By definition the captain is at fault. The safe operation of the ship is ultimately and completely the responsibility of the captain. The saying is, "the captain always goes down with his ship" and though that seldom happens in this case the captain is going down figuratively, if not literally. His career is over. Rightly so. IMO he was drunk. He should have been among the last, if not the last to leave. And this was NOT a "no fault" accident.

I have ridden on Costa twice and never was there any sort of emergency drill and never was any evacuation information offered, had to find it on my own. Crew was nice and mostly from Naples but they had nothing good to say about the Captain or the company. Third rate company with no interest in protecting anything other than their bottom line.

@1.1..........local officials say some 40 people remain unaccounted for out of the 4,200 passengers and crew. Three people are confirmed dead.

apparently what you have read amounts to very little

And the missing captain says that those underwater impediments weren't on his charts.........If he'd looked out the damn window he could have seen some of them. There's one sticking up out of the water on the starboard side of the ship in the photo! He's the same type of guy who follows his GPS device implicitly, even if it sends him in the wrong direction on a road trip. The guy's a dope. Hang him AND his wrong-way crew members.

"OH......THAT rock!"

N.C.

I hope I never meet up with you during a disaster.

NC never served in the military and cannot understand the words accountability and responsibility

N.C. Thornton he was the captin of the ship it his his duty to stay with the ship untill. he made shure all of the passangers were off. that is part of the job he singed for. and can be held acouttable for

everyone is still waiting for the biggest un-answered question, " why were the water tight compartment doors not activated, to keep the starboard side of the ship from filling with water below the waterline", the collision punched a hole in the ship around mid-ship, water tight doors should have been activated within a minute, to keep the damage isolated, what happened after the collision is going to be the big part of the investigation !

He is suppose to stay with the ship until all the passengers are off at least, he didn't do that. That is why he gets paid the big bucks and that is why he gets the title of CAPTAIN. He did do good by once he hit those rocks he stirred the ship into shallow water to keep the ship from sinking. Where the ship is in the picture is not where it initially hit the rocks. It is interesting what Bobman said about riding on this ship, not sure I would want to go on a ship where the crew hated the Captain and the company only cared about the bottom line and not the passengers. I thought that regulations stated that every ship must have at least one abandon ship drill after it leaves port, or before it leaves port?

Did the captain stay on board as long as he could do something to assist the other passengers and THEN leave or did he abandon ship leaving behind anyone he could have helped??? If the former, lay off of him! If the latter, then go to ye olde trusty time machine and arrest and court martial then future President John F. Kennedy for violating the "last man" rule. Before the remnants of PT-109 took a nose dive, Captain Kennedy, gathered his men, some non-swimmers and some seriously injured, and essential equipment like May Wests and headed for shore tens of miles away. Kennedy, as much as he could, paired swimmers with non-swimmers and injured with non-injured. He, himself, a strong swimmer, took with him the most seriously injured crew member. He ordered all the men to stay togather. Before disembarkation, Kennedy and his men searched as throughly as they could under the circumstances, for ONE missing man. No one had seen him, at any time since PT-109 had been rammed and sundered in two by the Japanese ship. Reluctantly they set out for shore without him. CLEARLY A COURT MARTIAL OFFENSE!!! Or maybe just common sense. --- Live long and prosper!

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 not 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 am glad to hear that they are finding some of those who were missing alive. I feared that the 40 people who were missing would all be found dead. Now it seems they are down to only 17 people still misssing and so far only three people have died. I hope they find those 17 people alive.

Do you think the saying "the Captain always goes down with the ship" came out of thin air? In most cases like this, it is absolutely human error that caused the chaos -- and I think hitting a reef too close to the shore falls under the category of "my bad". So yes, the coward should have been the last one off the ship.

So... nearly every person in the world (who can afford one) has a cell phone with a camera and are always taking pictures and video to post everywhere... where are the photos and video of this event?

@Matilda - The fact that rescue workers are finding people on board the ship alive tells me the captain left before he should have. By some accounts from passengers, the captain was gone while many of the passengers were still on board. "...said they saw the captain in a lifeboat, covered by a blanket, well before all the passengers were off the ship." As for JFK, he did what he was supposed to do and got the rest of his crew off the boat before he left. He searched for the one missing man and he could not be found on board so he then left. This search prior to leaving is the correct way to do things. JFK was the last man off the boat. The fact that a man went missing and presumably drowned is no cause to criticize his actions, he did everything he was supposed to do and everything he could to save his men.

@Saxon - The gash in the hull was quite long, something like 50 meters (~165 feet). This would have crossed at least two if not three watertight boundaries depending on the exact location of the damage related to the compartmentation. Even with the watertight doors closed, the ship would not remain stable with three watertight compartments damaged and would be very unstable even with two damaged. Also, watertight compartment run the entire width of the ship, they only segregate the ship into compartments along it's length. My guess is that the automatic water tight doors did activate, but this would not prevent the ship from listing to one side from the damage.

Ok, the Captain was on the cruise ship he did not leave it. He was one of the last people leaving it. They do not know what happened yet, they'll have to investigate. It seems that the Captain tryed to get the ship as close as possible to the coast after they hit the rock to facilitate the rescue. Indeed it did not sink like the Titanic.

As the accident happened all the harbours around the scene sent people for rescue, but, they've to have the time to get there right? Ok, that said, the people on the island, that is usually crowded on tourists season, went to the harbour to help as much as the could, providing dry clothes, blanket, a warm place to stay. The local pharmacy opened to give medicine for free to anybody who needed. All of it while they were waiting for the rescue teams to get there, again it takes time, it's an island!

I now that in time of emergency a minute seems a lifetime but, from there going around and tell the press that they were "very unorganized" is really exagerated. After all just 3 died (3 too many) out of 4,000. This morning they found two crew members still on the ship. Unfortunatley I am afraid that on the part of the ship underwater they'll find somebody else...

The Captain should have stayed and ran operations on-board, he wimped out and ran away, that's why he hid under a blanket, sorry Italy but you have a lousy track record, look at your former Prime Minster, how many governments have you had since the end of WWII, and another one of your captains ran a ship aground just a couple of weeks ago, a peacock nation without any substance.

NC Thornton,

A ship's captain is responsible for the lives of crew and passengers. Leaving while there were still people in distress on his ship is a complete abrogation of his responsibilities and an act of personal cowardice. The captain need not go down with the ship, but it is his responsibility to ensure that no one else does either before he leaves it himself. It doesn't matter who is"at fault". His responsibility remains the same in either circumstance. Yes, doo-doo happens every day, but the captain accepted the responsibility for doo-doo happening to the ship, passengers and crew when he accepted command. There was no immediate or overwhelming danger that justifies his leaving the ship before he was assured that all who were relying on him were accounted and cared for. Too big a job? Then don't accept command in the 1st place.

This "ship's captain" will be lucky if someone entrusts the command of a rowboat to him after this debacle, but it may also be the beginning of a loooong career in politics for him. He appears to be their kind of person- taking the credit as long as things go well, then when something goes wrong they 'jump ship' (pun intended) and/or deny any connection to the bad 'something' and leave their constituents to drown in the ill effects of their decisions, all the while claiming freedom from that responsibility.

I sure do hope that you were never in our military in any kind of command postion, NC. The people under you would surely have suffered for it. It looks like you would have allowed your command to die off to protect you so you could give your superiors an accurate depiction of your side of the problems you encountered and give the excuses as to why it all wasn't YOUR fault. Basically, I find your reasoning to be very, very lame.

Matilda............. Lieutenant, Junior Grade Kennedy not Captain.........and he received the Purple Heart for bravery for getting all but one of his men safely to shore...........He didnt just bail out and leave the rest to fend for themselves..........The Captain of the Cruise Ship didnt risk his own life trying to save anyone.... not that the 2 situations are actually comparable...........I bet you any amount of money the cruise ship captain doesnt go on to become President of a country(or even Captain of another ship) The cruise ship Captain wasnt under attack either far as we know..........You going to slander Captain Kangaroo next?

Exactly how does the captain KNOW, with over 4,000 people on board no less, that he is the last one on the ship?

I have ridden on Costa twice and never was there any sort of emergency drill and never was any evacuation information offered,

Didn't stop you from going back now, did it? People never have an issue with anything until something bad happens, THEN it's time to jump on whatever bandwagon is passing through.

NoTeaBagger

The Captain should have stayed and ran operations on-board, he wimped out and ran away, that's why he hid under a blanket, sorry Italy but you have a lousy track record, look at your former Prime Minster, how many governments have you had since the end of WWII, and another one of your captains ran a ship aground just a couple of weeks ago, a peacock nation without any substance.

I'm afraid you are right about this captain shirking his duty and leaving the ship early. Having said that, I hardly think it is appropriate to criticize Italy as a whole. Their politics are their business and not ours. Especially as screwed up as our own political system has become.

As for their captains, The ones that I have met over the years have all seemed to be be competent professionals. I suspect that if it was fully researched, a disproportionate number of captains around the world would be Italian due to their longstanding maritime traditions.

JS in SD & Vayne1 ----- Please reread my post. Your cricisms of my post were out of line. You two said essentially the same thing that I said basically the same thing that you two said. I did not remember the rank of JFK at the time, but I knew it wasn't captain. I used the title because he was captain of the PT-109. When did Captain Kangaroo abandon ship with others left on board? Even Captain hook never did that.

For the record: In the present case, I'm inclined to believe the captain was guilty, but I think current judgment is premature.

My thoughts exactly JmB66. The number missing out of the total amount is actually quite small - not that any amount is good. But with how long it is taking workers and divers to investigate room by room, I think it would be unfeasible to expect the captain to do the same before evacuating. By the sounds of it, if he had done, he'd still be on the ship searching for people. However, since the ship is stable on its side, it also wasn't absolutely necessary for him to evacuate. Did he know that though?

All that aside, if passengers were still getting off after the captain was, then that suggests the captain left while passengers were still visibly leaving. If true, then that is a problem.

jsinsd; agree, except go on line a pull up the design for a ship this size, it calls for at minimum of 12 watertight compartments below the primrose line, even if 5 were flooded, the ship would, list , but not roil over and fill up; we will wait and see, however i believe it may be what is being reported that the ship lost all electrical power, and there was no design backup to engage the doors, could be a design flaw or just someone did not give the order, "close the doors". The Titanic stayed afloat around 3-4 hours with a much larger breach, and their compartments did not have a top covering to prevent spill over.

NoTeaBagger,

You may want to think twice about condemning Italy for it's many Prime Ministers and changes of government. How many wars have they been involved in or started since WW II? How many wars have we in the US been involved in since WW II with our 'stable' government that has allowed for so much concentration of money and power that the will of the people basically means nothing? Those changes in Italian government are good indications that their democracy is alive and well as they have enabled the Italian people to maintain control over their gov't. That most surely cannot be said about us, especially nowadays. You should take a trip to Italy. I lived there for a year and have great respect for the Italian people and the way they run their government. We could take some pointers from them, that is for sure, when it comes to making our government truly be our public servant and not a deceptively named tyrannical master. An ability to get rid of a president or government through a tradition of 'no confidence' voting might have saved our own country from many evils, the waste of trillions of dollars and the deaths of thousands of service-members. They were at the democracy and republic business thousands of years ago, and provided models for our own modern ones. They know it is in their best interests to be able to QUICKLY pull the plug on any politicians who have gained the leadership spots before they involve their country in unwanted wars or other activities. Your evaluation of them as " a peacock nation without any substance" isn't justified.

Also, you might expect that a nation such as Italy, almost completely surrounded by water, would have a higher number of incidents on the sea. Its only reasonable due to the large amount of people who make their livings from it. Just because a cruise company hires captains more concerned with their own hides and with protecting the company first, that doesn't make THEIR behavior that of the majority of that country's ship's captains (of all types).

This is more like something out of "Lord Jim" than the "Poseidon Adventure."

"The weather started getting rough, the captain jumped right off. And for the ignorance of the clueless crew, some passengers were lost. Some passengers were lost."

Vayne1, although I agree with your post, I thought I would help you out a little. The Purple Heart is awarded for, as some who have received it for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but more accurately for being wounded or killed in action. John F. Kennedy received the Navy and Marine Corp medal for his heroism.

Oh yeah, whata nica Captain, eh. Typical for this breed though, and its not for the first time either.

Costa Cruises has a mixed reputation. Like the articles say, their passengers tend to come from many countries with various languages. That in itself increases confusion during an emergency.

If you want a low-to-mid-priced cruise in the Mediterranean, I recommend Royal Caribbean. I went on on of their 12-day Med cruises and the crew and officers were just as well trained as those on Royal Caribbean cruise ships departing U.S. ports.

The captain of the Costa Concordia is, of course, at fault for many reasons. I wonder if he ever served in the Italian Navy? I know that if he had been a U.S. Naval Officer, he would have known what steps to take during an emergency and would stay in command of the ship until every measure had been taken to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew.

@Milan69

You a ya type it like you talk huh?

Face you live in a 3rd world country that still thinks it matters and your recent history shows it. Havea a nice a day.

Agree -- the captain of ANY ship has ultimate accountability for what happens to all who embark in her. He is the ultimate coward. And NC, clearly you've never served in the U.S. Navy or have any idea of what it means to command a ship at sea. You, too, are a coward.

@Saxon - Actually, in the event of a power failure, the watertight doors are designed to close automatically. Also, most commercial ships are only designed for what is called two compartment damaged stability, so three compartments being breached would be expected to cause the ship to roll over and/or sink. I spent half my career as a marine engineer and have a degree in marine engineering with a minor in naval architecture, so I know a little about ship design. The main reason the ship rolled was that it was moved into shallow water. As the ship settled from the flooding it rested on the bottom and, without some kind of blocking to hold it upright, it would naturally roll on it's side.

Hey no TeaBagger - with your hate, thank you for not being one. You'd give them a bad name. Enjoy being liberal and voting for that America-wrecking Obama who will get tossed out of office a year from now!

Anyway, the captain is the ultimate authority, but there are senior crew members on the bridge at any given time as well. A ship of this size should have several officers on the bridge at any given time even if the captain is not on duty (which he should have been considering the ship was only hours underway). It was an epic failure of the crew from the top down, and as others have mentioned, it's not the first time in that region of the world.

The Mediterranean and cruise ships seem to not mix well based on safety history. Most of the accidents have been the fault of the crew (vs. a disaster from nature like a rogue wave ala Poseidon), and most had a flighty captain. That goes for ferry ships in the region too, the last major one being not from alcohol but from the crew being glued to that stupid, boring, and useless sport known as soccer to Americans.

I don't think many here are comprehending the fact that a sea captain who is in charge of a vessel has to remain with the ship until they are completely sure everyone is away safely from the ship. There's a reason for "a captain goes down with his ship" bit. While not taken literally, they do have to remain as well as some of the crew to ensure the safety of passengers.

2 guys were found dead by the evacuation point. Which means, yes, they did abandon their posts OR those people showed up well after the fact that everyone was off the vessel.

Either way, this guy is going to be considered the one at fault no matter what. He's the captain, he was in charge. All fault is going to be placed with him.

I wish these reporters knew how to report something instead of just cutting and pasting from another article. This idiot changed the body count back and forth at least 4 times with his cut and paste routine.

Captain "Sully" Sullenberger stayed on his sinking PLANE in the middle of the Hudson River in NYC until he was positive no one was left inside. Now THAT is a hero.

JC, a captain of a ship knows his responsibilty to the passengers and their safety before he even takes command of his first ship. If he does not want to take that responsibity on he should turn down the offer to command his own ship. Your idea of self preservation, while a good one, does not pertain in a state of emergency under a captain's command. What about the fire fighters and policemen who overcame that "natural" instinct on 9/11 and ran into a burning building that everyone else was running out of? What about the service men who got Osama Bin Laden, going through a dark house, knowing there were people in there around every corner who wanted to kill them? What about the rescuers in Oklahoma during the McVeigh bombing? When you take on a job that requires you to be responsible for the safety of others, and others depend on you honoring that responsibility, you do not have the luxury of caving into "self preservation" without facing the consequences of your cowardly actions.

See Miss GeorgePeach and her comments above mine. The entire crew of that airplane stayed on the plane until all passengers were out.

From many of the previous postings, it reveals many do not know the proper protocol procedures in abandoning ship at sea! When the Captain gives that order, his deck hands are required to give an exact count to persons aboard each life boat, and persons that jump into the water. When the deck hands have assisted all passengers in the process of exiting ship safely. They give the count to the next higher officer on deck. Then this mans responsibility is to give the tally to the Captain, or the highest ranking officer, he would be the duty officer on watch. Once the count is given, and compared to his board, giving the total count of all personnel on that vessel. Then and only then he would authorize all ships personnel to abandon ship. If all are accounted for!

From many of the previous postings, it reveals many do not know the proper protocol procedures in abandoning ship at sea! When the Captain gives that order, his deck hands are required to give an exact count to persons aboard each life boat, and persons that jump into the water. When the deck hands have assisted all passengers in the process of exiting ship safely. They give the count to the next higher officer on deck. Then this mans responsibility is to give the tally to the Captain, or the highest ranking officer, he would be the duty officer on watch. Once the count is given, and compared to his board, giving the total count of all personnel on that vessel. Then and only then he would authorize all ships personnel to abandon ship. If all are accounted for!

As a Sonarman in the US Navy I can tell you the bottom of the Med lives in constant upheaval and change. Wasn't to long ago that a US Submarine struck a rock formation in the middle of the Indian ocean that was never seen before. Now if this captain was on the bridge and the radar was functioning and this was the result of direct impact, then shame on him and the bridge crew, but based on the size of the gash and forecity in which it struck I think he drove her there to keep it from sinking and hence may have saved many lives by just placing her where she lays nows. I'm an old Salt, most Captains I knew would have much rather gone down with their ship then suffer the consequence of public humiliation and accusations of cowardice. Just my opinion based on the pics available. Glad a lot of folks pretty much walked off a ship that could have killed 95% of them. I'm glad it didn't.....Peace

the fact of the matter is this happened and nothing can be changed now, and seeing as how none of you were there you can't possibly pass judgementon something you did not witness directly. as any person in law enforcement or the military will tell you decisions made in real time dont always go as perfectly as they do in training

Hey JHawk, dont blame "noteabagger" on us liberals, that unintelligible drivel he posts screams teabagger rather his name does or not.

As captain I would have gotten on the PA system and Said this: 'Every Man And Woman For Themselves Because I'll See Y'all On Shore. or Last One Off Is A Rotten Egg!

What I would like to know is why was that idiot captain was so close to the shore. Wasn't he suppose to stay in the shipping lanes. Maybe, that $600 million cruise ship didn't turn on their GPS unit or the sonar showing the depth underneath the ship.

vayne1: Yes, N.C. Thornton DOES appear to have read little. Always amazes me how people feel strongly when they barely read an article.

One more note if I may, the way the ship lays I don't think it's master had any choice but to get off. The ship looks like it basically poured out it's contents. If the captain did leave after the ship was a ground you really can't fault him, the reports said it went from good to bad in a matter of 5 minutes, What did you want him to do? Pray?

I would agree to some extent that with 4,000 people on board it would be impossible to know if everybody got off before the captain left himself. I have been on a cruise ship that was 10 levels. First, I can't imagine getting all those people off a boat in a timely manner under such circumstances. For one thing within a short period of time, most are already drunk. Imagine trying to talk some sense into a person drunk and afraid.

I won't go into the fiasco I endured during my one and only cruise trip, because I would like to forget it. I know...many enjoy this way of travel and have had wonderful trips. I absolutely hated it. The crew on my trip was very helpful, considering how deathly sick everybody was.

I am going to reserve judgement until many more facts are known. My prayers are with those families that lost a loved one.

This is a modern version of what happend on the Titantic however, far less people died on this one.

To be fair, he's Italian. He was probably on shore looking for somebody to capitulate to.

HEY! NOTEABAGGER! You really are an idiot! The definition of an ugly Amercian! You condemn an entire country over the actions of the captain of a cruise liner? What the hell is wrong with you? With a President like ours you have the nerve to open your mouth about leadership! I am one Amercan who completely disagrees with narrow minded, off tracted, bigoted views. Why don't you go back to your local occupy protest and shut the hell up! What a true clown you are!

I see so many violations it makes me sick. If the ship lost its main radar why was the back up not used? If no radar why weren't lookouts posted? The Captain waited over an hour before contacting their coastguard, told passengers it was just an Electrical problem and not to worry. Most lifeboats never launched because by the time the order was given the ship was listing to far. U S Coastguard mandates life boat drills take place Before the ship departs, Italy within 24 hours of departure. Every cruise ship I have been on does training exercises for fire, collision and medical emergencies. I served 4 years in Uncle Sam's Yacht Club and know allot about shipboard training.

NOTEABAGGER YOU ARE AN IDIOT, NO LIBERAL GROUP WOULD EVER CLAIM YOU!!!!!

Joe-384888, You are right. It's wrong to condemn an entire nation because of the actions of a Captain faced with a floundering ship. It's even more wrong to condemn a massive protest movement because you "assume" a particular person in your disfavor may support that movement.

I congratulate you for referring to President Obama as a "President like ours". He is indeed our President to support with or without our previous personal support. Just like this ship's Captain, we must do all we can to help him bring us all safely ashore. To pray that he fails is to pray that we all fail. You might want to have a word with Rush Limbaugh and Sen. Mitch O'Connell about this subject. I have a feeling that their lifeboats are well stocked and ready to go. I also have a feeling they have no room for you and me as they prepare to abandon ship.

Dirk, at least under your system the passengers would have known they were being abandoned! :)

Also everybody, please note the headline. It's the ship's owner saying human error. Guess which direction that sh*t is rolling in.

And the missing captain says that those underwater impediments weren't on his charts.........If he'd looked out the damn window he could have seen some of them. There's one sticking up out of the water on the starboard side of the ship in the photo! He's the same type of guy who follows his GPS device implicitly, even if it sends him in the wrong direction on a road trip. The guy's a dope. Hang him AND his wrong-way crew members.

"OH......THAT rock!"

Another knee-jerk ignoramus posting certitudes when he doesn't know the first thing he is talking about.

According to the story reported so far, the object that was struck could not be in the photo you see. It was struck at a greater distance from the island, where there may have been a danger of the ship sinking completely. The captain may have left the ship early to sober up before being confronted, or for whatever reason we don't yet know, but it appears that he may have done a commendable thing in bringing the ship into more shallow water where it would not sink before it suddenly listed too far to be controllable.

Doesn't anyone THINK or inquire before condemning another human being any more? What have YOU been doing, Where'sWaldo, that your conscience is in such a hurry to condemn someone? What sins are YOU guilty of that condemnation comes so quickly to mind?

Let us all hope that you are not on the jury when we are brought up on unspecified charges just to satisfy a mod's bloodlust for blaming someone other than themselves of nothing in particular for the mess they're in just so that they can go to sleep knowing that they pointed the finger of blame at SOMEONE and made him pay for the weight of their own guilt.

I'd say the Cap't is screwed. Multiple charges of manslaughter and abandoning his ship then swimming to shore while it sank, which is apparently illegal in Italy. Evan the Italian Coast Guard tried to get him to go back to no avail. What a piece of @!$%#. Thumb down and send in the lions. He's done.

Whether the captain is to blame or not it looks like he is going to be made the scape goat.

Of course corporate drive for profits over everything else couldn't have been responsible.

Of course not!

I hate these reporters. They sound so stupid. Get a life. What the hack you think the passengers are feeling. THE CRUISE SHIP CRASHED. DUH.It's pretty sad to see that ship on it's side. I want to know if they can fix it? Screw the people SAVE the SHIP. And about the Captain don't you know you are guilty before you are proven innocent.

It is apparent to me that all these things went wrong because nobody knows how to do anything on that boat. Wow. I guess it is true; you get what you pay for. Instead of having Scotty at the Helm, they got Biscotti at the Helm.

Two things to add to my To Do Not Do List:

1. Go to anywhere in Mexico for vacation [Montezuma's Revenge and drug wars]

2. Go on an El Cheapo Cruise Line, even if it is in Italy.

"Follow me men." shouted Captain Chicken Little as he ran for the life boat. :-)

Jojobiggins,

"I think when the boat tips over, it's a good indication that it is time to leave the ship."

I'm sure that when it tipped over many left it unintentionally!

That's total BS. As Captain you are essentially the primary "first responder" as a matter of the position you hold on board. If you don't like the responsability for your passengers then take the job swabbing the decks instead. As member of the crew in this capacity you are less likely to get in as much trouble but I think you are still responsible to help the passengers escape FIRST!!!!!!!! NO SOUP FOR HIM!

as captin he should have know were he was and that the waters were the ship is located was not deep enugh

to cover the ship . there for he would know what part of the ship would stay abve the watter line . and could and should have could have kept some crew with him and they were the ones that should be looking for the 40 missing people

I totally agree that the captain should stay with his ship... but my question for everyone is this... is there some international or enforceable law of the sea that requires a ships captain to stay and possibly go down with a stricken ship or are we just romantics and expect people to do the right thing... just asking.

@82AllAmerican: It is rather a philosophical question you ask isn't it? It seems many people are comparing cruise liners to military battleship logic on this meme. It isn't even the same playing field really. Any decent engineer could tell you cruise ships are shoddy construction accidents waiting to happen. People seem ignorant to the fact. If every cruise ship accident got this much publicity they wouldn't be so shocked. So, to answer your question, the captain prolly thinks the owner will protect him with a good lawyer as a means to protect the image of his name brand creating for most cruise ship captains a false sense of indignation. Romance, much like chivalry is dead I'm afraid. If instead of hiding under a blanket he screamed at the top of his lungs, "Save the women and children first! Every man for himself!" I would be glad to know captain encouraged many men to be heroic that tragic day. One cannot expect the captain to save every life on board, only to encourage other brave men to act upon captain's will. Does this answer your question?

gop hammer, just how would you have him do that? Flying carpets? Remember this is a cruise ship with a gigantic center gallery, almost like a courtyard. It will take 2 weeks to survey the ship for possible survival. and thats above the water level. another 3 weeks to inspect the compartments below. So he was supposed to wait there 4 to 5 weeks just to make sure everyone was off? You need some smelling salts. Get real man, look at the pictures, It didn't take more than 15 minutes for the whole world to shift 90 degrees. Think about that for a minute or two and then get back to us....peace

Easier said than done if you're in the half that's under water.

On the bright side, at least no one got food poisoning...

2sxe4myshrt, I like the way you think, always looking at the glass being half full, turn that frown upside down huh?...lol.

?????? Have you not heard ANY news for that last few days??????????????

Wouldn't most people read the article before commenting???

Uh, Lynn Nationwide- How did you get into this discussion without clicking into and reading the "front page" news, first? Duh.

Seriously, I do hope these people make it out of there alive. It's got to be a frightening experience knowing that it's going to take time and effort to get them out and time may not be on their side if that ship suddenly takes a dive.

You mean if the ship begins to actively burrow through the coral that actually tore it's hull apart,it may sink in say, the next 6,000 years? Yes,time is of the essence.That is why the captain went for take out.

I seriously doubt that this can be blamed solely on human error. Most likely a human with far too much faith in modern technology.

My GPS fails me at times. I am driving a southerly direction toward a southern target. My GPS tells me to make the next right turn. Who's to argue with his GPS? Defeats the purpose, right? I make the next right turn like a good boy. My GPS tells me to make the next left turn. What the hey, My GPS must know something that I don't know. My GPS then instructs me that I am off course and must take the next left turn again. I begin to get suspicious as I approach the same road that I left before following directions from my GPS. Sure enough, I am told to turn right on the same road I left 10 minutes ago. I become agitated as I pull behind the same bluehair doing 15 mph in her Caddy that I carefully passed 10 miles back. How do I explain to my boss of 15 years that I am 20 minutes late because my GPS wanted to take the scenic route?

Hey Captain, turn the damn electronics off and look out the window. Yeah, that's a big old rock that is going to split your hull. Turn hard to starboard(or is port)? Geez, been relying on that GPS for far too long.

GPS does not record sea depth

No but GPS shows vessel's position on an electronic chart and radar will pick up the island with any significant structures, rocks etc. At night at sea it is difficult to see objects so electronics are necessary and looking out the window may not be sufficent.

Lynn Nationwide, what if those missing people are elderly or maybe they were asleep when the sinking and panic occurred? They could of injured themselves when the ship tilted making it impossible for them to escape especially when the lights went out. Then there are the walking wounded of course, the ones who will lay down and cry thinking that somebody will come along to nuture them.

Also it can be difficult to find your way around a ship that large especially for a one time passenger.Now kill all the lights and turn it on its side and it can be near impossible.As the submerged areas flood with sea water it may not even be possible to use any submerged exits,stairwells,etc.Those on the decks could swim for it sure(if not injured) but for some who may have been in their rooms,and in the dark its possible that they can't find their way out

Maybe they are injured and unable to make it out on their own. Have you considered that possibility? If they were able to get out on their own, I'm sure they would be making the supreme effort to do it.

don't call others idiots unless you have been in their shoes. Have you ever tried to get out of an ocean liner in complete darkness and not knowing the floor plan? Will you jump into freezing water knowing that you may drown or freeze to death? Ever know people who can't swim and you want them to jump into darkness not knowing what you might hit against on your way down? I bet you can't even get out of a movie theater when there is a power outage without getting trampled on.

Obviously you have never been on a cruise ship. You can't just hop off as you would a small boat. We are talking about thousands of tons of metal listing slowly. It can cause disorientation, injury. Power was off and it was dark. Families were probably in different areas. This is why a large crew is vital. It is their job to try to keep order, hard as that may be, and the Captain's ultimate responsiblity to see to both the safety of his passengers and his crew.

@Lynn Nationwide -

Judging by your ridiculous posts, you would be one of those "idiots"?

Christopher Antonacci (regarding Lynn Nationwide), you took the words right out of my mouth! LOL!

Has it occurred to you that when a ship runs aground, there is structural distortion and torque that can hold cabin doors shut? The electricity can go out, door may suddenly be the new ceiling, and it might be dark outside? People may be injured and immobilized? It's all very well to be a know-it-all landlubber.

Where was the professor?? Gilligan?? The captain, was on coconut juice at the helm. On a 3 hour tour...a 3 hour tour...The skipper was a mighty sailor man, his crew, proud and sure....sing with me now!!

Stupidity is a "Nationwide" problem.

2@Lynn Nationwide My be you should have been on the ship what would you have done. i guess you will never know. If your going to leave posts like that don't leave any at all you uncaring B.

If you've been on one of those cruise ships, even casually knowing the floor plan might not help. You could be decks below or hundreds of feet from an egress point that wouldn't necessitate knocking out a very strong window. Not everyone is sitting on deck or a balcony when disaster strikes; in fact, relatively few people are outdoors at most times. And look at the ship: If you were on the side that quickly became the bottom, it would be quite a climb to an egress point. I have no doubt that I could have swum to shore, albeit in freezing waters, but I don't know if I could have found egress from a lower deck.

Others have made very good points. It takes time to become familiar with a ship. The larger it is the more time it takes-even if its just the public areas. Unlike cruise ships DDG's don't have bulkhead maps.

I've been given to understand folks on aircraft carriers are only familiar with their physical areas of responsibility along with some public spaces.

I am guessing Lynn is 12 years old and sneaking onto Mom and Dad's computer.

Here is some comments from professional seafarers:

1912 the titanic sank it was a leap year 2012 is a leap year both ships were on maiden voyage ,coincedence 100 years apart ?

No, plain bob, he is supposed to be the last to leave the ship, so, put him back aboard! Wouldn't that be fair?

Walk the plank.

There is that little matter of the hole in the side of the ship. That's what charts are made for, they ran aground no "Act of God" here. It was the crew on the bridges fault, and therefore the Captains fault plain and simple.

Thank you N.C. - interesting perspective.

Does anybody know - do passengers sign any type of waiver or is there insurance? How does that work?

N.C. Thornton
it wasent an acte of god it was an act of human erro. he should have know were he was. and when he new this he would have know that he was in shallow waters.so this would tell me that the ship is to big to be fully covered by water .and that this part of the ship will not go under water . there he could have set up . a surch and rescue op.as captin you are suposed to know all of this information were the ship is how deep it is . will the ship have clearece. if he couldent figer this out he should not have been captin

If you are a captain in shallow waters near the rocky shoreline (where everyone considers most scenic) wouldn't it be common sense to navigate as slow as possible (for many reasons both aesthetic and safe)??? Either the ship manufacturer takes a good chunk of the blame and the engineer team {or we could discover how fast the captain was cutting} in order to make this gigantic !!!160 foot gash!!! in the hull wouldn't you say??? The reputation I've known for ages about modernized cruise ships is they are fabricated much like an RV and I'm not talking about Airstream. They are top heavy prefabricated plastic lightweight [and extremely expensive] making 4,200 passengers seem like sardines in a crushed box; or another analytic statement is to tell you a 15-25 knot gust of wind will blow these type of ships way off course in seconds possibly smashing it into a rock uncontrollable to the best boating team. From my years of nautical expertise I can tell you even the best autopilots don't perform up to par in these conditions. As far as studying charts goes that takes memorization and estimation skills average citizens don't have capacity for. How many hours at helm does this captain have logged??? Further more sonar can be used to identify ocean floor patterns and with proper engineering even a mediocre captain and team should be able to avoid these problems. I blame the engineers, manufacturers, company policy, media, ship owner, and coffee maker for a captain to take so much heat on this crap. Maybe captain had a long withstanding perfect track record and it broke his heart and shook his confidence so bad he feels terribly guilty who knows maybe some angry passenger would have strangled him out of anger for ruining his vacation. I'm sure captain hit the emergency siren of fire alarm as soon as he could.

Brokencitizen , the passengers won't be charged a rental fee for the life preservers, and all the bottled water they could carry off the wreck was absolutely free!

While it is true that you bring on harbor pilots when doing maneuvering when entering or leaving port, the captain is still in command of the vessel. And yes when he abandons his ship, passengers and crew, then hang him by the nearest yardarm.

Thank God they were close to land?..............I'm thinking that if they weren't so close to land,they wouldn't have hit the big rock that tore a 160ft hole in the hull

"This can not be compaired to the Poseidon Adventure or the Titantic as, Ships are still safe for travel. Thank God they were close to land."

@wayne1 - Exactly -- that's like saying; Jeez, I wish we lived closer to the Volcano, so we can save money on our heating bills.

EarthStars,

Most of the peoples living around the coast of the Mediterranean have traditions thousands of years old of assisting people shipwrecked along their shores (looting and enslaving them too, in some bad areas!). It IS a heart warming thing to see them all in action when there is some major disaster, from private citizens to pharmacies, all working towards alleviating any suffering on the part of the victims and rescuing those in danger.

"Close to land" is a relative matter whether in an airplane, or aboard a cruisliner. It's a matter of timing. Land is not good in an airplane, if you are going to crash into it at a high rate of speed from a great altitude. And concurrently, land is not such a good thing if you are sinking down to it in an oceanliner in the middle of the ocean. In this case, proximity to the shoreline saved a bunch of lives, but is also the cause of the wreck. Hmmmm? Mind boggling isn't it?

The only thing whch is self evident to me is how quick some people can make judgement calls with so little information. All we really know is a cruise ship sunk near shore, yet we have cries of hang the captain, who was at fault and a myriad of other conclusions founded on nothing but the ship went down. It is in keeping with the real American concept of jurisprudence, Guilty as charged until you prove you are innocent.

Yep, you're damned right, GUILTY! The ship in peril, the captain found elsewhere. Open and shut. What facts are in question? Ship is wrecked, captain gone. Guess that rock floated out in front of them like the Titanic's iceburg! There needs to be a thorough inquiry, but the captain was found on shore nowhere near the ship, which says it all. A cowardly poltroon! Maritime captains are like gods on their ship. In many ways, they ARE the law while under way. In exchange for this, they bear ultimate responsibility.

Too bad that Italy no longer has the death penalty.

ah but N.C. Thornton they are not in american waters there fo do not fall under american rulls.

I agree with you.GOD SPEED.

.......Amen to being near land but searching for justice and the truth is this corporate world, we all know that you'll have a better chance of seeing the POPE then finding out the cause of this accident and unlike that poor captain or some other loyal employee like myself who are invaluable to our companies worldwide, his courageous decision making may have saved hundreds of lives just because of some technological malfunction. That's why we're grateful to have the opportunity to work, play and live out our dreams here in the USA !

Stay with taking the local Caribbean cruises. Most are in warm waters and shallow enough that the of submerging the ship is small. The worse you can get is food poisoning, diarrhea, OR THE SHIPS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN FOR A FEW HOURS AT A TIME.

I'm not sure you are helping his cause. Better for them to go camping instead.

The worse they can get are poison ivy, chiggers, or bear attacks.

Yep, Italian justice, you're automatically guilty of the most heinous of crimes, no evidence required, or they'll manufacture it, just like the Amanda Knocks case.

Amanda Knox.

i though Obama was at play here

Yes, your underwhelming intellect would cause you to do that.

I am sure it is Romney. Let's get him before he has any chance at the white house. :)

***rolling eyes at bobbboxx2w and lack of humor***

Aye , True on the GPS .. but some-one has to make sure that the GPS is doing it's job..... navagator ? Pilot ? Maybe AutoPilot got em at the wrong coordinates .. but someone wasnt paying attention and should have caught the error , 3 dead so far for that mistake ...and besides , equipment like that isnt used in close quarters anyway , you would have a Pilot at the helm to bring her in , as far as responsibility , the Captain was supposed to be on the bridge and in command , he also after 11 years should know the propoer handling and prceedures for porting / deporting ... Sorry but his neck is in a noose... and he stuck it there...

a seperate article states that it is believed the Captain steered the boat to close to shore running it aground on rocks which tore a 132ft(i believe thats what it said) hole in the hull.

correcting myself..........it was 160ft hole in the hull..........and for those wondering why people might stay on board instead of swimming for it.............officials reported that the waters were near freezing...... people dont swim well(or very far) in freezing waters(though from the photos I'd never have guessed they were in freezing waters)

Was the captain also preprogrammed to run off with his tail between his legs?

most likely , think all the Italian ones are anyways

Who the hell needed gps? Look out the damn window and see the big rock. If you see that big of a rock beside your boat, I bet there's more of it under water.

He's a coward and unfit to command a rowboat, especially if the allegation is true that he had gone to phone Mama!

Not a sound decision , The Captain is supposed to stay aboard and direct the crew and passengers in Abandoning ship .. once all are off then he can go. The Ineptitude displayed here is hideous . this guy should swing more for being a coward and unable to command than for running the ship aground . That is what Evacuation drills are for , abandon ship in a minimal amount of time ... they had time , but the poorly trained Inept Command and crew kept that from happening... He'll swing in the gallows .... and Carnival will suffer for their decision to hire the idiot..

N

Hmmm, really don t think that the capt is a scapegoat. GPS and nav charts and a fathomometer are great tools. So if a pilot crashes an airliner landing at the wrong airport he is not at fault right?

Mark 440613 /it's almost impossible with all the electronic equipment in the control room. Alarms sounding when coming into swallow water. He has also been in those waters before. Nah he was sleeping/drinking a little vino or maybe some pills ? Who knows. He is a coward for running and, I think he ran because he was drunk or under the influence

guntoter...I am picturing the Geico piggy going "WEEE WEEEE WEEEEE" after reading your post!

Going down with the ship is steeped in lore, only. His actions will have to be judged by the courts. Read the book about the sinking of the cruiser, Indianapollis, in the last days of the war in the Pacific, in World War II.

It still does but obviously not on that cruise line. Guess the capt can get a new job running the exxon valdez.

yah, maybe the captain realized these fat self absorbed pricks wer'nt worth saving.

self preservation but he has a job to do, you cant just walk way from your job because of all the sudden you are in danger.

It is against the law for the captain to leave his post before passengers and crew are taken off. THE LAW!

As Captain of a ship you have a responsibility to ALL the passengers and the first one is making sure everyone is off safely...he was ABSOLUTELY WRONG for disembarking that cruise ship...SHAME ON HIM!!

In addition: Imagine yourself as a passenger in a small plane and something goes awry. What if your pilot decided to abandon you... parachute out..."see you wouldn't want to be you"? Get it now? It is the Captains job to make sure everyone is evacuated before he leaves.

Maritime law dictates that the captain is to be last off his ship. Maybe the law is archiac and needs to be changed, but since it still exists, and this captain knows what his responsibilities were.........yes he can be placed at fault.

so you're telling the general to desert his troop when he thinks things are getting to be too dangerous for him?

@Rachel:

Sorry. but he's the Captain of the ship -- it comes with the territory. Tell me, if you were on a plane and it was in danger, would you feel the same way? The Captain is the superior officer and is looked to for direction by his/her underlings and passengers. By virtue of that, the Captain must remain until there is nothing left to do, period.

REALLY??

Are you serious? Didn't see the videos of passengers saying there were NO instructions, total confusion and few officers in charge of the lifeboats. Don't you think the captain should have been there to help with invacuation and help keep order. They have compared this disaster to the Titanic; yes and no. No, the loss of life is not even close, thank God.

Yes, the captains should have done more to help save lives. Captain Smith of Titanic probably could have saved twice as many lives; if ONLY he instructed the crew to fill up the life boats to overflow capacity. He also could have commanded his crew to transfer lifeboat survivors to other lifeboats NOT filled and then come back for survivors. It was the freezing water that killed most passengers, not drowning. The lifeboats could hold more passengers, once they were on water and they could have throw out the sails/masts for more room (rescue ships were on their way).

@Rachel, thank goodness the first responders on 9/11 didn't have that self preservation attitude at "some point". Thousands of people were saved by men and women who upheld and honored their oath to serve and protect. When you are responsible for the safety of others, when your job requires you to honor that responsibility AND when people trust you to honor that responsibilty because it's your job, you damn well better perform.

Rachel: Yes -- every passenger can blame this POS coward. Every ship captain will tell you that maritime law dictates the captain must stay embarked until all passengers are safely off. These people are placed in a position of special trust and confidence. They know it, and know the inherent responsibilities that come with the position. It's clear what you'd do if you were in that captain's shoes -- see my first sentence.

Yes, actually, it does. Until everyone has evacuated, the captain is in charge. Just as when you leave an airplane, the crew and captain are the last to leave even once you are at the gate.

Got accused of spamming again. don't know what's going on

running aground means the waters were too shallow for the ship,or it hit a reef or shoal or in the case a big fricking rock.The ship is sinking therefore it is not "on land" You make it sound like he parked it in a Target parking lot.It isn't on land.If he had put a ship that large "on land" I'd think a whole new set of laws would be applicable.I think the Captain's first thought may have been "I just sank a $680 million dollar ship that I'm responsible for so I'm outta here"

The missing describer here is yes the mega-cruiser filled up with water shallow enough while getting pounded by surf obviously pushes toward shore, right? I doubt any undertow would suck said gigantic paper weight out the great abyss. Here's the rub... My memory from the picture included a shoreline consisting of miles long 30 foot rocky cliffs and est 48 degree water temperatures with extremely turbulent conditions at hand making getting to land safely a bit of might I say cliffhanger. So, the real question you need to be asking is how was Mayday beacon called and what was the response time of the search and rescue (coast guard) doncha know. The lesson here is the captain does not possess super human traits and in no way could he single handed rescue 4,200 crazy passengers hey. He already failed his job and is not so dumb as to have an escape route ya know. Unless search and rescue was at fault here by saving the captain instead of paying customers me tinx. Many details are missing and as usual the media is to blame for causing finger pointing and accusations. Seefeldt Out!

j698degrees I,am in total agreement with you.He is a coward! He is posser!

THe captain merely did what many Italians do in time of crisis. He ran.

The Captain was merely looking for his Brown pants.

you mean he had to go change out pof "white" pants because of the "brown" stain in the back?

I hope youre joking.

People are dead. If you think hairsplitting the topic of ship is in sea or sand is funny, bury your small head in both.

Depends on what he looks like! lmao

:)

What I cant understand is how it is even possible. With crew watch, a Cpt, GPS, sonar and radar; something went very very wrong