something was amiss – perhaps because panicking passengers were calling the emergency services – contacted the ship's bridge to ask what was happening. "Nothing, just a technical problem," said Mr Schettino, despite having steered his vessel over rocks that left a 50m gash in its side.

At 9.54pm Captain De Falco was back on the line, asking: "Concordia, we're calling to ask if everything is OK."

"Yes, it's just a technical thing," Capt Schettino replied.

This mendacious and possibly lethal misinformation was passed to the 3,200 passengers, who carried on eating and drinking when they should have been heading to lifeboats. Some of the crew demanded that the captain speed up the evacuation, but he appeared to do what many Italians resort to when the heat is on – and phoned his mother. "Mum, there's been a tragedy... but don't worry, I tried to save the passengers," he told her, before jumping ship.

At 12.42am, after a series of calls to Mr Schettino's mobile phone from the increasingly suspicious Mr De Falco, the ship's captain finally lets slip the phrase: "We can't go back aboard because the ship is slipping backwards."

"Captain, have you abandoned the ship?" asks the astonished official.

Mr Schettino lies, saying: "Of course not. How could I have abandoned the ship?"

The coastguard then says: "Now, go to the prow, raise the rope ladders and co-ordinate the evacuation. Tell us how many people are still on board: children, women, passengers, and the exact number in each category. Is that clear?"

Mr Schettino eventually replies that he is not keen to go back on board because it is dark and the Concordia is listing. "But do you realise it is dark and here we can't see anything," he says.

This only served to underline the plight in which he had left his passengers. It also produced a final, furious response from Mr De Falco. "Look Schettino, you may have saved yourself from the sea, but I'm going to see you get it... I'm going to make sure you're in real trouble. Get the fuck back on board!"

To underline his threat, Capt De Falco even tells the commander that he is recording his orders. Mr Schettino says: "Okay, I'm going." But he never does.

Instead, he appears to have spent the night in the harbourmaster's office in the little port of Giglio. A taxi-driver has reported that he picked him up at 11.30am and took him the 400 metres to the Bahamas Hotel. The hotel owner said Mr Schettino did not book in, but it is known that police detained him soon afterwards.

Yesterday, Mr Schettino's lawyer, Bruno Leporatti, denied that his client had abandoned ship, adding that he was "overcome and wants to express his greatest condolences to the victims".

He insisted that the captain's actions in anchoring the vessel at one end to swing it closer to the shore after the collision "saved the lives of thousands of people". "It could have been an enormous tragedy," Mr Leporatti said.

But even Costa Crocier, which owns the Costa Concordia, appears to have jettisoned its employee, having accused Capt Schettino of making an "inexplicable" error.

Transcript: The captain's shame

Port Authority (PA) "Schettino, listen to me, there are people trapped onboard, now you go back... you tell me if there are children, women or people that need assistance and you give me a number for each one of these categories is that clear? Look Schettino, you may have saved yourself from the sea but [we] will put you through a lot of trouble... Get back on board for fuck's sake."

Schettino "Commander, please."

PA "There are no 'pleases'. Get back on board!"

Schettino "I am not going because the other lifeboat is stopped."

PA "Don't make any more excuses... There are already bodies, Schettino."

Schettino How many bodies...?

PA I don't know... You are the one who has to tell me... Christ.

Schettino But... it is dark...

PA So what? You want go home? Get on that prow... and tell me what can be done, how many people there are and what their needs are. Now!

Quote from: Razgovory on January 18, 2012, 09:27:53 AM
It is pretty bad when other Italians think you are cowardly.

QuoteSome of the crew demanded that the captain speed up the evacuation, but he appeared to do what many Italians resort to when the heat is on – and phoned his mother.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 20, 2012, 06:33:14 AM
Can't wait for the trial.  All those flailing hand gestures.  Boppada boopy.

Quote20 January 2012 Last updated at 07:34 GMT
Costa Concordia disaster: Crew urged 'return to cabins'

A video has emerged showing the crew of the Costa Concordia reassuring passengers nothing was wrong, after the cruise ship had begun taking in water.

In the amateur footage, a crew member says "everything is under control" and asks passengers to go to their cabins.

It is thought the delay in deciding to abandon the ship may have cost lives. At least 11 people died.

Rescue workers have suspended their search once again after the ship shifted in choppy waters on Friday.

The boat's movements have twice before hampered the work of rescuers, with the search suspended almost all day on Wednesday.

The ship may have only moved by a metre or as little as a few centimetres, but officials fear it could suddenly slip into much deeper water, says the BBC's Alan Johnston at the scene.

The Costa Concordia ran aground off Italy's coast a week ago with some 4,200 people on board.

Twenty-one people are still missing, and hopes to find any of them alive are fading fast.

'Seated and tranquil'

The latest amateur footage was posted online by Italy's Rainews24 on Thursday.

In it, a female crew member is heard telling passengers: "We kindly ask you to return to your cabins, or go for a walk in the hall, if you like."

She says that she is relaying a message from the commander.

"We'll resolve the electrical problem that we have with the generator. Everything will be fine. If you want to stand here, it's fine.

"But I'm kindly asking you to go back to your rooms, where you'll be seated and tranquil. Everything is under control."

In the audio tape aired earlier on Thursday, a port authority officer is heard asking the crewman about the situation on board, after passengers had reported a huge jolt and been told to put on life vests.

But an unidentified voice from the Costa Concordia replies: "We had a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board."

"Do you need help or are you staying in the Giglio area for now?" the port official asks.

"Confirmed. We remain here in the area to check the blackout," the crew member replies, without making any reference to a crash.

Our correspondent says the impression left by the recording is that the crewman failed to give a full account of the gravity of the situation.

Woman sought

The ship's captain, Francisco Schettino, is under house arrest on suspicion of multiple manslaughter.

The owners say he was sailing too close to Giglio on an unauthorised course.

Prosecutors have also accused him of fleeing the ship before evacuation was complete. He denies the accusations.

However Italian media have said Capt Schettino did admit to making a navigational error.

He told investigators he had "ordered the turn too late" as the luxury ship sailed close to an island, according to a leaked interrogation transcript.

He also reportedly said the crew had decided to sail close to the island to salute a former colleague.

The company that owns the ship, Costa Cruises, has suspended Capt Schettino and withdrawn an offer to pay his legal costs, according to reports.

Italian media have also shown pictures of a Moldovan woman who says she was on the bridge after the ship ran aground. The woman defended Capt Schettino's actions, in an interview with Moldovan TV.

The reports say investigators are trying to speak to her.

Salvage operators are standing by to start pumping fuel from the ship's tanks to avoid a potential environmental disaster.

Quote from: Legbiter on January 18, 2012, 02:24:26 PM
:lol:

Strangely enough it looks like his second and third officers also tripped with him into the same lifeboat.