BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: ChrisJBrady
Date: 18 Jan 12 - 05:56 AM

Apparently a class action by 70 or more passengers is pending.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: ChrisJBrady
Date: 18 Jan 12 - 05:53 AM

This wasn't the first time that the ship had sailed close to the island. It did so last August WITH the permission and knowledge of the owners. So its not all black and white and sqeaky clean at the US end of things. I quote:

From: [e-mail]
Cruise captain given house arrest

Italian judges have put under house arrest the captain of a cruise ship that crashed into rocks on Friday.

Prosecutors say Francesco Schettino caused the crash and also fled the Costa Concordia while passengers were still stranded.

A recording of a call between Capt Schettino and a port official after the crash appears to support this, though Capt Schettino denies the claims.

Rescuers have recovered 11 bodies and are searching for 24 missing people.

The local authority says 20 passengers are still missing. They include people from Germany, Italy, France and the US.

Four crew members - one each from Italy, Hungary, India and Peru - are also missing following the incident, just off the coast of the island of Giglio Porto.

Meanwhile, new satellite information shown to the BBC's Newsnight programme shows that the vessel had a "near miss" even closer to the island last August, in a diversion that was apparently approved by the ship's owners, Costa Cruises.

'It's too dark'

A recording of a call between Capt Schettino and a port official shortly after the crash appears to support the prosecutors' accusation that the captain left the vessel while passengers were still on board.
In the recording, released by the Corriere della Sera newspaper, Livorno Port Authority chief Gregorio de Falco can be heard repeatedly telling the captain to get back on board the ship to help the stranded passengers.

"Schettino, maybe you saved yourself from the sea, but I'll make you have trouble for sure. Go aboard," says Mr De Falco.

The captain appears to refuse, replying first that there are rescuers already on board, and then that it is dark and difficult to see.

Mr De Falco replies: "Do you want to go home, Schettino? It's dark, so you want to go home?"

Coastguards believe he never went back to the ship. He was arrested shortly afterwards and has been held in jail since.

Bodies discovered

But during a court hearing on Tuesday, the captain said he could not get on board the vessel because it was lying on its side.

He argued that after hitting rocks he had executed a difficult manoeuvre that had saved many people's lives.

His lawyer Bruno Leporatti later announced that the judge had decided to release the captain from jail and place him under house arrest.
Prosecutor Francesco Verusio, who had argued that Capt Schettino was a flight risk, said he did not understand the ruling.

"I'm keen to read the reasoning," he said.

Meanwhile, rescuers found six more bodies in the wreck of the ship on Tuesday, bringing the confirmed death toll to 11.

"The five victims are a woman and four men, who could be passengers, but we are not sure," said coastguard spokesman Filippo Marini.
He added that the dead people were between 50 and 60 years old, and were wearing life-jackets.

The bodies were found near one of the assembly points where people were told to gather in an emergency.

The authorities are also battling to avoid an environmental disaster, amid fears that the cruise ship's fuel tanks could break apart and shed thousands of tonnes of diesel into the sea.

Specialist salvage teams have been drafted in, and are due to start pumping the fuel out in the coming days.

The BBC's Peter Biles: "Footage shows the passengers dwarfed by the vastness of the ship"

The ship, carrying 4,200 passengers and crew, had its hull ripped open when it hit rocks late on Friday, just hours after leaving the port of Civitavecchia for a week-long Mediterranean cruise.

Some people were forced to swim for shore as the angle of the ship made launching lifeboats impossible.

Infrared footage taken from a helicopter showed lines of people climbing ropes down the exposed hull of the vessel to reach rescue boats on the water.

'Near miss'

Meanwhile, satellite tracking information given to the BBC by the shipping journal, Lloyd's List Intelligence, shows that the Costa Concordia sailed closer to Giglio island on a cruise last August than it did on its disastrous voyage on Friday.

Lloyd's List told the BBC that the vessel passed within 230m of the island on 14 August 2011 to mark La Notte di San Lorenzo - the night of the shooting stars festival on the island.

The route deviation on that occasion had been authorised by Costa Cruises - the company which owns the vessel.

Lloyd's List has published data suggesting a near miss occurred in a very similar location in August

The company said on Monday that the ship was never closer than 500m to the coast when it passed on 14 August.

Lloyd's List describes that occasion as a "near miss" and says the ship's route would have been less than 200m away from the point of collision on Friday's voyage.

Costa Cruises said on Monday that the route deviation last Friday had been "unauthorised, unapproved and unknown to Costa".

But Richard Meade, the Editor of Lloyd's List, said: "The company's account of what happened, of the rogue master [Capt Schettino] taking a bad decision, isn't quite as black and white as they presented originally."

"This ship took a very similar route only a few months previously and the master would have known that."

Costa Cruises says it is looking into the claims, but stands by the statement it gave on Monday.

Nautical charts

Meanwhile, Lloyd's List says the issue of which nautical charts the captain of the vessel was using looks likely to be critical to his defence if he does face a criminal prosecution.

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has issued a statement declining to comment on whether its charts were being used. No rocks are shown on the UKHO's chart at the position where the Costa Concordia sank.

The UKHO points out that its charts are only at the 1:300,000 scale and that Italian charts are available on a much larger scale.

"It should be noted that this small scale chart is considered to be unsuitable for close inshore navigation," the UKHO told Lloyds.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16604154

Unquote:

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 18 Jan 12 - 03:20 AM

He was sitting in a lifeboat while hundreds were still waiting.
He said it was dark and the ship was listing.
Bless.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Rapparee
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 10:46 PM

I wouldn't be surprised if they suspended his captaining license for at least 30 days.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Jeri
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 09:55 PM

I don't think he's being criticized for grounding the ship. I think it's because he left. I heard the recordings, with translation, earlier today. It pretty much went the way Charley said above. The captain also said it was getting dark and he wanted to go home. That was why he didn't want to go back to the ship and check for passengers.

I don't know exactly how much trouble he's in, but I bet he doesn't captain any more ships.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: gnu
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 09:40 PM

Well, the Cap'n is the last one off a ship. That's the rule. Does it apply in this case? Time will tell. Should it apply in this case? Time will tell.

All else is conjecture at this point.

But, yes... the Cappy should be the last off... by rule, no? Do you believe in that rule? Should it be an absolute rule no matter what?

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: kendall
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 07:50 PM

I'm not going to play "Arm chair expert", but I will say that a ship has a couple of mortal enemies; storms and land.
Number one rule is keep plenty of water under your keel.And, as Lindseys Law says, "When your draft exceeds the depth of the water, you are most assuredly aground."

Last, I spent most of my adult life at sea and some in the position of Captain. For a Captain to abandon ship with so many people still aboard is just not done. That shame will follow him all his life. And, it doesn't matter if he was totally innocent of causing the wreck. The Captain is responsible for everything that happens aboard.

As Captain Ahab said, "There is only one God in heaven, and only one God aboard the Pequod."

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 07:43 PM

I'm not even sure the captain in this case deserves credit for running his crippled ship into shallow water after it had collided with the ledge. Maybe he just panicked. The ship might have been able to limp into the nearby harbor. However, I'm willing to wait for the results of the investigation on that question.

I am quite willing at this point to condemn him and his second officer for abandoning the ship while there were still hundreds of passengers and crew left aboard desperately trying to save their lives. Anyone here still want to stand up for the captain in question?

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Ebbie
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 07:33 PM

Thanks, Little Hawk, for taking up the cudgel so quickly. Describing as 'old hags' the "single ladies" on board most cruiseships by a self-confessed elderly man is an exercise of uncalled-for snarkiness.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Greg B
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 06:39 PM

Only a very small percentage of the crew on those things are "mariners," properly speaking. Aside from not having the skills, they also really don't have the mind-set. If you think that land based immigrant workers are exploited, take a look at the service staff on cruise ships. The only difference is that on the ships it's legal, indeed, protected by international law. But if you think that one of these wage-slaves has any interest at all in any sort of heroics to save the "posh folk" from the briny deep, think again. They're just trying to feed their families in some 3rd-world country, and if they don't make it home, that family may well starve.

All in all, modern cruise ships represent a lot of eggs in one basket, and it's getting worse.

On my one cruise, aboard what was at the time one of the largest passenger ships, the Sun Princess, with 1990 passengers and 900 crew, I felt that way. The new ships double those numbers!

And it doesn't take a wreck to have a lot of problems to deal with all at once. The things are notorious communicable disease incubators, with passengers and crew crowding together after getting off airliners from the world over and then exposing one another to novel bacteria and viruses.

A couple days into my own cruise, I contracted the worst gastro-intestinal bug I've ever had. It was then that I also learned that ship's medics are notoriously cagey about discussing how many other folks are falling ill while on board. Fortunately, I recovered quickly and was paddling a sea kayak the next day.

On top of that, at least to my eye, the latest ships with their stacks of decks, seem un-seaworthy and butt-ugly to boot.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Little Hawk
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 06:37 PM

The average "old hag" was once a lovely young thing. Keep that in mind and learn some humility. Time catches up with all of us, unless we dodge it by dying young.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 06:30 PM

Entertainers, gigolos, boutique keepers. Many of these on the big boats. My dentist of a few years ago played piano on them, and another friend as a gigolo by the cruise lines, to dance and chat with single ladies (mostly old hags).

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Leadfingers
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 06:18 PM

Having worked as an entertainer on ferries - Only single round trip cross chanel and Weeked gigs , NOT long cruises , we were never fully briefed as to what we should do in an emergency , though on the weekenders we were treated as 'crew' .
Reports of the most recent bodies found being in muster areas leaves me wondering what sort of 'safety drill' practises had ANYONE on the boat done .

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 06:16 PM

Enuf yakity-yak ! Let's get on with the lynching. Who will provide the rope and the tree?

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: mayomick
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 05:52 PM

The inquiry shouldn't be conducted by the media. The tapes from the coast guard should be properly examined , experts called about the sea charts witnesses on board called to testify , the owners of the ship questioned about safety procedures etc .At least Admiral Byng got a court martial before they shot him .

The cruiser has been described as a huge floating pleasure palace. A lot of its crew seem to have been more like waiters, croupiers and entertainers than properly trained sailors .Was that the captain's fault? One passenger interviewed on CNN about the ship's safety drill said that it turned out to be a sales pitch for shore excursions. A woman who was at a life boat drill said that the crew did try their best to show people how to put on life vests but the passengers were only interested in trying to get drinks and take photos.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Greg B
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 04:58 PM

We used to say that the two most commonly-uttered last words before a fatal low-altitude light aircraft accident are "Watch this!" Apparently hot-dogging close to terra-firma is also a bad idea in a cruise ship.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 04:36 PM

Greg-

I agree that translated interview, as broadcast by NPR, with the Italian Coast Guard officer and the captain on shore is particularly damning. The Coast Guard officer is heard repeatedly ordering the captain back to the ship to better assess how the evacuation is going. The captain is reluctant to go back. Eventually the captain says he will go back but there is no evidence that he or his second officer ever did that.

There are other reports that the captain called the head waiter up to the bridge so he could wave to his relatives as they passed close to the island. No doubt his relatives were astonished by what they witnessed.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Greg B
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 03:55 PM

Actually much of the conjecture coincides rather well with the latest on NPR. Sadly, there appear to be quite a few more gone missing than originally hoped for. Plane crashes and shipwrecks are, alas, pretty predictable.

They played the tape of the Coast Guard ordering the captain back to his vessel, and him alternately claiming that he was aboard and not aboard.

To all appearances the skipper is a bit of a merchant banker.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: mayomick
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 03:49 PM

I think that speculation on this thread is legitimate ,but the head of Costa Cruises was much too quick to publicly put all the blame on the captain and the media was too quick to go along with that . The ship was obviously too close to the shore , but according to reports on Reuters yesterday the Costa Concordia often sailed close to that island honking its siren to entertain tourists there . Did the owners of the ship know about this ? If they didn't , why not? That's something that an inquiry should determine.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: katlaughing
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 07:25 PM

Ya think, gnu?:-> Could be, still...naw, not going there.*bg*

What I've just read is they are trying to salvage fuel, etc. to keep it from leaking out and harming the environment. I hope they are successful. What a nightmare the whole thing must be, in so many ways.

I guess one good thing is there are no polar bears asking if they've got any news of the iceberg.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 05:01 PM

There still may be some prospects of successful salvage, which is under assessment now.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 03:59 PM

What a shame to lose that beautiful ship! And it's sad about the lives that were lost too...but it's very fortunate that almost everyone got off the ship okay.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: gnu
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 03:29 PM

Kat... I say it's the winter blues affecting posters... or it could be... >;-)

All conjecture all over again.

As far as a Cap'n goin down with the ship after the abandone ship order is given, that might be a discussion. But, that discussion would have nothing to do with this thread at this point in time. And, a new thread on that topic would be rife with conjecture and postulations which would make that thread a piece of complete BS.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 03:15 PM

Until the report of investigation becomes available some months from now, all is conjecture, anecdote, BS.

The only item that now seems certain is that the ship went off the charted course, according to satellite images, veering west towards Isola del Giglio. (BBC News).

No black box data will be revealed to the press.
Why the ship ran aground is not known.

All else seems to be speculation by passengers and crew members who were not part of the bridge, thus not party to navigational or instrumental information.

The captain says he was not at fault. The company official in an interview said it was human error and seemed to imply that it was on the part of the captain. What else would you expect them to say?

There will be legal actions on the part of the company, insurers, passengers and crew (Those on contract involved in entertainment, etc.).

My wife enjoyed cruises, but never were on board a vessel of this size. Some 3800 passengers plus a large crew (many on short-term contract), it seems to me, cannot be safely managed in case of accident.

In any case, I do not have any stock in Carnival (the overall manager of this ship and many others), which dropped some 20 percent, nor did I have any friends or relatives aboard the ship, so I will not lose sleep over the accident.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: katlaughing
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 02:10 PM

Megan did about what I would do as mod: express a concern that this thread not turn into the usual conjecture filled with snide, personal remarks, etc.

I can't see that anyone person has any first-hand knowledge and can tell what really happened.

I am constantly amazed at how much like "Faux" news the BS section has become, at least by a glance of thread titles. It used to be we would have some rousing grand debates about major news items, but now it seems as if any "news" is fair game to flood Mudcat with rancourous sniping, etc. I am NOT saying this thread is that way, just mentioning how ugly the BS section seems, sometimes, due to the posting of so much polarising, non-important news crap, imo.

katgrumpy - mod

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: foggers
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 01:56 PM

Surely any evolving news story is a fit topic for a mudcat BS thread? And it is quite restrained by 'catter standards!

Just seen a channel 5 TV news bulletin; the vessel was supposed to take a route to the west of the island. However it had become a habit to pass to the east of the island, close in, in order to be a bit of a spectacle for local tourists. The captain says he was 300m from shore and that there were no rocks on the charts. He is under arrest pending the investigation and the cruise company seem keen to attribute it to human error.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: GUEST,Bluesman
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 01:50 PM

Seems captain went close to the shore to wave at a friend, "showing off" as one crew member put it.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Silas
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 01:32 PM

Irony is just lost on some people...

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Greg B
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 01:27 PM

"Ok Charley boy, you carry on with your groundless speculations if thats what floats your boat."

Seems like what we're talking about is rather the opposite of floating one's boat, now isn't it?"

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 12:46 PM

No

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Silas
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 11:52 AM

Ah, I didn't spot that! Are you using Trumpington's Variations?

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 11:47 AM

Ah, but if you read carefully you'll see that there is a tree structure with alternatives in it. One path OR the other, the law of the excluded middle.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Silas
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 11:23 AM

Lots and lots of 'ifs' there Richard

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 11:16 AM

I'd be somewhat surprised if a seismic movement big enough to put the land in the way of the ship had escaped hitherto unnoticed. If one can rule that out, then it is inevitable to conclude that the ship was too close to the shore (rather than the other way round).

The question then remains "why"?

If the ship was under control, with systems functioning, then there seems little possibility other than human error.

If the ship did not have systems functioning but was navigable, a close-to-shore course would seem rash - and one wants to know why the systems were out of kilter, too.

If the ship was not navigable - well, hell, I've had a number of Italian cars and their electrics were crap - and I've had a number of hi-tech Italian electronics gizmos and their reputations are crap too. BUT the second that control was lost maydays should have gone out.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Silas
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 11:09 AM

Ok Charley boy, you carry on with your groundless speculations if thats what floats your boat. What good it will do is a mystery to me, but it could do a lot of harm and cause people a lot of needless heartache.

But its up to you.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 11:03 AM

Oh, and make that "seismic activity" for clarification.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 11:01 AM

Silas-

You are the one who is obviously trolling this thread. Happy?

Either do your own homework or give it a rest.

What report of sysmic activity?

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Silas
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 10:40 AM

OK, you think all this is reasonable?

The captain is now in jail (rightfully)

It's made the passage before, and so have dozens of other cruise ships. It must have been badly off course.

lso, I heard (unsubstantiated) that their passenger and crew lists were incomplete

"maybe a thruster not responding because of a mechanical or electrical or electronic or... all conjecture."

"One would think that the rocks and ledges in the area would be well mapped and, if so, a major factor would be navigational error"

"there should have been no surprises."

"This time they just got too close."

"He said it doesn't have a good reputation in the cruise ship world.."

"This time he obviously came too close to the shore"



Did no one see the report about sysmic activity in this area and the possibility of a seabed movement?

Why not give it a rest and allow the proper authorities to do thier job.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 10:18 AM

Rescue efforts were suspended today after the hull began to shift again.

Here's an update from Al Jazerra: click here for report!

Anyone find other interesting reports?

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Silas
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 10:16 AM

Now I am getting a bit pissed off with my name being brought into this. I only posted to make the point that far too many people were making crass judgements on no evidence. 'This time he obviously came too close to the shore' HOW DO YOU KNOW?

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 10:01 AM

As mentioned above and in the reports the captain had navigated this route in the same ship many times before. This time he obviously came too close to the shore. The captain claims he was 300 meters out, not 100 meters from shore as some allege, but we'll see what the recovered black boxes have to say about that.

"I was under the impression that the vessel was not under control, since all control systems were down, because the electrical power was down." Marine experts claim that major cruise liners have redundant back-up systems in case of the lose of power; loss of power should not be a major factor in explaining how this accident happened.

I also agree that most of the posters on this tread have been fairly restrained, unlike Megan, Silas and Bozo. What witch hunt? This is a major marine catastrophe and merits discussion. References to on-line reports would be appreciated.

But look at the side of the rock lodged in the port side of the Concordia. That was not a random encounter nor an aggressive move on the part of the rock. Someone blundered.

There are more reports this morning, one from an Italian Coast Guard official who met him on shore and one from a military officer who was a passenger, reinforcing the case against the captain's early departure from the mortally stricken ship.

It is a miracle that no more than a dozen or so lives were lost in this accident.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 08:07 AM

Was it the first time that the Captain had ever sailed that route? If he truly was not aware of the dangers or experienced in that stretch of water the shipping company should share some of the blame but then if they admit to that they could loose a fortune from lack of bookings or cancelled bookings.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Silas
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 07:50 AM

Richard, please don't mention me in the same sentance as that w**^k3r

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 07:36 AM

Sating with Charley, who kicked the thread off with this: "The captain safely evacuated the ship after grounding it adjacent to the shore, and is under investigation for manslaughter. He had abandoned the ship before the vast majority of passengers were safely ashore." Which is plainly wrong one way or another, whatever the truth.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: JennieG
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 07:34 AM

My son spent a few years working on cruise ships (he's a musician) and knows of this line. He said it doesn't have a good reputation in the cruise ship world.....as in all industries, people talk amongst themselves.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 07:33 AM

It all seems very restrained by mudcat standards - until Silas and Bozo inveighed.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 07:08 AM

Yes indeed, with nothing useful to do other than to pontificate!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Silas
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 06:39 AM

What a bunch of armchair experts we have here.

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Little Robyn
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 04:26 AM

And she ran aground on a lump of coal
That wasn't marked on the charts.

Was the Captain named James E Duff?
The Mary Ann McHugh did this a long time ago!
Robyn

Subject: RE: BS: Costa Concordia Sinking-2012
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 12:58 AM

I was under the impression that the vessel was not under control, since all control systems were down, because the electrical power was down. Perhaps I err.


I also don't quite see the wisdom of the decision to abandon ship rather than at least to wait until daylight. It seems that although listing the ship was firmly aground so not going to sink any further, and there were many areas above water.