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Gregorio Borgia / AP
Rocks emerge from the damaged side of the Costa Concordia.
Updated 9:54 p.m. ET: Two survivors of a cruise ship grounding who were found nearly a day after the ship rolled onto its side have been identified as a South Korean couple on their honeymoon.
Prato fire commander Vincenzo Bennardo told The Associated Press that rescuers who had been banging on doors of the ship cabins all night finally heard a reply from one of the rooms early Sunday. He said the two, about 29 years old, were in good condition. He said the rescuers never stopped going door-to-door during the night in the non-submerged part of the ship.
The Costa Concordia hit a reef during dinner Friday and capsized off Tuscany, forcing the evacuation of about 4,200 people. Three bodies were found and about 40 people remained unaccounted for.
Updated 6:55 p.m. ET: Rescue workers found two people still alive on a capsized Italian cruise ship, state television reported Sunday, according to Reuters.
The Italian news agency ANSA quoted rescuers as saying the two survivors were found in good condition in a cabin late Saturday and were being brought out.
Fire officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment near the tiny island of Giglio, where the Costa Concordia went aground and turned on its side Friday night, leaving three people dead and forcing some 4,000 aboard to evacuate.
Firefighters on the ship had heard the voices of a man and a woman several decks below where they were searching.
More than 4,200 passengers were aboard the Costa Concordia when it apparently struck rocks near the coast of Tuscany late Friday, ripping a hole in its hull and forcing thousands to escape in a chaotic, terrifying evacuation.
Three bodies have been recovered and authorities said late Saturday that about 40 people were still unaccounted for.
Updated 5:55 p.m. ET: The captain of the 4,200-pasenger luxury cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Tuscany has been detained, authorities said Saturday.
Francesco Schettino is being investigated for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship, police said, according to Reuters. He was taken to a jail in the provincial capital Grosseto to await questioning by a magistrate.
Three bodies were recovered from the sea after the Costa Concordia ran aground near the coast of Tuscany late Friday, ripping a hole in its hull and forcing thousands to escape in a chaotic, terrifying evacuation. Some 40 people are still unaccounted for.
Experts have questioned how Schettino, the 52-year-old captain with 11 years working for the ship's owner, could hit so close to the island of Giglio given Italy's well mapped sea lanes.
Panic ensues after a luxury cruise ship dubbed the "Floating Temple of Fun" runs aground off Italy. NBC's Claudio Lavanga reports.
The chief prosecutor in the Tuscan city of Grosseto, Francesco Verusio, was quoted by the ANSA news agency as telling reporters that the captain "very ineptly got close to Giglio," The Associated Press reported.
"The ship struck a reef that got stuck inside the left side, making it (the ship) lean over and take on a lot of water in the space of two, three minutes," he said.
Schettino was at the command, and it was "he who ordered the route, that's what it appears to us. It was a deliberate" choice to follow that route, ANSA quote him as saying.
Get the latest updates from breakingnews.com
Slideshow: Luxury ship runs aground
It quoted Schettino's lawyer, Bruno Leporatti as saying his client understands why he was being detained but that "as his defender, I'd like to say that several hundred people owed their life to the expertise that the commander of the Costa Concordia showed during the emergency."
ANSA quoted Francesco Schettino's sister, Giulia, as saying her brother called their mother, 80-year-old Rosa, at 5 in the morning, saying "Mamma, there has been a tragedy. But stay calm. I tried to save the passengers. But for a while, I won't be able to phone you."
Schettino hails from Meta di Sorrento, in the Naples area where many of Italy's ferry and cruise boat captains are from. Giulia Schettino was quoted by ANSA as saying that he also asked to speak to his brother, Salvatore, who also is a sailor, to tell him what happened aboard.
ANSA reported Schettino was taken to Grosseto's jail, to be held until next week, when a judge will decide whether he should be released or formally put under arrest. The courthouse was closed late Saturday and couldn't be reached.
In Italy, suspects can be held without charge for a few days for investigation. A judge must either validate the jailing, putting the suspect under arrest, or declare him free to go.
A U.S. State Department official says the latest estimate is that there were 126 Americans among the 4,200-plus people aboard the Costa Concordia. No Americans were injured, the official said.
This is the second fatal accident involving a Costa ship in the past two years. In February 2010, Costa Europa collided with a pier in Egypt, killing three crewmembers.
Updated 1:35 p.m. ET: Italian authorities were questioning the captain of the 4,200-passenger luxury cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Tuscany, CNN reports.
Authorities want to know why the ship didn't issue a mayday call during the accident near the Italian island of Giglio on Friday night, according to the report.
"At the moment we can't exclude that the ship had some kind of technical problem, and for this reason moved towards the coast in order to save the passengers, the crew and the ship. But they didn't send a mayday," said officer Emilio Del Santo of the Coastal Authorities of Livorno, accordng to CNN. "The ship got in contact with us once the evacuation procedures were already ongoing."
The captain, Francesco Schettino, was being interviewed by investigators, Del Santo said.
Three bodies have been recovered and 70 people are still unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, Costa Cruises, the company that runs the ship, has issued a statement that reads in part:
"On the basis of the initial evidence - still preliminary - Costa Concordia, under the command of Master Francesco Schettino, was sailing its regularly scheduled itinerary from Civitavecchia to Savona, Italy, when the ship struck a submerged rock.
"Captain Schettino, who was on the bridge at the time, immediately understood the severity of the situation and performed a maneuver intended to protect both guests and crew, and initiated security procedures to prepare for an eventual ship evacuation.
"Unfortunately, that operation was complicated by a sudden tilting of the ship that made disembarkation difficult.
Original story:
PORTO SANTO STEFANO, Italy -- Survivors from a luxury cruise ship that ran aground and tipped over in shallow waters off the coast of Tuscany on Saturday recounted scenes of chaos, with frightened passengers crawling along upended hallways and some leaping into the sea trying to reach safety.
"Have you seen 'Titanic?' That's exactly what it was," said Valerie Ananias, 31, a schoolteacher from Los Angeles who was traveling with her sister and parents on the first of two cruises around the Mediterranean. They all bore dark red bruises on their knees from the desperate crawl they endured along nearly vertical hallways and stairwells, trying to reach rescue boats.
Three bodies were recovered from the sea after the Costa Concordia ran aground off the tiny island of Giglio near the coast of Tuscany late Friday, tearing a 160-foot gash in its hull and sending in a rush of water. Italian news agency ANSA said the dead were two French passengers and a Peruvian crewman.
Up to 70 people were still unaccounted for Saturday among the more than 4,300 passengers and crew who were on board, the Italian coast guard said.
Cmmdr. Cosimo Nicastro, spokesman for the Italian coast guard, told Sky TG24 TV there were no firm indications that anyone was trapped inside the ship. But he noted rescuers carried out an extensive search of the waters near the ship for hours and "we would have seen bodies."
He said it's possible those unaccounted for "might be is in the belly of the ship."
NBC's Claudio Lavanga reports.
The U.S. Embassy in Rome estimated 100 Americans may have been on board. There were no reports of serious injuries to Americans, based on information provided by local officials.
By Saturday morning, the ship was lying virtually flat off Giglio's coast, its starboard side submerged in the water and the huge gash showing clearly on its upturned hull.
Nicastro said divers will continue to search for survivors for the next two or three days. It's a dangerous operation because the ship could sink another 230 feet, he said.
Passengers who escaped complained the crew failed to give instructions on how to evacuate and once the emergency became clear, delayed lowering the lifeboats until the ship was listing too heavily for many of them to be released.
Passengers: 'Unorganized' crew, no evacuation drills
Melissa Goduti, 28, of Wallingford, Connecticut, who had set out on the cruise of the Mediterranean hours earlier, called the entire trip "unorganized" from the start.
"It was so unorganized. Our evacuation drill was [not] scheduled [until] 5 p.m." said. "We had joked, 'What if something had happened today?'"
"We were crawling up a hallway, in the dark, with only the light from the life vest strobe flashing," said Ananias' mother, Georgia Ananias, 61. "We could hear plates and dishes crashing, people slamming against walls."
She choked up as she recounted the moment when an Argentine couple handed her their 3-year-old daughter, unable to keep their balance as the ship lurched to the side and the family found themselves standing on a wall. "He said 'take my baby,'" Georgia Ananias said, covering her mouth with her hand as she teared up. "I grabbed the baby. But then I was being pushed down. I didn't want the baby to fall down the stairs. I gave the baby back. I couldn't hold her.
"I thought that was the end and I thought they should be with their baby," she said.
Stringer/ Reuters
Passengers arrive at Porto Santo Stefano after a cruise ship ran aground
Passenger Maria Parmegiano Alfonsi told Sky Italia television that they were "sitting down to dinner and we heard this big bang."
"I think it hit some rocks. There was a lot of panic, the tables overturned, glasses were flying all over the place and we ran for the decks where we put on our lifevests," she said.
"We had a blackout and everybody was just screaming. All the passengers were running up and down and then we went to our cabins to get to know what is going on," said another passenger, who did not give his name.
"They said we should stay calm, it is nothing, it's just some electrical problem or just some blackout thing," the man added.
Helicopters plucked to safety some people who were trapped on the ship, some survivors were rescued by boats in the area, and witnesses said some people jumped from the ship into the dark, cold sea.
Passengers Alan and Laurie Willits from Wingham, Ontario, celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary, said they were watching the magic show in the ship's main theater when they felt an inital lurch, as if from a severe steering maneuver, followed a few seconds later by a "shudder" that tipped trash cans over. The subsequent listing of the ship made the theater curtains seem like they were standing on their side.
"And then the magician disappeared," Laurie Willits said, and panicked audience members fled for their cabins as well.
Once at their life boat station, crew members directed passengers to go upstairs from the fourth floor deck; Alan Willits said he refused.
"I said 'No, this isn't right.' And I came out and I argued, 'When you get this boat stabilized, I'll go up to the fifth floor then," he said. Eventually, his lifeboat was lowered down.
But things didn't improve for passengers once they were on safe ground.
"No one counted us, neither in the lifeboats nor on land," said Ophelie Gondelle, 28, a French military officer from Marseille. She said there had been no evacuation drill since she boarded in Marseille, France on Jan. 8.
The evacuees were taking refuge in schools, hotels, and a church on Giglio, a popular vacation isle about 18 miles off Italy's central west coast.
Passengers sat dazed in a middle school opened for them, wrapped in wool or aluminum blankets, with some wearing their life preservers and their shoeless feet covered with aluminum foil. Civil protection crews served them warm tea and bread, but confusion reigned supreme as passengers tried desperately to find the right bus to begin their journey home.
Tanja Berto, from Ebenfurth, Austria, was shuttled from one line to another with her mother and 2-year-old son Bruno, trying to figure out how to get back to Savona, where they began their cruise a week ago.
"It's his birthday today," she said of her son, rolling her eyes as she held Bruno and tended to her mother, who had grown faint and was lying on the ground. "Happy birthday, Bruno."
The island's mayor, Sergio Ortelli, issued an appeal for islanders — "anyone with a roof" — to open their homes to shelter the evacuees.
Coast Guard Cmdr. Francesco Paolillo said the exact circumstances of the accident were still unclear, but that the first alarm went off about 10:30 p.m., about three hours after the Concordia had begun its voyage from the port of Civitavecchia, en route to its first port of call, Savona, in northwestern Italy.
Paolillo, speaking from the port captain's office in the Tuscan port of Livorno, said the vessel "hit an obstacle" — it wasn't clear if it might have hit a rocky reef in the waters off Giglio — "ripping a gash 50 meters (160 feet) across" in the side of the ship, and started taking on water.
The cruise liner's captain, Paolillo said, then tried to steer his ship toward shallow waters, near Giglio's small port, to make evacuation by lifeboat easier. But after the ship started listing badly, lifeboat evacuation was no longer feasible, Paolillo said, so authorities dispatched helicopters.
Costa Cruises said the Costa Concordia was sailing on a cruise across the Mediterranean Sea, starting from Civitavecchia with scheduled calls to Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Cagliari and Palermo.
The Concordia had a previous accident in Italian waters, ANSA reported. In 2008, when strong winds buffeted Palermo, the cruise ship banged against the Sicilian port's dock, and suffered damage but no one was injured, ANSA said.
NBC News, The Associated Press, Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this story.
More from msnbc.com and NBC News:
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I am going to stick with Penelope Cruz!!
That's what happens when you let Captain Morgan guide your ship.
Now I know why I've never, and probably will never go on a cruise! Pirates, icebergs and islands OH MY!!!
Looks like this Love Boat captain's Fantasy Island adventure will not include "Here come de plane!" but rather "Here come de cops"
Hey Ranman87,
Ever heard of a ship's helmsman or ship's navigator? They have them and the captain rarely takes the helm. The captain wasn't on board to stand there pointing the direction they should follow. If the captain died out at sea do you think they would have had to come to a stop and wait for another captain to be flown in by helicopter? Is everything the captain's fault? No paper towels on the restroom, CAPTAIN'S FAULT! No chicken wings on the buffet, CAPTAIN'S FAULT! Underwater sonar failure, CAPTAIN'S FAULT. By your logic all those unintended acceleration Toyota accidents where the DRIVER'S FAULT. Wow we missed an opportunity to arrest them for creating a hazard! I for one sure am glad YOU don't run the world.
Oh yeah, you want to be careful on a cruise. Those islands do have a way of jumping out at you! :)
TomTom actually thinks I care.
Cruise Ships are safer asea than Commercial Airliners while flying in the sky.
Many of us do not know that Commercial Airliners have near misses in the air, and on the tarmac all the time. It is kept quiet. No one would fly if they knew every bitter detail.
Cruise ships are increasing as a way to travel the world because they are so safe. The stories that happen on a Cruise ship are not told either.
This is indeed a sad happening. It reminds me of the Titantic, without the Iceberg---
What other way of transportation can one take Overseas---no car, no bus, no train. That's it--Air or Sea.
Yes, the truth will come out. It could have been just what happens in the Cockpits of the Airliners. Laptop Computers, alcohol, mis guided computer systems, etc. The Authorities investigating this horrific Cruise Liner "Accident" always go to the person who is in charge of running the ship----It is generally the Captain's irresponsibility---
Put yourself in charge of it all and ask yourself a question, How do you want to handle this?
As a child, I watched the original motion picture about the Titanic and this has kept me away from cruises.
Sad and tragic for the victims. This won't be good for business, either.
(I know such events are rare, but it doesn't change my attitude)
40 dying is terrible, and a captain abandoning his ship doesn't quite go with " A captain goes down with his ship", but as long as... wait, where's Wilson?!
No! I'm sorry, Wilson! I'm so sorry!
Whoops, sorry, 40 are unacounted for. Right now, it doesn't mean the same thing, but still...
WILSON!
Tom Tom the Captain IS responsible for EVERYTHING that happens on his ship.
It's the Captain's ship! They are responsible for everything that happens. And if that ship is going down, he stays! Part of the "laws of the sea".
This captain is either a true hero for striking an unseen rock and then getting the ship to shallow water near shore before the ship sank or he is responsible for multiple deaths through negligence during navigation.
Waiting for data and evidence of which it is.
.
TomTom - Actually, the captain is responsible for everything that happens on his ship. I know someone who was the CO of a US navy Destroyer that was involved in a collision. He was not even on the bridge at the time and the officer who was on watch violated standing orders. Still the COs career was over and he was basically forced to resign his commission. In this case the captain was on the bridge of the ship, which means he was the officer on watch on responsible for giving all steering commands. This removes any doubt what-so-ever that he is the one responsible for this grounding. what is even more disturbing is that this happened while the ship was on a regularly traveled route, meaning the captain should have been very familiar with the area. This only adds to the level of negligence that must have occurred for this accident to happen. The captain deserves to be prosecuted for what happened as there is little doubt he is responsible. In addition, the captain should be the absolute last person off the ship. It is his responsibility to make sure that everyone else gets off the ship safely. The fact that he did no do this and fled the ship with people still on board is completely inexcusable, both legally and from the standpoint of long standing maritime tradition.
I wonder whether the investigation will verify that the crew on the bridge did not speak the same language, and that orders were given prior to crashing into the submerged rock, but no one took evasive action due to lack of the comprehending of orders?
TomTom4049, the cap is the cap, be it chicken wings or whatever
TomTom did not understand the "Captain Morgan" joke lmfao. I think TomTom needs a captain morgan.
Perfectly stated JS in SD... CO or Ship's Captain bears the ultimate responsibility for crew, passengers and vessel safety and operation. TomTom, there is a reason there is a Captain, so he or she can direct and oversea those appointed under him/her to perform their jobs or functions.
Otherwise, you have no defined leader(ship) to orchestrate and supervise the complexity of operating a ship. The Captain was the weakest link in this event and should bear the brunt. Those who were in charge of navigation/propulsion at the time of the incident should also bear a portion of responsibility in this, one would think.
Looks like there is going to be some cruise ships for sale. Screw up once, shame on you, screw up twice shame on...
Well then, I guess this captain...
*put on sunglasses*
Is in hot water.
Captain And Tennille??
i feel bad for the passengers and the people who had lost their lives, it is truly a tradegy. i have been on many cruises and i have always sailed on Carnival Cruise Lines...until Feb 2010 when i went on a cruise on the Costa Fortuna Cruise Ship, it was the worst ship that i had ever been on and from that cruise on i swore to never do another Costa Cruise. i truly hope that the captain did everything he was supposed to do and if he did not then i hope they nail his ass to the cross and make an example out of him. going on a cruise is suppose to be a great vacation and experience and we should not ever have to think if our crew is capable of doing their jobs. GOD BLESS THE DEPARTED SOULS.
Somebody please explain the logic of "going down with the ship". How, exactly, does this improve the situation? One might think that a captain's knowledge could be useful if one winds up on a deserted island somewhere.
About the notion in general... why am I thinking this originally applied only in battle? So, some guy is assigned by the cruise liner company to captain a cruise ship for a cruise and he's supposed to go down with it if something happens? Stupid.
Finally, I can't help but wonder if the guy's wife and children he'd leave behind would agree he should go down with the ship.
Stop romanticizing death...and seafaring captains.
Tom Tom ,Having held a USCG Capt. rating for over 30 years myself ,bottom line, THE CAPTAIN IS RESPONSIBLE !!!!! His poor judgement at the very least put the wrong persons I.E. Duty Officer ,radar operator ,navigator Etc. at the helm .
Cruise Ships are safer asea than Commercial Airliners while flying in the sky.
Many of us do not know that Commercial Airliners have near misses in the air, and on the tarmac all the time. It is kept quiet. No one would fly if they knew every bitter detail.
Cruise ships are increasing as a way to travel the world because they are so safe. The stories that happen on a Cruise ship are not told either.
This is indeed a sad happening. It reminds me of the Titantic, without the Iceberg---
What other way of transportation can one take Overseas---no car, no bus, no train. That's it--Air or Sea.
Yes, the truth will come out. It could have been just what happens in the Cockpits of the Airliners. Laptop Computers, alcohol, mis guided computer systems, etc. The Authorities investigating this horrific Cruise Liner "Accident" always go to the person who is in charge of running the ship----It is generally the Captain's irresponsibility---
Please take the time and look at the latest photos, the Ship is listing and seems to be Grounded, and about half of it is out of water, so in such shallow waters, they the passengers could all have been mustered on board the ship, and would have been safe, so the question is why did they not know how deep the waters where, and why they were 5 kilometers off course, to me it seems like a $$$ saving " short cut " that as usual lead to " longer stories" See the Collapsed Bridge in India while under contraction!
since when does dracula work as a news correspondent for NBC?
Tom tom if the captain is not responsible for what happens on his ship why is he in jail.
To DonInPhnx ; The captain should not go down with the ship but sould be the last one out .
cause its in italy, they arrest first then maybe get to asking questions in italian while afforded no counsel.
I'm sure sooner or later the Pubs will say this is Obama's fault
it will be interesting to see, what background in seamanship this Captain has; his ship is sinking, 35oo passengers are in peril, and he takes time out to call MOMA and waits to speak to his brother it use to take thirty-forty years before a seaman, would get a paper to be a master of a ship of this size, plus they would have to be a graduate of a Naval or Merchant Marine Academy of a country; it appears these so called Captains are just tour guides, not sailors.
Captain Morgan or Cutty Sark must have been in control, with a little help from Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, and their Old Grand Dad. And Old Crow must have been high on the ship's crow's nest.
mr-aquabot no he did not he lfet the ship be for he made shur all the passangers were off . he should be put back on that ship and locked up in one of the rooms under the water line
This was in charted water, with a known reef or sandbar that the ship ran into, with the captain at the bridge.
Unlike New Zealand, which now has floating containers around it because of the capsized container ship that dropped its containers into the water, whose captain should also spend several years in jail. The New Zealand containers will pose UN-charted threats to any ship passing nearby.
These ships have so many safety features, from maps, GPS, sonar, radar, and the kind of propulsion and the design of the hulls, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever that a captain cannot steer a ship to a safe route.
The idea of "going down with the ship" means that the Captain will not let anyone perish before him. He should be the last off the ship and if he can't make, he "goes down with the ship".
This Captain chose to leave his ship....not cool!
DonInPhnx
"go down with the ship" is not always to be taken literally. It means the captain should be the last off. It is his responsibility to see his passengers and crew are off before he leaves his station. It is maritime law not just something someone made up. It is a crime for a captain to abandon his ship before all others living are off...get it?
And yes, Captain Smith went down with the Titanic, but he was far from the only one to go down with his ship. By the way, one of the really true heroes of the Titanic disaster was the captain of the Carpathia.
This point has been made previously, e.g., by JS in SD, so I post only to re-emphasize the point:
The captain is responsible for everything that happens--or fails to happen--aboard the ship that he commands.
His authority is absolute. Therefore, so is his responsibility.
I am personally aware of more than one case in which a captain was relieved of his command for an incident (collision, grounding) caused when a subordinate (in whom the captain placed trust) erred.
That's how it works.
(Before anyone jumps on the assertion that "his authority is absolute," I understand that in 2012 a captain's authority is less absolute than it once was--a USN CO would probably not be able legally to hang Somali pirates from the yardarm in 2012, as he would well have been able to do in 1812-- but the captain's authority, given his responsibility, remains extensive. If the reporting of this incident is to be believed, the captain in this case was derelict in at least two ways.)
In reference to the journalists for NBC and the msnbc.com staff who put this article together from wire services:
I would like to point out a misconception in the last update at 9:54 p.m. ET. I do not bring attention to this because of incorrect use of grammar (there are too many usually…spell check is friendly), but to correct the use of a verb. I mention this because the word used does not correctly describe what happened to the ship and it is an exaggeration for sensationalism. The word is wrong with the wrong definition (and it irritated me). Your efforts to keep us updated throughout the day are commendable. You were doing "ok" work up until the last update. I would suggest starting with a dictionary and a "word a day" program to help your journalists get up to speed.
"By NBC, msnbc.com staff and news services.
Updated 9:54 p.m. ET: The Costa Concordia hit a reef during dinner Friday and capsized off Tuscany, forcing the evacuation of about 4,200 people. Three bodies were found and about 40 people remained unaccounted for.
Updated 6:55 p.m. ET: Rescue workers found two people still alive on a capsized Italian cruise ship, state television reported Sunday, according to Reuters.
Updated 6:55 p.m. ET: Rescue workers found two people still alive on a capsized Italian cruise ship, state television reported Sunday, according to Reuters."
The boat did not capsize. She ran aground and listed to her starboard side. She is lying half-in and half-out of the water.
"Updated 5:55 p.m. ET: The captain of the 4,200-pasenger luxury cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Tuscany has been detained, authorities said Saturday."From Dictionary.com:
cap·size (/ˈkæp saɪz, kæpˈsaɪz)/
verb (used without object), verb (used with object) -sized, -siz·ing.
to turn bottom up; overturn: The boat capsized. They capsized the boat.
Origin: (1780–90; origin uncertain
Related forms: cap·siz·a·ble, adjective; non·cap·siz·a·ble, adjective; un·cap·siz·a·ble, adjective; un·cap·sized, adjective
Synonyms: See upset
Antonyms: right
Word Origin & History
capsize
1788, a nautical word of obscure origin, perhaps (as Skeat suggests) from Sp. capuzar "to sink by the head," from cabo "head."
What is it with the Captains and others, that feel that the regulations do not apply to them? This is a sad tale that has been (unfortunately) the case for hundreds of years. The ships that have gone down over the many years seem to have a similar ring to them: A Captain (or other power that be)..are continuing to use unskilled and untrained labor. They are not adhering to guidelines and restrictions. No safety measures in place at all. An airline would NEVER get away with this. EVER. It was the case with the large Great Lakes fishing and clamming vessels..always over packed and never according to guidelines.
Silver lining of this tragedy: Obviously, massive changes and new safety protocol will be in place. Hard to fathom that Carnival Cruise Ships, inc. wouldn't be demanding that all crew and personnel be apprised of what to do in such an emergency..it really is. But no doubt, they will be very soon.
I am curious if the Captain was piss tested while in custody. Wow. These images are shocking..right?! He just high-tailed it right outta there. Watching from the safety of the shore, while his passengers were in such distress and panic is horrific. The conversation with the Captain and Harbor Patrol was really amazing. Insisting he get back on that ship and assist his passengers and he STiLL didn't do it.
Yeesh !
I have been on three cruises in my life, one recently on Carnival, and two previously on Holland America. My experience with Holland America told me that the crew seemed much more serious and much more professional, and my most recent experience on Carnival's Paradise back in late November left me some serious questions as to that particular ship and crew's safety policies, as the crew involved on our boat station (#14) seemed to treat our boat drill as very close to some kind of joke.
Holland America's ship Oosterdam has its lifeboats mounted on the lower promenade deck closer to the water, while the Carnival Paradise has the lifeboats mounted on the next to top passenger deck. The Costa Concordia also had its lifeboats mounted low like the Oosterdam does. On the Oosterdam during our boat drill, we went immediately to our lifeboat station by the lifeboat, while on the Paradise, we first went to an assembly station located in an interior bar, then only after a head count showed everyone there did we climb the stairs and head across the open-air deck to the opposite side of the ship where our lifeboat was located.
Given the location of the Concordia and Oosterdam lifeboats, in the case of the Oosterdam on Deck #5, if such a ship in distress suddenly capsized, it would throw some of the people standing at their downhill boat station into the water and others might get trapped trying to flee through the ship to the uphill side. At least on the Paradise the boat deck is on an open-air deck where patrons fleeing to the opposite side would stand a better chance of getting there without getting trapped inside the ship.
Once a ship capsizes more than a certain amount, approximately 15-20 degrees of list, it is impossible to launch the uphill-side lifeboats as they will drag down the side of the ship in their descent to the water. In such a situation, the downhill side lifeboats are the only ones that can be launched, though the risk is that the ship will quickly capsize once a certain amount of list is reached, thereby trapping anyone at the downhill side lifeboat stations.
Perhaps it would be wise for some naval engineer to come-up with a wheeled arrangement for lifeboats that would allow the uphill-side lifeboats to be launched long after they would be touching the side of the ship in their descent. I could envision 4 rubber tires mounted to the lifeboat, two at the lifeboat's gunwales, and two more further down set into the hull, with just a few inches of protrusion, which could make it possible to launch the uphill lifeboats without tipping them over even with the ship at a 45-degree list.
Given the Concordia accident I feel that as a part of lifeboat drill safety instruction the passengers (and crew) need to be made aware of the safest-possible procedures for a situation involving a steep list to the side, and at what point a rapid capsize becomes imminent. All ships have a point where a list to the side becomes fatal and a rapid capsize is the result. It might also be that simple list monitors need to be mounted at boat stations so that the passengers and boat crews can easily see when the ship's list is becoming critical-enough to abandon the boat station and evacuate to the uphill side. Given the size of the hole in the Concordia, a few extra minutes would have made a lot of difference in getting the passengers safely to the opposite side of the ship before it became impossible to do so.
No matter whether it was the captain's or cruise line's decision to operate their vessel much closer to shore than is normal the captain is ultimately responsible for the safe operation of his ship, and in an emergency the captain has a responsibility to the safety of his passengers and crew too. I might think that this accident illustrates the need for a policy change regarding these types of close to shore course deviations, especially involving ships carrying thousands of passengers. I could see a half-mile of separation given a well-known depth. I can't see 150 yards from shore for a ship of this size, as all it would take would be a rogue wave and what happened to the Concordia could easily be the result.
Old Timer-88224 Excellent points, But i would think that the Watertight compartments and the taking in of ballast, is for that very same solution you mentioned, to keep the ship on almost even keel for the launching of the lifeboats, what I think happened here was a Panic and no one knew how to use the Ballast properly, At such accidents taking in some ballast on the Damaged side, would be advantageous as a " control mechanism ", that is so that as Ballast is taken in to the non damaged side, causing the damaged portions to move, creating un uncontrolled water motion, so having some ballast under ones control on the damaged side allows manageable control.
That is why it was clearly stated with those in the know, that is would have been best to have launched the Lifeboats well before listing of the ship was so, that launching would have been more difficult, so once again as you said, it was the Captain fault and liability, one cannot design " ship safety " for incompetence.
You are correct about the issue of counter-flooding to attempt to reduce a list. In World War II, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, when the IJN super-battleship Musashi was hit by 20 or more torpedoes, the captain and crew managed to keep it on a relatively even keel for 8 hours after the first hits were made by counter-flooding entire compartments including an entire engine room, but as it became necessary to flood more and more compartments the ship got lower and lower in the water until the bow and foredeck was underwater, and then the ship rolled over and sank, even though one of four engine rooms was still operational and the ship was still underway, although at a speed of just a few knots. As it became apparent that the ship was going to sink, the captain did try to make a run for the beach too, but his effort was too late.
If I am correct, what caused the Concordia to list to the side opposite the damaged side was additional contact with the sea bottom, in a broach condition parallel to the incoming waves, which pushed the ship over onto its side. The captain had between 45 minutes and an hour to launch the lifeboats before the final event occurred, but he chose to attempt to either dock or beach the boat instead. Just like the Titanic, the captain on the bridge has to rely on crew reports from deep within the ship as to the severity of the damage, so it might have been 15-20 minutes before the severity became completely apparent, which is about when the captain made a sharp U-turn and tried to head for the pier.
Who knows how many lifeboats could have been launched had the captain elected to immediately launch his boats instead of trying to make an emergency run for the shore? I'm sure that question will be debated for years to come. The crew of the Lusitania managed to get 7 lifeboats launched in the first 18 minutes after the torpedo hit, but then the damage was readily apparent immediately too. Many years ago the captain of the excursion steamer Tashmoo made an emergency run for the dock in Detroit and managed to get 2000 or more passengers and crew off safely as the ship settled and sunk upright at the dock after hitting an underwater obstruction and holing the ship in the Detroit River, and I'm sure that the captain of the Concordia thought that he could safely pull off the same kind of run for the dock but it was not to be.
Frankly this incident could have ended a whole lot worse than it did too.
Were the movie rights bought yet? Titanic II... Humm... Maybe Gilligan's Island II?
Actually this is more like "The Poseidon Adventure" than the Titanic. Will we have "The Poseidon Adventure 3" since there was already a Poseidon Adventure 2
As each hour goes by, it's sounding more and more like a Keystone Cops revival.
I wonder if his name was Captain Smith?
Junglejim: Captain Morgan? I used to like to set sail with him.... Ha!
God rest the soles of those who died and help find the ones still missing. I have been on several cruise ships and always do my homework first. If the Captain isn't a middle aged white ex-U.S.navy captain I will not book the cruise.Even then I will make sure that he doesn't have any history with being disciplined for drinking or drugs on his record. And yes,you can find all this info if you know where to look. Not being racist here but just careful. They are the only people that have the intelligence and experience to get these huge ships from point A to point B safely.ANY good navy captain would have made sure that his crew had the proper training just like any good airline pilot knows to check his on aircraft.
JmB66,
It's like a collage of comical skits, unfortunately at the expense of peoples lives.
I don't think I would be going to my cabin if the ship was sinking!!
My Favorite!!
You showed them, didn't you.
I'm sorry, but these last to comments just paint a very comical visual.
I'm sorry but this whole story sounds like "The Poseidon adventure" and "Airplane" go on "Pee Wee's big adventure"
Voted McCain-1408057 - God rest the soles?
A perfect example of McCain and Sarah Palin supporter! Cute picture.
Just having fun at your expense. My apologies.
I do not understand how in the world this guy let this huge ship get the close to land! I mean they have radar and GPS and all sorts of things that we did not have when I was in the Navy. We used to go into San Fran through a very narrow shipping lane using two guy taking reading and radar. The pictures I have seen put this ship very close to a small islet.
DS1982, your an idiot!
Robyn-1198025 -
The comment I’ve made is for fun and apologized for it. However, you called me an Idiot!
This is why the GOP should be officially renamed the Vulture Capitalist Party (VCP). Rick Perry should take the credit for renaming your party.
@ Voted McCain-1408057
I continue to lose faith in the human race due to fools like you. You are a disgrace for not getting an education when you had the opportunity. I don't even want to know how old you are but the fact that most first graders - who know and understand the difference between the "sole" of someone's feet and the "soul" of a person - are unable to vote in this country in your place is a travesty!
God save your "sole" moron.
Well I finally got some of you to come around. I had to resort to reverse psychology to do this though. If I had said I thought the captain was ultimately responsible I would have gotten nothing but arguments to the reverse. Playing the devils advocate (like Phil Donahue) has done exactly what I wanted people to do, come out say what is obvious instead of just being my one voice alone, there are now many. Thank you for finally seeing it the way I actually do. For the record I've had 5 opportunities to go on a cruise (two of them at no cost to me) and turned them down every time. Of all the ways people can die, I don't want to drown. It is perfectly reasonable to expect any transportation system will get you to your destination safely. I am concerned that IF during Captain Sullenberger's landing in the Hudson had ended with several passengers being killed, would many of you have blamed him for those deaths? That one is difficult to argue either way isn't it. He managed to save everyone on board and is rightfully a hero. What's your take on that hypothetical scenario?
No... no... you actually are being racist. Your belief that only a white man could be a proper captain is actually the dictionary definition of racism ("The belief or doctrine that inherent differences between various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior.")
And I, too, hope that your imaginary god takes care of the bottoms of the dead passengers' feet (their "soles").
Racist, ill-educated, and inclined to believe in fictional deities. Gee, you can only imagine my great surprise that you voted for McCain/Palin.
ThinkForYourself.......great post. Articulate AND controlled. :)
Voted McCain - I am not trying to be nasty here - but you seem to know more about the US Navy than I certainly do. Does the Navy only have white males at the rank of captain or above? I honestly don't know and I'm just curious.
Unforeseen ocurrences befell them all.
Dugh!
I recognize your humorous reference to Ecc. 9:11, and also see the sad humor of rocks and islands that have not moved in the past several thousand years that shipping has taken place in this area.
Well, there is a lot of volcanic activity around Italy, but not where the ship ran aground. "And the little hills..."
what an italian joke. this is nothing like the Titanic. The shore is 20 yards away, quite different than the North Atlantic. I'd look into insurance scam.
Hello, Save the Environment:
The fear may have been of Titanic proportions, as many passengers were at dinner service, unaware of how far the vessel was out at sea.
When I was an officer on an Italian cruise line, the vessel was broadsided in the Sea of Japan by a Japanese freighter. The starboard side of the vessel was caved in badly (third and fourth decks), but nothing of this proportion. This event also took place during dinner service, and the crew went into emergency mode guiding passengers to their stations.
Any accident on any sea is frightening.
Tell that to the dead, they and their families see no difference whatsoever. Bet if you'd been on board you'd have been as scared as anyone.
insurance scam? really did think to long on that one did you. Im sure the company wanted to wreak a ship full of passengers killing a few dozen along the way to collect insurance on a perfectly good ship. Hey maybe they want the insurance money to pay off all the law suits!
The number of times this will vapidly be compared to the sinking of that other ship 100 years ago will surely reach titanic proportions.
@save the environment" how about saving the few brain cells you have? what other anti-Italian conspiracy theory do you have? Mob related? Bunch of idiot Guidos?
Justmy$j0.02 - Snookie did it!
Really I mean really, Insurance scam. Your stupid. If it was I am pretty sure after hitting the rock he would have let it sank where it was and not as close to port as he could get it.
Submerged rocks don't just suddenly materialize in a well-known and charted standard cruise course. Insurance scam? I hadn't thought of that, but worse things happen in Italy. The construction firm renovating Venice's historic 200 year old La Fenice opera house, one of the jewels of the country, decided they could get more money by torching the place and burning it to the ground to rebuild the whole thing--which is exactly what they did. I think (and hope) they're still doing time.
Had this been out further in the sea then it would have been as devastating as the Titanic. It's either clever maneuvering after the fact or good luck that they were so close to shore.
The problem is multifaceted, but modern ships are supposedly engineered not to list and capsize like both the Concordia and Titanic did. So what happened here? Was this ship defective or are ships not as safe as we are lead to believe.
Regardless, I hope that cruise lines take a hard look into their safety practices because obviously their current plan is inadequate. What good are ample life boats when, within a short period of time, the ship is going to tilt over and render them useless?
Well said it seems that the " water tight " compartments where not so water tight, and it may well also be that the Pumps that where supposed to stabilize the ship where all connected to a single power supply, so when the power failed, " there she goes "!!!
WTF!!!!! is the titanic the only ship ever to sink? this cruise ship is nothing like the titanic and to compare the two is the idiotic thing one can do, the height of ignorance. those 2 ships are so vastly different that its like night and day, nothing is comparable!!!! the titanic hit a iceberg and split in two out at sea, the condordia hit a rock near the harbor and hobbled to shore listing as it made it. the reason way anyone is dead is due to their own failures. one should not be on a sea vessel unless they are familiar with emergency procedures and have a basic understanding of where they are and whats around them. i feel sorry for no one that takes a cruise blindfolded.
sucks for the captain for it to have happened in italy, they are horrible when it comes to justice and the law(they can lock you up without warrants or cause). the only thing that would get the captain in trouble is if he didnt follow procedures and deliberately ran the ship into the rock, or under the influence. just because people die is no reason to automatically blame someone. gather the information first then assign blame, knee-jerking is so common now.
All right, all right. I apologize for my insensitive words. Nothing against Italians, they just screwed up a lot lately with Silvio and the bunga parties and their financial problems and the Camora, Sicily, the corruption and all those cultural aspects. But nothing against Italians, they are people like all others.
Just a guy, if it was an insurance scam they would bang up the ship a little and minimize loss of life to minimize compensation to families. thank God few died in this tragedy. Oh and it's "you're stupid" as in "you are stupid", not "your stupid". If you're going to insult me do it properly please.
<quote>"gather the information first then assign blame, knee-jerking is so common now."</quote>
Amen to that. The way the news is reported these days--and particularly the way the news is so illiterately and sloppily reported on MSNBC--we don't yet really know WHAT happened. It may have hit a submerged rock. It just as well may have been attacked by Iranian terrorists who blew a hole in the side with a magnetic explosive device. Would we be told that if it were true? We don't yet know because an investigation into the incident has not yet been conducted. It is REPORTED that the ship hit a submerged rock. For all we know, it might have hit a North Korean submarine or a drifting shipping container.
It could very well turn out to be that the ship's captain acted in the most appropriate way to save the ship from sinking in deeper water, and was simply overcome by the turn of events (no pun intended). Another knee-jerk jumping to conclusions assumes that the captain left the ship in an irresponsible way. I'm not saying he didn't. I am simply trying to remind people that WE DON'T YET REALLY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
Do we know that the captain KNEW there were still people on board when he abandoned ship? We don't know squat, people. Maybe he was a coward. Maybe he was a hero. Maybe he was something in between. WE DON'T KNOW. This is, after all, MS NBC, irresponsible peddler of internet advertisements to people impatient to read mindless gossip about syphilitic slatterns.
Yet some brutal morons in this comment forum want to see the captain drowned or worse before they even bother to gather a single fact. All anyone knows at this point is that "such and such" has been REPORTED. To demand an inhumane response to a tragedy like this before KNOWING all the facts is not only immature and irresponsible, but it is truly a more evil and criminal behavior than the things such demanding gargoyles typically spout off about. Wait until the facts are in and KNOWN before you shoot off your brainless demands for flogging to death, all you hideous murderous monsters who deserve as much yourselves as whatever you wish on others.
May God save us from ever having to answer to such shallow people as you knee-jerk accuser-judge-jury-executioners so clearly are. From all that I have read in these forums, I could estimate that perhaps 2 percent of the members of the human race are capable of doing something useful with their lives, and the rest aren't worth the manure they're destined to become. The 98 percent are a pack of shallow, ignorant, mindless wolves who wouldn't know a rational thought if it slapped them across the face after a twenty-year warning.
@ Eagle Averro
If you read the article a little closer, it states that the gash on the side of the vessel was over 160 feet long and if you look closely at the photos of her on her side, the gash is multiple decks high. The "water tight compartments" would have all been compromised and allowed too much water to enter on one side of the vessel. Usually the "water tight compartments" are sections of the ship, not individual decks nor rooms. At that point, the pumps would have been nearly ineffective to keep the water out at a rate that could keep her afloat.
Unfortunately, the best chance to find the missing passangers and crew would be to check the cabin and machine spaces nearest the breach in the hull. They would never have stood a chance in those areas when it opened up.
jay3403 Thank you, you have misunderstood what I said, The Ballast was pumped INTO the " water tight " compartments on the OPPOSITE side to the Gash, so as to stop the Ship from Listing too far and hence make the lowering of the Boats difficult, As i also stated they did not do a good job at managing that task, and hence the ship Listed the Opposite direction, lifting the Gash Higher meant that the water RUSHED out of the gash, exacerbating the Ballast load on the oppositete side hence tilting the ship in that direction more.
As to Water tight compartments those in the 180 feet would in totality be only a fraction of what is available, thank you for you thoughts.
What is the name of the shipping company and owner of the Concordia? This information should have been in the first few lines of your article before all the gory details. The public has a right to make an informed decision when considering a future cruise based on such catastrophic events. Shame on you for lacking of essential journalistic skills!
Falset 928 ... Costa Cruise Lines
There have been several articles since yesterday you may not have seen, all articles informing readers of the cruise line. Type in Concordia into your search engine and the information will be provided to you.
Really Falset 928? You want to know the name of the owner of the Concordia so you can avoid using that cruise line and thereby somehow avoid the same fate when you cruise? Are you for real? That big underwater rock the ship struck was the CAUSE of the accident. That rock was put there by God, I don't see anyone else making planets do you? Will you now avoid church because of it so you can boycott God? Surely a merciful God wouldn't have put that rock there OR let the ship hit it OR let innocent people die. Let's arrest the captain, sure the ship maker because it could not take a hit like that, or sue food producers who's product made people so fat they couldn't swim to safety. Since you want to place the blame is strange places my response should make you very happy indeed.
The Concordia is owned by Costa Cruises, which in turn is owned by Carnival Cruises. So if you want to avoid cruising on any of their ships then you'll have to avoid not only Costa and Carnival, but Princess Cruises, Holland America, Cunard and Seabourn. That's a pretty big chunk of the cruise industry.
Falset 928 -
Get your news from Fox News so that you can agree with all the screwballs and crazies!
and im sure DS1982 gets all their news from the left so as to be indoctrinated like the rest. you do know fox is the only news media that leans right, every other one is left ( TV of course). so would you be a-okay in having all news channels lean left? can you name any unbiased TV news channels.
Up: If all the ships are co-owned or in some sort of DBA single entity, then it might be best to avoid all of them. Cruises dump their garbage and spent oil directly into the ocean, being one of the worst polluters. Do everybody a favor and don't waste your money and waste the environment.
Tom: God gave the captain GPS, radar, sonar, maps, compasses, navigators, planned sea-lanes. God created rocks too, but I won't do X-rays on you to find out where.
Swagganaut - Wow! Are you actually defending Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid media empire that is being investigated for spying on 9-11 terror victims?
Carnival is Costa's parent company
Experts have questioned how Schettino, the 52-year-old captain with 11 years working for the ship's owner, could hit so close to the island of Giglio given Italy's well mapped sea lanes.
Drunk?
I don't want to sound hypocritical but t would seem when they realized they were in like 5 feet of water and the ship was setting on the bottom and they could throw a rock and hit an island, that they would not have panicked.
Just sayin...
Maybe...but the water is freezing...and can you imagine what it felt like to see the world around you start to tip over? PLUS the fact that, once someone starts to scream, another starts to yell, and pretty soon you have a full scale panic...I can't imagine because it's never happened to me.
You would have pee'd your pants and cried like a baby when that cruise ship started doing a Poseidon adventure roll, you know how hard it is to get out of the middle of a cruise ship, in the dark, while hundreds of people and children scream for their lives and fight to live, keep your stupid opinions to yourself thruthhurts402 cause everyone knows disasters aren't as bad if people don't panic, but they always to, so why bring up something that obviously never happens?
I never understand why people like you post things like "If people hadn't panic it wouldn't have been so bad" yea, no @!$%# Sherlock. Hey guess what 402: if the ocean had had giant boat saving ghost ships in it they could have helped.
Freezing water? Are we talking about the North Athlantic Ocean in the middle of winter or are we talking about the Mediterranean sea with an average temperature of 60 F (16C) in January, that's hardly Titanic proportions freezing temperatures... call it instead bad decisions on part of the crew and someone with a new cruise ship drivers's permit... jump into the water and keep swimming!
Agreed, truthhurts402
Actually, 60F is pretty cold. Remember this isn't air remperature, its water temperature, so there are more molecules in contact with your body. If you don't believe me try sticking your hand in 60F water for a few minutes... it's damn cold!
Joe from the PNW,
The Mediterranean does not have an average temperature of 60 F in January(which is winter time in Italy). It is cold and freezing especially near Tuscany (northern Italy), where this ship is said to have sunk. The sea temperature was easily much below feezing.
If you look at how large the ship is, You would know that they were in more than 5 feet of water. I am willing to bet as an uneducated guess that the beam of that ship is closer to 60 feet, Therefore because half of the ship is sunk on one side they are in at least 30 feet of water in that spot. Also it says they hit a rock at sea and the captain was trying to get as close to land as possible to make a lifeboat rescue easier. Before you burn the captain at the stake you should at least give him a trial. Also those who say well the land is 200 yards away, Why be scared. Let me take you out in a row boat at 10:30 at night, fully dressed, right after you ate, and drop you in the ocean and let you swim back. Not even close to the same circumstances and I am willing to bet you would be terrified. Have of you posters don't even understand the power of the ocean, currents, underwater hazzards, boat drafts, (how deep the boat extends underwater) and things of the sort. Also more of you should read the paragragh more than once before you comment. It makes you seem stupid. Crash landing, Um no. The ship hit a rock at sea and the captain was trying to get as close to land as possible to make a lifeboat rescue easier. You guys are right. After the ship hit the rock they should have cut the power and sank right where they were. Because saving people from a completely sunk ship is easier than one only half sunk. Idiots. Also not exactly the best choice to swim back to shore holding an infant in one hand and trying to swim with the other. I would be scared. You would be too. Anyone who says they wouldn't be are f ing liars.
The article says that it could sink another 230'
I guess our Congressman Hank Johnson was right when he said islands float..His quote "Guam will tip over if the U.S. puts too many military personel on it". This island floated right in front of the ship !!!
@cumber,
If the sea temperature was "easily much below freezing", I think they could have walked across the ICE to safety.
cumber, if the sea was easily below freezing, wouldn't it be ice covered? Just asking...
I believe he was talking about what temp fresh water freezes at which would be 32 degrees farenheit or 0 degrees celsius. Salt water has a much lower temperture that it freezes depending on the density of salt in it, so the water could easiy be 20 degrees farenheit or well below 0 degrees celsius.
@ Illinois man + BT, while I don't know actual water temp at the site, cumber is absolutely correct. Salt water does not freeze at 32 F/0 C no matter where it is, think homemade ice cream.
Besides, if there is a current water doesn't freeze.
Look it up. Sea water freezes at 28F. The poster said the sea temperature was much below freezing. I doubt it. I saw no sea ice in the photos.
So much speculation! And I understand that to make jokes, like Cap. Morgan, helps to make this seem less real and tragic, however, how about some serious thought to those who were, and still are, on board, and prayers to those and their families. The legal system will run its course, but the human souls that had to endure this disaster, are the ones we all should be thinking about.
@ Illinois man,
Water that is constantly moving doesnt freeze like water that is motionless. Also, don't assume there was no ice just because you couldn't see it in the pictures. Have you ever been around freezing salt water? Just because it's cold enough to freeze and there is ice doesn't mean they could have walked on the ice to safety. If you are going to make remedial statements, at the least please watch "Deadliest Catch" so you can see how salt water freezes.
These cruise ships are huge so it is not simply a matter of hopping off when you feel like it. Ever tip over in an office chair? Kind of a helpless feeling isn't it? Well imagine the force and sideways momentum of several tons of metal tipping over with 4,000+ people on board. Now maybe it won't seem so humorous.
A quick internet search reveals that the current ocean temperature in the area of the sinking is ~11-12°C (>51-<54°F). There would have been no sea ice in that area--but with prolonged immersion, without thermal protection, the water would still have been cold enough to bring on death from hypothermia in about an hour.
"Eh, Giuseppe, you dunno ow to steer da boata?"
Thats "owa to steera da bota".
Falset 928 ... Costa Cruise Lines
There have been several articles since yesterday you may not have seen, all articles informing readers of the cruise line. In the future, type in Concordia into your search engine and the information will be provided to you.
Falset 928 is too lazy to do any of his own research. He wants it all done for him.
I'm king of the world, but that isn't a titanic - Italy: europe's afro-spanics - that is kind of funny...
still waiting on the zombie apokolypse
Idiots, this has to be one of most epic fails in like the entire history of cruise line operation. Only something like the Titanic can top a failure like that, what a bunch or dumasses.
Was Captain Hazelwood at the helm? (Exxon Valdez captain for those of you who are a little slow)
Seeing as you are absolutely definitely the first one making that lame joke, Steve, you sure are justified calling everyone else slow.
I already made mention of Craptain Joe Hazelwood on the previous version of this NewsVine article. Yeah, SOMEBODY here is slow.
We are in the presence of a genius! (Sarcasm)
Clap... clap... clap... clap.
Oh man Steve you did it again! Haha! You really don't have a brain just a bunch of compressed feces inside that skull of yours you silly guy!
This reminds me, of both Titanic and Poseidon Adventure! This is their second time hitting something in the waters near Italy. This tells me that Concordia needs to pay more attention to their surroundings in this area and/or train their captains/crew members better. Praying for the those lost and the family members who lost loved ones.
Why? They both involved boats? One of them was a real boat? The suspense is killing me!
Why you haven't been hired as CEO of Costa Cruise Linesas of yet is a mystery, since you were able to solve all of their problems in a single sentence. Perhaps those prayers would have been more useful yesterday.
Titanic? Not quite. No offense, but three lives lost in a boat crash 20 yards from the shore vs 1517 in the middle of the North Atlantic...doesn't quite compare.
Not quite a crash 20 yards from shore. Try 200 yards. Also only 3 dead and about 40 unconfirmed. The ship hit a rock that tore a gash in the side and they captain was trying to get as close to land as possible to make a lifeboat rescue easier. If that meant running it aground as close to land as possible doesn't really qualify as a crash. You shouldn't post at all as it is clear you have no idea what happened.
maybe you shouldnt post either since you have no idea what your talking bout. JWeilan was just commenting on the ignorance of comparing the concordia to the titanic which they are right, nothing similar besides both being sea vessels. only ignorant fools will bring up titanic or a FICTIONAL poseidon movie. the details are not even clear yet cause our wonderful 24/7 news knee-jerking sensationalism likes to keep us ill informed.
posiedon was based on the andrea doria collision....and that's probably a better comparason than titanic.
And some people believe Friday the 13th is a lucky day.
I can't believe anybody would waste their time and money on one of these things. What a waste of vacation time! Spending it on a floating hotel, eating and drinking to no end, totally isolated from anything real and worthwhile.
You got it, Matt. Cruise ships are Las Vegas on the water, designed for gluttons and immature selfish people, belching tremendous amounts of air and water pollution wherever they go. And for the cruise industry shills and cruise gluttony addicts who are sure to whine that I am wrong about cruise ships, consult facts...
http://www.eturbonews.com/13893/can-cruise-lines-and-ocean-coexist
Most people go on vacation for the purpose of isolating themselves from reality for a short time. Everyone needs a break from reality now and again.
Some of us work really hard and live in the landlocked part of the country. We like a vacation on the ocean with lots of food and entertainment because we actually need a rest. Apprarently you don't work hard enough to appreciate that.
Only uneducated white trash take these cruise ship vacations in foreign countries. These people are unable to navigate around, speak the language or do anything for themselves...thus they need to be babysat and waited on hand-and-foot. Idiots. Leave them on the mainland for more than a few hours and they're lost, robbed or in jail.
Your rambling is beyond remedial. "they need to be babysat"... It has been clearly stated that the emergency procedures had not been drilled prior to the accident. Also, the crew did not signal for help immediately. It sounds like you are the "uneducated white trash".
@Tim- only uneducated white trash make ignorant judgemental comments about people who enjoy taking cruise lines on vacation. Have you ever been on a cruise? They're pretty fantastic actually.
My in-laws took a 6 months cruise around the world and got to see sites they would never see other wise. Oh- and my father in law was CEO of a bank.. and my mother-in-law was a registered nurse before they retired. Hardly uneducated and white trash!
Guys, try and be a bit more compassionate. No one knows what happened yet.
Remember people have died...so the jokes are kind of lame...
They for sure know more that what is stated here in the MSNBC report, which already starts of wrong, not to mention a lot of discussions about things plainly wrong.
- the ship did not head towards but had left Civitavecchia three hours earlier
- the ship reported technical issues "before" it hit anything
- the ship hit an underwater rock further off the coast of the island of Giglio, there is a picture in European news of the ship on it's (other!) side, with a huge bolder stuck in the 70m gash under the water line
- after the collision, the captain was steering the the ship towards the harbor of Giglio Porto, that's why the pictures show the ship so close to the shore of the island. the collision did not happen that close to the island
- the ship did not run into the lighthouse as some $#^&* having assuming, specially considering that the "infamous" picture first posted shows the stern (the tail end) of the ship, not the bow
R
" Sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fatefull trip. That started in this tropic port aboard this tiny ship!"
"A 3 hour tour, a 3 hour tour...!"
"Titanic like",,,please. Could they be any more dramatic? RMS Titanic sank on her maiden voyage, in the mid north Atlantic, in 17,000 feet of water and took 1517 people with her. This ship hit a reef in shallow water less than 200 yards from shore. While any deaths area tragedy and due to lack of preparedness, comparing itin any way to Titanic is just sensationalism.
Agreed. While there are obvious similarities, to compare this with the Titanic is like comparing a stick of dynamite to an atomic bomb.
There's your answer Nicodemus; Americans on board. Let the over-dramatics and TV appearances begin.
You guys need to learn to read or comprehend what you read. Not only was the ship hitting the reef not the cause of the problem it was the solution to hitting a rock far offshore. Let's see what's more logical letting it sink completely or trying to get it as close to shore as possible therefore hitting a reef so it could no longer sink.
I rarely give people the benefit of the doubt, but I can only hope Ms. Ananias (the LA schoolteacher) was referring to the movie 'Titanic' in comparison to the panic and confusion onboard, and not the magnitude of the overall event.
Wow, quite a gash on the ship. Too bad she has a husband. lol
Wow.
I always thought these things were computerized. Oceanographic topograpy doesn't change that often. Wasn't sonar invented a while ago? I guess we'll have to wait for the Italian authorities to investigate. That should be interesting!
'Titanic'-Like scene, Maybe a little overstated?
If the water was deeper, it would have been a repeat of the Titanic. Perhaps (thank God) not as many lives were lost, but the scenario is similar...hit an immovable object, sustain severe damage to the vessel, it lists to the side until it's laying on it's side. It sounds as though chaos was reigning from the start of this disaster. One wonders where the captain was during the initial chaos? The survivors will be having night(and day)mares, probably for the rest of their lives.
When a ship is tilting 45 degrees and sinking in the ocean is not a laughing matter!
Accidents of this magnitude are rare since traveling by sea is safer than by air or any other locomotion, I have taken cruises many times and found them safe even under strong stormy weather.
I hope the are no more victims found and the other passangers will recuperate soon from this unusual ordeal.
nothing comparable to the titanic, the only thing the same is they are both sea vessels. i mean is the titanic the only fking sea vessel to have hit anything and sink at sea? stop with this comparison crap, it does nothing to help anything but only make you look ignorant to the facts.
More evidence that I was always right to avoid cruise ships. Wonder what the rate is for accidents, sickness, and deaths compared to all other ways to get away from it all.
The rate for accidents, sickness and deaths is the lowest for cruise ships than any other type of transportation/vacation. Sailing on a cruise ship has the highest rate of safety.
Prove the point you just made, Jerry, because I don't believe it.
The Captain said, "Woops, another fender bender. I suppose this means that my contract does not get extended."
LOL
Reminded the horror of Nov 10, 1975 in the words of Gordon Lighfoot (Edmund Fitzerald):
the big lake they called Gitchigoomie
I went through that storm! It was very bad, even 50 miles inland from the Edmund Fitzgerald. God bless those poor sailors.
That's nice. Really. Now the song is stuck in my head! shudder.
Gitchigoomie -- hahahaha.
No doubt a Brown Trouser Day. Thanks, Gordon Lightfoot.
The juvenile jokes of some posters are out of line. People DIED for goodness sake!
I agree. I had made a post asking why everyone was so angry at each other when people have died but when I hit the reply button on the first post, it was deleted. gotta laff at that :)
In any event, Prayers and condolences for all of those affected. Truly hope that those who are unaccounted for are found safe.
The captain of the ship needs to be shoot for leaving the ship before the passengers.
Hey Chefaz, I was also wondering why some of my "serious" comments were being deleted. I thot (thought) this deletion was only happening to me.
Censorship. Hmmmm.
So. They're gone and were all going to follow one day. Laugh while you can.
Hey DancingSpiderman...it's funny but there seems to be a lot of deletions on these NBC articles with no explanations. There's some kind of separation here - I don't think Tyler and Sally have anything to do with these. If I remember correctly, they are not a part of Newsvine. Your corporate advertising dollars at work!!! :)
Chefaz, i gree that Tyler & Sally do not delete those kind of comments; ones that were reasonably on-topic and not malicious.
YEP -- is Censorship.
people died really? wow people die every second in the world so why should we care anymore for these "special people". i know none of them so i have no emotions for strangers who took a risk and i dont base my thoughts on dead people. we put waaay to much value on life to a point we tell people how to live their lives according to someone elses view. dont tell me to change my thoughts because some strangers died.