Sure the captain sounds like a total idiot but I love the way Carnival is trying to blame it ALL on the captain.. talk about scapegoating one person when it's clear there was failure on multiple levels. Passengers themselves are saying that the 1000 member crew wasn't doing anything and everyone was having to fend for themselves. It started raining just now, I blame the captain.. tebow lost because of the captain... etc
he's a descent breakdown of what happened. I find it odd that they would even risk cutting between the two little islands http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/...uple-plunged-into-chaos/52602722/1?csp=34news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16576979 From wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Concordia_disaster
It seems like Carnival should have a GPS tracker on their ships and anytime one steers of course a big red siren goes off in their main office and they can act. In this day and age, one dumb captain should not be able to steer a ship that large that far off course without some major warnings. Hind sight is 20/20 I suppose.
They just found 5 more dead people inside the ship. I think about 25 people are still missing, 11 of them German.
What a freaking shame. Just because the captain wanted to show off... Dang! Is the American couple still missing?
ROME (Reuters) - The Italian coast guard angrily ordered the captain of the capsized Italian cruise ship to go back aboard to oversee the evacuation, but he stalled, according to an apparent recording of their radio exchange played on national television. Captain Francesco Schettino is in jail, accused of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship. He denies all wrongdoing and was questioned by magistrates on Tuesday. The audio recording, on newspaper Corriere della Sera's website and played on national state television, reflected the chaos and confusion in the minutes after the Costa Concordia, carrying more than 4,000 passengers and crew, hit a rock off the Tuscany coast on Friday night and keeled over. Schettino, who had already taken to a lifeboat, can be heard talking to a coast guard official based in the western Italian port of Livorno. Eleven people have been confirmed killed and 24 are still missing. A Coast Guard official on Giglio, the island where the ship hit a rock, said he could not confirm the authenticity of the tape and said the Coast Guard did not give it to the newspaper. There was no comment available from the captain's lawyer. The recording is full of background noises such as radio static, beeps and background noise of people and confusion. As translated by Reuters, the entire conversation went as follows: Coast Guard: Hello. Captain: Good evening, chief. Coast Guard: Listen, this is De Falco from Livorno. Am I speaking with the captain? Captain: Good evening, Chief De Falco. Coast Guard: Tell me your name, please. Captain: I am Captain Schettino, chief. Coast Guard: Schettino? Captain: Yes. Coast Guard: Listen, Schettino. There are people trapped on board. Now, you go with your lifeboat. Under the bow of the ship, on the right side, there is a ladder. You climb on that ladder and go on board the ship. Go on board the ship and get back to me and tell me how many people are there. Is that clear. I am recording this conversation, Captain Schettino. (Captain tries to speak but Coast Guard can't hear him clearly. Voices in the Coast Guard room.) Coast Guard: Speak up! (captain tries to speak) Captain, put your hand over the microphone and speak in a louder voice! Captain: At this moment the ship is listing. Coast Guard: There are people who are coming down the ladder on the bow. Go back in the opposite direction, get back on the ship, and tell me how many people there are and what they have on board. Tell me if there are children, women and what type of help they need. And you tell me the number of each of these categories. Is that clear? Listen Schettino, perhaps you have saved yourself from the sea but I will make you look very bad. I will make you pay for this. Dammit, go back on board! (Noise can be heard in the background. Apparently other Coast Guard officers are shouting to each other in the same room about "the ship, the ship") Captain: Please ... Coast Guard: There is no 'please' about it. Get back on board. Assure me you are going back on board! Captain: I'm in a lifeboat, I am under here. I am not going anywhere. I am here. Coast Guard: What are you doing, captain? Captain: I am here to coordinate the rescue... Coast Guard (interrupting): What are you coordinating there! Get on board! Coordinate the rescue from on board! Are you refusing? Captain: No, I am not refusing. Coast Guard: Are you refusing to go aboard, captain? Tell me the reason why you are not going back on board. Captain: (inaudible)... there is a another lifeboat... Coast Guard (interrupting, yelling): You get back on board! That is an order! There is nothing else for you to consider. You have sounded the "Abandon Ship." Now I am giving the orders. Get back on board. Is that clear? Don't you hear me? Captain: I am going aboard. Coast Guard: Go! Call me immediately when you are on board. My rescue people are in front of the bow. Captain: Where is your rescue craft? Coast Guard: My rescue craft is at the bow. Go! There are already bodies, Schettino. Go! Captain: How many bodies are there? Coast Guard: I don't know! ... Christ, you should be the one telling me that! Captain: Do you realize that it is dark and we can't see anything? Coast Guard: So, what do you want to do, to go home, Schettino?! It's dark and you want to go home? Go to the bow of the ship where the ladder is and tell me what needs to be done, how many people there are, and what they need! Now! Captain: My second in command is here with me. Coast Guard: Then both of you go! Both of you! What is the name of your second in command? Captain: His name is Dmitri (static)" Coast Guard: What is the rest of his name? (static) You and your second in command get on board now! Is that clear? Captain: Look, chief, I want to go aboard but the other lifeboat here has stopped and is drifting. I have called ... Coast Guard (interrupting): You have been telling me this for an hour! Now, go aboard! Get on board, and tell me immediately how many people there are! Captain: OK, chief. Coast Guard: Go! Immediately! link
I just don't understand how a modern ship like this couldn't detect trouble and even maybe kick in auto-steer or auto-reverse to stay clear of any underwater obstacles? Or, even a huge warning light with blaring sounds? It's like the ship had no sonar or anything to determine what is going on underneath the water. A captain with his charts is all there was. That means the ship is only as safe as the judgement of the captain and the accurateness of the charts? That is not what I call a safe ship. Something stinks here.
^wow, that transcript is unbelievable. if true, hats off to the coast guard, that guy really tried his hardest...
Listen to the audio and the tone of the chicken**** captain....it's even worse than reading it. There's no urgency at all and actually sounds like he's annoyed at the coast guard dude. I predict cappie is going down hard.