Costa Concordia SINKING

[Aplmac]

I have to admit after 10 cruises , that the only lifejackets that I can recall (apart from those in my cabin)

have been on the Promenade deck. Will have to do a much better look around next time:o

Fairly sure lots of people are going to be a lot more observant, next cruise! :)

 

Too many people board a cruise ship quite mindless of how-systems-work!

There should be a lot more curiosity now.

 

Wife has already dictated that we are carrying a matching pair of pisto...sorry flashlights

and I shall also be looking into those nice varnished seats one sees, all along Promenade Decks

looking to see if indeed life vests are in there.

 

I shall be booking our cabin close to stairwells, regardless of noise and humbug factors.

.

[Shake]

You seem clueless about the obnoxious posts that deckofficer has made on this thread, that have now been removed.

 

 

Sorry.....Not going to get involved with your negativity. Suggest you focus on this tragic loss of life.

[Blackjack956]

British news has announced that AP is reporting that 4 crewmen and 25 passengers are now missing.

[kirsty_r]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9018869/Cruise-disaster-captain-neared-rocks-in-Facebook-stunt-for-friends-family.html

 

Cruise disaster: captain neared rocks in Facebook stunt for friend's family

In a pre-planned stunt advertised on Facebook, captain of The Concordia, Francesco Schettino, sailed perilously close to the coast of Giglio so that the ship's head waiter could salute his family on land.

 

Minutes before the cruise ship hit the rocks, the waiter's sister Patrizia Tievoli had posted on Facebook that: 'In a short period of time the Concordia ship will pass very close. A big greeting to my brother who finally get to have a holiday on landing in Savona.'

 

WOW!!!!

 

Crazy isn't it? The ex-costa captain who resides on the island used to do similar sailby's in other places but only under coastguard/harbour guidance and knowledge... this one is totally unbelieveable... Perhaps the captain felt so experienced it would never happen to him - but obviously it DID happen to him and now he must pay that awful price.

[wishful thinking]

According to the latest Sky News here in the UK (30 minutes ago), the coastguard is saying there are still 4 crew members missing and 25 passengers. So hope this is wrong :(

[foxesden1]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16575409

 

Not sure if anyone has posted this, but a great interview with one of the dancers.

[ObscureAllure]

Here's the latest headline and link to a video from the Telegraph.

 

Captain ordered dinner as ship sank

One of the cooks aboard the stricken cruise ship which capsized off the coast of Giglio, Italy says the captain ordered him to make his dinner after the ship had crashed into rocks.

A Filipino crew member from the stricken cruise liner said the captain seemed unconcerned about the crash which happened around nine thirty on Friday night.

 

Rogelio Barista, a cook on board the Costa Concordia said: "The captain wanted us to cook for him around ten or ten thirty, and I saw him with a woman we did not recognize. I asked the other cook, Jason Velasco, what the captain was thinking. That time, everything was falling apart, including our cooking. I couldn't believe what was happening. I've had plenty of experiences in my years as a cook with catastrophes like fires inside the ship, even inside Costa Concordia, and I willed myself not to get scared. I peered outside to see the captain and saw him still waiting for his drink. I asked myself why he was still there waiting for his companion's dessert with what was happening.”

 

The captain, Francesco Schettino, was arrested 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 coastguard.

 

 

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9019114/Cruise-disaster-Captain-ordered-dinner-as-ship-sank.html

 

 

 

Wow! .... I hope this isn't true.

[mwedge]

Like many others I was initially interested in how this could have happened.

 

However now I just keep thinking about the poor 85 year old passenger who was recovered from his cabin in his life jacket, presumably waiting for help. I expect the list of the ship was to much for him to leave his room as he may not have been too mobile at that age.

 

I read that immediately after the collision passengers were told to go back to their staterooms and that the abandon ship order was not given until at least one hour after the initial collision by which time the ship was already listing considerably.

 

If I was captain and it was clear that the ship was taking on water and listing I would have given the abandon ship order immediately, and I only have limited nautical experience...

 

God rest that poor passengers soul. I just hope the raise in the water level was relatively quickly and he wasn't too frightened. I just can't comprehend what he must have been thinking sitting there in his cabin, watching the water level rise and hoping for help.

 

I hope the captain is punished to the full extent of the law as he is clearly culpable on many levels.

[mtnmusic]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9018869/Cruise-disaster-captain-neared-rocks-in-Facebook-stunt-for-friends-family.html

 

Cruise disaster: captain neared rocks in Facebook stunt for friend's family

In a pre-planned stunt advertised on Facebook, captain of The Concordia, Francesco Schettino, sailed perilously close to the coast of Giglio so that the ship's head waiter could salute his family on land.

 

Minutes before the cruise ship hit the rocks, the waiter's sister Patrizia Tievoli had posted on Facebook that: 'In a short period of time the Concordia ship will pass very close. A big greeting to my brother who finally get to have a holiday on landing in Savona.'

 

WOW!!!!

 

That is the breaking news story right now. The ship's captain was sailing 400 meters closer to the island than permitted by law and Costa has now released a statement that the rock reef struck by the ship was indeed on current navigational charts. The other ship's officers have stated that the captain told the ship's head waiter that they were nearing his precious island and would sound the ship's horn in salute. Talk about bad judgement.. insurers have stated that the total losses will hit 1 Billion dollars, making this the greatest marine loss in history.. not to mention the loss in human life.

[glrounds]

I think that is what annoys me the most, although I know it's a common event when this many people are involved in such an event. There will be no less than a dozen "sightings" of the captain - each of them at some different place - before the truth comes out. (We've seen, what, 6ish already?) Some saw him in the first life boat with money bags (lol!), some saw him disembark half way through, some with a taxi driver, some say he was one of the last off... surely all of these can't be right as the man can't be in 15 places at once. In all honesty, I couldn't tell you what the captain of the Conquest looks like and I had a 10ish minute conversation with him a week ago. If you put him in a line up of other men of same age wearing a white officers uniform, I can't promise you I'd be able to pick him out. Many of these could be completely fake, many could be having seen AN officer, but maybe not him, any maybe one of them is true. I guess we'll find out eventually.

 

You make a good point. I think of say the last 5 cruises I've done, I don't ever remember even seeing the Captain, much less meeting him. The last time I saw the captain was when one of my cruisemates was asked to attend the Captains Dinner and I took pictures of her at that "exclusive":rolleyes: table from the balcony above.

 

[PelicanBill]

Comprehensive article just published by AP. Link here if it works or use Google news feeds to see it.

 

It talks about compensation being stingy for victims at first, but quotes the Costa CEO about plans for compensation per passenger.

 

He also repeats a theme we first heard in the customer service person's facebook: "We evacuted 4,200 people in 2 hours" which we know is just not true. Last airlift was closer to 3am and we've seen the video now that makes it clear at least a couple hundred had to jump one at a time from ropes to boats or get airlifted.

 

Plenty of reports about competent evacuation areas, and incompetent areas.

 

I think it's safe to say it's a mixed story.

[foxesden1]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9015979/Cruise-ship-passengers-we-swam-for-our-lives.html

 

 

Great video link with lots of interviews.

[cubella59]

Sounds like this "sail-by" was not an anomoly. There's video footage of him doing it in Aug 2010. Since it was the first day of the cruise, I would almost bet the captain and most of the officers had been at the theatre doing their traditional "Captain's Welcome Aboard" party, then they would have headed to the restaurants for the first night's welcome dinner. At least that's how they did it on my Concordia sailing 2 weeks ago. That's why I'm wondering if he was truly on the bridge, or if he got a call from the First Officer or whomever was steering, and asked him if he could do a sail by?

 

If the Captain was going off course to wave to his friends on the island, where were the other officers on the bridge? Surely, someone must have identified the risk and had objection! On a naval ship there is a chain of command, don't civilian ships have a similar structure? If a captain is putting the ship and it's occupants in danger, they can disobey the order. Yes, they may have to face the consequences later, but alert personnel on the bridge should have taken over command.

[ObscureAllure]

Congratulations for making some of the most insulting, idiotic and uninformed posts that I have ever seen on this forum. Your supposed knowledge of international maritime competency, laws and history is sadly amaterish and stereotypical of the ugly American.

 

 

Ironic, I was thinking about a few passages from Mark Twain's "The New Pilgrim's Progress" upon reading some of them and thought of that exact term.

 

 

-----------

 

 

 

The twitter account I linked to last night has more posts.

 

https://twitter.com/Puljac

 

Apparently he and a sibling were on board with his parents - they ended up on opposite sides of the ship during the list and didn't find out until 5 hours later they were alive. I am thinking he's fairly young, too - in teens or 20's. He also posted more pictures.

[EVALUATOR]

Comprehensive article just published by AP. Link here if it works or use Google news feeds to see it.

 

It talks about compensation being stingy for victims at first, but quotes the Costa CEO about plans for compensation per passenger.

 

He also repeats a theme we first heard in the customer service person's facebook: "We evacuted 4,200 people in 2 hours" which we know is just not true. Last airlift was closer to 3am and we've seen the video now that makes it clear at least a couple hundred had to jump one at a time from ropes to boats or get airlifted.

 

Plenty of reports about competent evacuation areas, and incompetent areas.

 

I think it's safe to say it's a mixed story.

 

2 hours is 4 times longer than the maximum allowed by SOLAS.

[Seago2]

According to the latest Sky News here in the UK (30 minutes ago), the coastguard is saying there are still 4 crew members missing and 25 passengers. So hope this is wrong :(

 

Yes, I just saw that it is 29 (Reuters).

[carlabob]

Wow! .... I hope this isn't true.

 

I, too, read that article and watched the video interview. For now I'm assuming this is a legitimate interview & translation. And now this (see below), being reported in the Vancouver Sun, which is an English version of a report from Agence France-Presse. If this dialogue w/the Captain has been reported elsewhere, I apologize for duplicating; however I had not seen this report that ominously uses the term "mutiny" and suggests that crew initiated evacuation prior to the order being given, stating that ANSA had provided this information. This is stunningly scary, if true.

 

ROME — The captain of a luxury liner that crashed off Tuscany did not respond to an order to return on board to oversee rescue operations, according to a taped telephone conversation released Monday.

 

Italy's ANSA news agency said Francesco Schettino, the captain of the 17-deck Costa Concordia, was evasive when ordered by a port official to supervise the rescue hours after the ship keeled over Friday and several hundreds were still trapped.

 

"Now you go to the bow, you climb up the emergency ladder and co-ordinate the evacuation," the official tells him, according to the transcript of the conversation recorded on one of the ship's "black boxes."

 

"You must tell us how many people, children, women and passengers are there and the exact number of each category," he said.

 

"What are you doing? Are you abandoning the rescue? Captain, this is an order, I am the one in charge now. You have declared abandoning ship," he said, adding: "There are already bodies."

 

"How many?" Schettino says, prompting the cutting reply: "That is for you to tell me, what are you doing? Do you want to go home?"

 

Earlier, Schettino had compromised himself by saying in another telephone call that we "cannot get on board because the rear of the ship is keeling over."

 

ANSA also said there was a kind of "mutiny" among the crew which decided on an evacuation before being given formal orders by the captain.

 

Schettino was arrested on Saturday along with first officer Ciro Ambrosio.

 

The head of the company which owns the vessel said it had hit a rock as a result of an "inexplicable" error by Schettino off the picturesque island of Giglio.

 

"He carried out a manoeuvre which had not been approved by us and we disassociate ourselves from such behaviour," said Pier Luigi Foschi, the boss of Costa Crociere, Europe's largest cruise operator.

 

Italian prosecutors accuse the two officers of multiple homicide and abandoning ship before all the passengers were rescued.

 

Investigators were also analysing the "black box" recovered by rescuers for exact details of the ship's movements.

 

The Costa Concordia was carrying more than 4,200 people when it ran aground shortly after starting a seven-day Mediterranean cruise on its way to Marseille in France and Barcelona in Spain, just as many passengers were having dinner.

 

Carnival Corp., the parent company of Costa Crociere, put the initial cost of the disaster at $85-95 million.

© Copyright © AFP

 

 

 

Read more:

http://www.vancouversun.com/Ship+captain+defied+Italian+official+rescue+order+report/6001932/story.html#ixzz1jf4gmApY

[ObscureAllure]

This made me cry:

http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/my-husband-gave-up-his-life-for-me-costa-cruise-widow-2012-01-16-1.437943

 

My husband gave up his life for me: Costa cruise widow

Gives chilling account of how her husband sacrificed his life by giving her the only life jacket they had

 

The widow of a Frenchman who died on the Costa Concordia luxury liner gave a chilling account Monday of how her husband sacrificed his life by giving her the only life jacket they had.

 

"I owe my life to my husband," said Nicole Servel, 61, whose husband Francis was one of at least six people to die when the luxury liner ran aground off the Italian coast on Friday night.

 

"He said to me 'jump, jump'. And as I don't know how to swim, he gave me his life jacket. I was hesitant about jumping. So he went first. Then I jumped. I floated on my back," she told RTL radio.

 

"I called to him, he shouted back: 'Don't worry! I'll be all right.' The water was barely eight degrees. And then, I never saw him again," said Servel, whose children gave her the Mediterranean cruise as a 60th birthday gift.

 

Servel, from the southwestern city of Toulouse, lashed out at the ship's crew, some of who reportedly abandoned the ship before the passengers: "There was no one to save my husband... We were alone."

 

Servel said she was in the water until she was washed up against some rocks from where villagers rescued her and took her to a church to recover in the warmth.

[ObscureAllure]

I, too, read that article and watched the video interview. For now I'm assuming this is a legitimate interview & translation. And now this (see below), being reported in the Vancouver Sun, which is an English version of a report from Agence France-Presse. If this dialogue w/the Captain has been reported elsewhere, I apologize for duplicating; however I had not seen this report that ominously uses the term "mutiny" and suggests that crew initiated evacuation prior to the order being given, stating that ANSA had provided this information. This is stunningly scary, if true.

 

ROME — The captain of a luxury liner that crashed off Tuscany did not respond to an order to return on board to oversee rescue operations, according to a taped telephone conversation released Monday.

 

Italy's ANSA news agency said Francesco Schettino, the captain of the 17-deck Costa Concordia, was evasive when ordered by a port official to supervise the rescue hours after the ship keeled over Friday and several hundreds were still trapped.

 

"Now you go to the bow, you climb up the emergency ladder and co-ordinate the evacuation," the official tells him, according to the transcript of the conversation recorded on one of the ship's "black boxes."

 

"You must tell us how many people, children, women and passengers are there and the exact number of each category," he said.

 

"What are you doing? Are you abandoning the rescue? Captain, this is an order, I am the one in charge now. You have declared abandoning ship," he said, adding: "There are already bodies."

 

"How many?" Schettino says, prompting the cutting reply: "That is for you to tell me, what are you doing? Do you want to go home?"

 

Earlier, Schettino had compromised himself by saying in another telephone call that we "cannot get on board because the rear of the ship is keeling over."

 

ANSA also said there was a kind of "mutiny" among the crew which decided on an evacuation before being given formal orders by the captain.

 

Schettino was arrested on Saturday along with first officer Ciro Ambrosio.

 

The head of the company which owns the vessel said it had hit a rock as a result of an "inexplicable" error by Schettino off the picturesque island of Giglio.

 

"He carried out a manoeuvre which had not been approved by us and we disassociate ourselves from such behaviour," said Pier Luigi Foschi, the boss of Costa Crociere, Europe's largest cruise operator.

 

Italian prosecutors accuse the two officers of multiple homicide and abandoning ship before all the passengers were rescued.

 

Investigators were also analysing the "black box" recovered by rescuers for exact details of the ship's movements.

 

The Costa Concordia was carrying more than 4,200 people when it ran aground shortly after starting a seven-day Mediterranean cruise on its way to Marseille in France and Barcelona in Spain, just as many passengers were having dinner.

 

Carnival Corp., the parent company of Costa Crociere, put the initial cost of the disaster at $85-95 million.

© Copyright © AFP

 

 

 

Read more:

http://www.vancouversun.com/Ship+captain+defied+Italian+official+rescue+order+report/6001932/story.html#ixzz1jf4gmApY

I'm so confused... The black box (on board the ship) recorded a conversation between the official (on land) and the captain (on land)?

 

....?? And how could this "recorded conversation" be from the black box - even if it was somehow able to record conversations off-board? They haven't announced anything yet from the black box so why would they release this recorded convo from the black box? Something isn't adding up here.

[Canadian Karebear]

This made me cry:

http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/my-husband-gave-up-his-life-for-me-costa-cruise-widow-2012-01-16-1.437943

 

That is so sad. Truly sad. :(

[mwedge]

I read somewhere that the captain joined costa cruises 11 years ago and started as a security officer.

 

If this is true, it doesn't sound like anywhere near enough experience to be responsible for nearly 5000 lives and a billion dollar vessel to me....

[foxesden1]

I was just reading the FB page someone set up.. Wow, there are many many people who are very angry at him right now..

[cubella59]

WOW. Well given that I just got off the Concordia 2 weeks ago, I think I can speak to this with some credibility. Every service individual we encountered, Bartender, Server, Waiter/Waitress, cabin steward..etc, spoke very good English. I think the complaints you are hearing are from passengers of other nationalities; Italian, French, Dutch, German..etc, THEY had issues undertsanding the crew that was trying to help them primarily because that crew spoke either English or Spanish, not their native languages. My experience was that the Excursion and Reception staff were all multilingual, but from what I've read, it seems that the heroes here really were the waiters, servers and bus boys, many from the Phillipnies, who stayed behind to help, not the upper echelon of Costa staff.

 

So far I've been cruising mostly with Carnival Cruises.

See my avatar for ready identification.

 

Also done one cruise with Princess (all crew on board spoke English well)

and two cruises on now-defunct Ocean Village(Two)

where some cabin steward staff were not good at English.

That last cruise line mentioned now history

 

 

Yes, most of Carnival's crew are not 'NATO-type' people

but in my experience, 99% of them speak quite-decent-enough English

despite their countries of origin! ;)

 

 

If I cruise again, it will be with Carnival.

.

[Milaandra]

However now I just keep thinking about the poor 85 year old passenger who was recovered from his cabin in his life jacket, presumably waiting for help. I expect the list of the ship was to much for him to leave his room as he may not have been too mobile at that age.

 

Where did you read that?

 

According to the stories I have found, there are 6 bodies found at this point. Three were in the water, at least one of which is presumed to be a heart attack, although the age and even gender of this victim have been reported differently in different accounts.

 

Two seniors were found in the submerged part of the restaurant, one of which was 84 and the other 63? These two were wearing their life jackets, but no information as to why they were still there or how they died.

 

One was found in a dry corridor, wearing his lifejacket. No additional information.

 

I'm not saying that they won't find anyone in that situation, but I just don't want you to feel what you're feeling about a tragedy that, at this point, didn't happen...I think.

[cubella59]

Hey Sidari, when you got off the Deliziosa in Savona (I imagine), their next trip was their World Cruise. I still get goosebumps watching that ship sail out first with everyone on deck waiving hankies and clapping and music blaring. It was so festive. There were 3 Costa ships in port that day, The Deliziosa, Serena and Concordia. the captains had quite a tradition blowing theh horns back and forth and then the Delizisa sailed first, followed by our Concordia and then the Serena last. It was truly spectacular and something I shall never forget. I took video footage and wil lpost to You Tube when I get around to it

 

 

Passengers are told NOT to take there life jacket to the Muster Drill

 

Peterhof ..... as far as i know only Oasis and Allure are allowed to do this and having been on Oasis can confirm that All Lifejackets for the ship are held at Lifeboat stations!

 

On the 22nd of December 2011 we were on the Costa Deliziosa for 6 nights,the Lifeboat/Muster Drill was carried out in Savona the port of Departure and lasted for over 30 minutes with every passenger wearing their Lifejackets.

 

Most if not all the crew spoke English including the Officers that we came across, so please do not make General assumptions with regards to Costa and their drills.