Costa Concordia vessel tracked map from Rome to resting place

[cw_cw_cw]

 

Think this is an excellent graphic showing the route...... and with this video taken from the island of Giglio (i dont think on the night of the accident)

 

http://video.corriere.it/nave-concordia-al-giglio-/9dfa5ea6-3e9b-11e1-8b52-5f77182bc574

[sirobin171]

Looking at that first video it now seems more clear to me that the navigated to the left to stay away from the land on the right, but either for a technical or personel reason they never turned right again to stay in the middle of the channel, an instead went straight into the left side where they hit the rocks. I am very interested on what the captain has said.

[King of Cool]

That is interesting as there was another thread on this site called:

 

“Replay of Costa Concordia track before accident!”

 

It has disappeared off this site but -

 

When you Google it, it still comes up in a Google archive;

 

· Replay of Costa Concordia track before accident! - Cruise Critic ...

 

boards.cruisecritic.com › Cruise Lines "A - O" › Costa Cruises

7 hours ago – Replay of Costa Concordia track before accident! ... Maybe you know that all ships carry AIS (Automated Identification System) ... You have just started another topic here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1548814 , you are...

 

Although it has disappeared off the Cruise Critic board what you get when you hit the URL is this:

 

“Invalid thread specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator”

 

There were quite a few comments on the previous thread which have disappeared including one of mine which commented on the fact that the crew may have been distracted by the ship ahead and when they changed course to obtain more clearance simply did not take the island into account until it was too late.

 

You can draw out a real time line from the Youtube video (top left hand corner) to see if it is feasible:

 

20.09 – same course as other ship but getting too close.

 

20.16 – dropped behind other ship and changed course to port to obtain more clearance?

 

20.29 - directly behind other ship but now different course.

 

20.42 – well clear but heading straight for island. Were the crew distracted by the other ship and perhaps some other factors that caused them not to see or be aware of the island. (They did hit it or rocks next to it.)

 

20.49 - changed course to starboard but by this time was this too late to hit the rocks or did the captain believe he could miss them?

 

Were there any lighthouses working or lights visible. This lighthouse does not appear to be operational:

 

http://marinas.com/view/lighthouse/420_Giglio_Island_Light_Giglio_Campese__Italy

 

I can recall looking out from our cabin up that coastline in the Grand Princess and it can get b…y dark and it would be quite possible to not see a small island at night until the last moment under the wrong cirumstances. After all, airplane captains can lose situational awareness especially when distracted and if a specific chain of events link up, they can hit mountains. So I guess sea captains can hit islands for the same reasons.

 

This is only pure conjecture but in 2002, the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Nottingham struck Wolf Rock, a reef at Lord Howe Island, and almost sank. The crew said that a pair of dividers were sitting on the chart where the rock was shown!

[guestyguestyguesty]

Go here:

 

http://www.shipcruise.org/cruise-articles/435-costa-concordia-accident

[King of Cool]

Well it looks like my theory of loss of situational awareness may be scuttled by a deliberate manoeuvre of “showboating” gone wrong. Or is it?

 

I guess it is highly probable especially if the captain said he was doing “touristic navigation” and hit a rock that was not on the chart. But I suppose saying anything is better than saying we got distracted and hit the island before we could correct our course. And frankly I couldn’t believe anything the captain says over the media if he thinks he was the last person off the ship. I would imagine he is still in a state of shock and trying desperately to save some face and his own skin.

 

I still believe there is a lot more to come out of the biggest shake up of the cruise industry we will ever see and some big surprises. And some very pertinent questions still to be answered. And there seems to be a lot of misinformation being bandied around - starting with the article on this very site:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4710

 

“Giglio's news outlet says a similar maneuver in August 2011 earned Schettino a letter of thanks from the island's mayor.”

 

Are you sure Cruise Critic editor? When you read the letter published in La Stampa it appears to be to Captain Calisto Massimo Garbarino who received the letter of thanks, NOT Captain Schettino:

 

"Dear Captain Calisto Massimo Garbarino,

After the incredible show last night, (Aug 14 2011, with the passage of the front of Concordia supernave Giglio Porto, I could not avoid from sending a message of appreciation on behalf of our entire community, including tourists guests, honoured by this important event.

 

Thanks to the intercession dear friend Mario Palombo, historical commander of Costa Cruises, we have witnessed a unique spectacle of its kind, has become an indispensable tradition of which I am honoured and that is why I do interpreter of personal thanks to you and his crew begged to extend our gratitude also to the Costa Crociere, which rewards for years now in this way between the island's most beautiful views of the island country.

 

I really hope one day to have a guest in our country, of course in agreement with Mario, irreplaceable and influential supporter of the island.

 

Sincerely

Sergio Ortelli"

 

And what exactly is the tradition? Skimming past the island every week and blasting the horn? Or some special occasion every 2 or 3 years? And what occasion was Capt Schettino celebrating this fateful night? According to La Stampa this is Captain Calisto Massimo Garbarino’s reply:

 

 

"Good evening Mr. Ortelli,

I apologize for the delay in replying to your very welcome letter.

And ‘now the second time that I make the passage across the island of Giglio in August the Costa Concordia. It was a wonderful experience three years ago and was just as exciting this year.

 

Last night, passing in front of the harbor, I could see the thousands of flashbulbs, and you can also see the many tourists who witnessed the passage, thanks to the publicity that you did on GiglioNews. The move was also advertised on board our ship, and there were many guests on the outside decks to enjoy this special event.

 

Yours is a wonderful island, just like I like, small, and I got to “visit” from above, thanks to Internet technology. It ‘a little paradise which I hope to visit in the coming years, and I think I fall in love, thanks to the accounts of the mutual friend Mario.

 

It ‘was a wonderful event, and I hope I can become for us on board, a tradition to continue.

 

Wishing all the best and prosperity to your community, I take this opportunity to convey my most cordial greetings.

Massimo Garbarino Calisto “

 

OK looks like he certainly got close to the island but what sort of tradition is he talking about? It was a wonderful experience three years ago and was just as exciting this year.

 

(yes CW CW CW, your second video was not the night of the accident, it was 17 Aug 2011)

 

 

So is it a tradition that Capt Schettino tried to emulate every time he sailed out of Civitavecchia. If it was planned were there people waiting at the dock? Did he blast the horn the same as 17 Aug 2011? Did he inform the passengers on the ship what he was going to do? Or was it a quick idea and they wouldn’t get too scared if he buzzed the island while they were having dinner? Maybe you know or some passengers know because I haven’t been able to read all the thousands of posts on this tragedy.

 

No doubt it will all come out in the wash but I do not think it is a clear cut case yet because of what happened last August and three years before that. Every time I look at the AIS track with other ship in front of Concordia which appears to me to be the main reason to change course just can’t help feeling that a Giglio sail past was not a planned manoeuvre.