Costa Concordia SINKING

[deckofficer]

This is conjecture, so please take it with a grain of salt. I have put myself in the Captain's position and the ship has just been holed by running aground. Because positive stability is so low for a cruise ship, I have to quickly determine what compartments are flooding and determine via volume of compartments what kind of weights I'm dealing with for my stability calculations to ascertain a time frame for total loss of positive stability and the ship flopping over, then sinking. On the other hand I have to compute at a new full ahead sea speed how long it will take me to get to port or at least shallow enough water that the ship will lay down in a semi submerged state resting on the sea floor. Then you have to take into consideration the time involved for a full abandon ship exercise, know that at a certain point of list, either port or starboard lifeboats will be un-usable. Since he was so close to shore it would appear that the actions he took were in fact the best option for maximum passenger safety, but the issue of running aground in the first place will have blame attached. This is my 0.02 worth, and that is all it is worth.

[ObscureAllure]

Sorry to upset you to this degree. If you would have been privy to all the classroom discussions on shipping companies sailing under flags of convenience and instructed to research case studies, I would imagine you would also have an opinion. That is all I offered, an opinion that you good folks have the choice to accept or not. It was not racial profiling. The point, that an accident like this should have never happened. You cruise ship patrons do have to accept that your vessel's positive stability is purposely kept low to ensure a comfortable experience. A vessel with higher positive stability will have a more abrupt righting motion from being heeled for any reason. To ground a vessel designed as a cruise ship is, makes for a very dangerous scenario because the ship does not handle weight shift well being tender already in stability. This kind of weight shift would occur if water is flooding compartments. After a thorough investigation you will know that this event should have never of happened, so there will be blame placed, just stay tuned.

 

 

Funny you should say that. You see, before ever taking my first cruise, I worked with the USCG doing ENOADs for ships entering the port of New Orleans. (Cargo, Tanker and even Cruise ships) I have had MANY discussions with both foreign crew and officers as well as the USCG about the rules and regulations (as well as studied many of them myself to better perform my duties) as well as safety on board. Before I would step FOOT on a cruise ship, I had full lengthy discussions about the safety standards of other countries. So yes, I have some idea of how "those Italians" you claim are so lacking run their ships as I dealt with them on a daily basis. They were no less professional or safety conscious than any other crew or captains I met from any other nation, including this one. In fact, considering that safety of the vessel includes the captain, officers and crew just as much as it does the passengers, I'd say they were pretty damn safety conscious, if you ask me. Sure, accidents happen, but they do with anything and accusing the captain of fault because he's Italian is asinine. So no, we won't "learn the truth and agree with you" because this didn't happen because the captain is Italian. Period. End of discussion.

[deckofficer]

I never said it happened because he was Italian.

[Bloviator]

This is conjecture, so please take it with a grain of salt. I have put myself in the Captain's position and the ship has just been holed by running aground.

 

But why refuse to send a mayday? :confused:

[Jacqueline]

Exactly.... Why no may day?

[caribill]

I am puzzled. I thought all ports had pilots that kept something like this from happening. Has anyone heard if there was a pilot for the port on board?

 

When the ship had its initial encounter with whatever, it was not on its way to a nearby port and thus did not need a pilot at that time.

[seashells]

The Daily Mail has some news and pictures.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2086831/Costa-Concordia-accident-Pictures-cruise-ship-sinking-coast-Italy-Titanic-like-scene.html

[caribill]

Still no comment from Micky Arison, CEO of Carnival Corp.

 

Must be otherwise engaged.

 

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1648204&highlight=

[CruiseAdict218]

Honestly, it was a maritime tradition from older times when vessels didn't have enough lifeboats aboard for everyone that women and children were loaded first. It would seem that since they had trouble lowering the lifeboats on the other side, the crew may have tried to institute this policy on the Concordia. I say may because it isn't confirmed but I have heard this story in several different news stories.

 

As for possible salvaging, we don't know if this is the only gash in the hull or not. If it is, I would believe they would salvage the vessel... she's only 6 years old. If there is more damage on the other side that would have to be patched up, it becomes a bit more tricky. As was said earlier, it would be cheaper to 'rebuild' Concordia than to build a new ship, I really believe that. The most expensive part of a modern cruise liner's construction is her hull and a majority of it seems to be intact. Cabins are pods that can be easily replaced and interior spaces can be gutted and redone. Electrical wiring can be re-ran.

 

I'm not saying this will absolutely be done, there are too many questions left out there. But I believe to say this ship is a total loss isn't entirely correct based off what we see and know at this point.

 

Her right side I imagin has to be suffering alot of damage, that is if its touching the sea bottom

[ghstudio]

If you are talking about the passage between the two rocks, it is less than 60 meters wide (http://cjoint.com/12jv/BAosStJlhsq.htm), and the Concordia is 36 meters wide. It is not a passage I would take comfortably in the daylight with a sailboat, so considering taking it with a 300m-long ship that will barely fit between the two rocks, at night, is... adventurous, to say the least (IF that indeed happened).

 

No argument...the passage is 182' wide at it's narrowest point....which is why the speed is so wrong. If I had a reason to take the ship thru that passage, I would do it at a dead crawl...but I don' t know the sea conditions and perhaps he tried at higher speed to reduce drift.

 

All is conjecture....hopefully some day we'll know what happened and why.

[Spara]

After seeing the video of the costa ship going past the island closely on purpose, do you still feel like he was heading there after an accident happened?

[OneOneNiner]

I am not sure this trace (from AIS signal) has been given on the thread:

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?oldmmsi=247158500&zoom=10&olddate=1/13/2012%209:02:00%20PM

Unfortunately, the trace only start at 9:21 PM (20:21 on the map), but at that time, the ship is already heading toward the island (at 15 knots).

Even more unfortunately, there is no signal between 9:37 and 9:53, so it cannot disprove (nor prove) the traces given by the turkish info site referred earlier in the thread, showing the ship between the rocks. So either the collision was well before 9:21, or it was just between 9:37 and 9:53.

With this trace, the scenario by Capt_BJ makes perfect sense.

 

My thoughts to all the victims.

 

The accident happened at 10pm.

The screenshot says 9pm UTC which is 10pm.

[ObscureAllure]

I never said it happened because he was Italian.

I beg your pardon, sir, but you did.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=31958484#post31958484

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=31958627#post31958627

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=31958774#post31958774

 

You claimed that it happened because it is a non-American ship with non-American crew.

 

Irregardless, the discussion on nationalities is over.

[tntornadox]

Her right side I imagin has to be suffering alot of damage, that is if its touching the sea bottom

 

Correct, the fact is we don't know everything yet. But her starboard side isn't completely lying on its side though.

[SarniaLo]

After seeing the video of the costa ship going past the island closely on purpose, do you still feel like he was heading there after an accident happened?

Carnival's press release (mentioned just above) says the ship hit a rock at approximately 10pm, so when she was indeed very close to the island (in or near that famous rock passage). So what happened to make her change course about 30/40 minutes earlier?

 

The accident happened at 10pm.

The screenshot says 9pm UTC which is 10pm.

Yes, sorry, I realize that now, I was at the time answering someone stating the accident had to have happened between 9:20 and 9:45.

[dasmonkey]

And for some of us, the endless "My prayers are with them" adds zero to the discussion and have become tiresome. If you want to pray for someone, do it in the privacy of your home. No need to tell the whole world about it.

 

Absolutely! we need more post like yours that offer up such valuable information and insight to the subject..........Oh wait. :rolleyes:

[dmwnc1959]

On this point, I saw this photo earlier and wondered if anyone may have some input, but what pressure could the balcony doors and windows hold to?

 

I had a balcony two years ago. The wind whistled all night long because the balcony doors are not airtight. With that said, every single balcony stateroom and half of her public spaces on the starboard side are under water. The ship has been on her side for roughly 18 hours, allowing water to enter through every possible non-air tight opening whether it be a balcony stateroom door, pool deck area automatic sliding door, retractable roof, any where on her upper Lido or Promenade decks, exhaust vents, etc. It is probably safe to say that anything below the current water line of the capsized ship is completely immersed in sea water by now.

 

[ggo85]

Has anyone heard or read whether the captain sounded the appropriate alarm on the ship's whistle (7 short and one long blast)? That would have been a good start.

 

Given that they hadn't held the safety briefing, those who'd never sailed before wouldn't have recognized the signal. However, experienced cruisers would have and would have alerted others.

 

And, this is the first time I've ever heard of the safety briefing being held after the ship has sailed. Never, ever had it happen on any cruise on any line I've ever taken, though I've never cruised on Costa.

 

It's also my understanding that, on modern ships, all a bridge officer has to do to signal a "mayday" is press a button on the bridge. That button is near the button to shut the watertight doors. I tend to wonder whether, given that the captain didn't do the former, he did the latter. That would explain the quick sinking.

 

I guess we'll find out once they review the "black box."

[CruiseAdict218]

Correct, the fact is we don't know everything yet. But her starboard side isn't completely lying on its side though.

 

Right, i wonder how bad the damage is

[ObscureAllure]

GGo85 - if you look back you'll see answers to many of your questions. :)

 

 

Here are some more pictures (tons, actually) and they are high-res.

 

https://plus.google.com/photos/115893768571611039178/albums/5697479271862536705

[reallyitsmema]

Here is video of the South Korean couple that was rescued. They are in remarkable shape and walked to the ambulance.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16564789

[ObscureAllure]

Also there is video here from passengers phones (it's legit, you can clearly see the ship in the background and the vidoegrapher is discussing it) in the aftermath.

 

http://www.observer.com/2012/01/captain-of-costa-concordia-arrested-charged-with-manslaughter/

 

(It's the 2nd update)

[Iluvcruising2]

So the captain has been arrested.

 

Why did he sail the Concordia through that narrow channel at such a high speed?

 

He is crazy!!!

[ObscureAllure]

AMERICANS WITH FAMILY/FRIENDS ON BOARD: The AP is reporting right now that all 126 Americans who were on board are safe and accounted for, apparently they were even injury free. Hope this gives comfort to anyone looking here for news of loved ones.

 

ADDED: This was just repeated on Twitter:

Ken Thomas @AP_Ken_Thomas

State Dept estimates 126 U.S. citizens were aboard the Costa Concordia cruise ship; no reports of injuries so far.

 

Glad to see that couple is ok (well as ok as they can be in this situation). Hopefully we hear of many more people found.

[wrp96]

Has anyone heard or read whether the captain sounded the appropriate alarm on the ship's whistle (7 short and one long blast)? That would have been a good start.

 

Every report I've read has said that they heard the 7 short and one long blast so that is not in dispute.