Cruise Ship Runs Aground near Italy

[Kidder]

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Not sure if this was linked or seen as well:

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/17...-it/?hpt=hp_c1

Interesting read for sure. The Commandant is basically yelling at the guy to get back on the f'ing ship to lead the evacuation and make sure everyone's ok, and the bubbering captain just refuses to go back on because he's too worried about his own safety to care about anyone else.

[Hilch]

Originally Posted by IGGYRULES

Looks like the captain was a real winner. Here is a transcript of communication between him , the Coast Guard, and port authority. Told numerous times to get back on board and it's not confirmed whether he did or not.

Schettino, the new standard of cowardice

What a coward! I can understand his concern for his own life but he took that risk by taking such a job. It would be like a firefighter not wanting to run into a burning building because he may hurt himself.

The only true punishment for someone like this would be to take him out to sea, throw him over board and drive away. He deserves no compassion for the way he acted that day from all the stories coming out.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

I was listening to them interview the Calgary couple this morning on 660 News, and they asked the guy about his reaction to the ship captain. They quoted the guy saying (paraphrasing) "well, he ruined everyone's vacation". I dunno, i just found it an odd comment considering how trivial ruining a vacation is compared to causing the death of over a dozen people.

Laurence said he isn't planning any legal action against the cruise line but does feel anger toward the captain.

"I do because he just screwed up everybody's holidays. He just did things that were not normal. Not once did we hear from the captain."

The way I read that, it sounds to me that what he said was in response to being asked if he planned on suing the cruise line. Other quotes from the couple talk about them being grateful about having a second chance at life.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Laurence said he isn't planning any legal action against the cruise line but does feel anger toward the captain.

"I do because he just screwed up everybody's holidays. He just did things that were not normal. Not once did we hear from the captain."

The way I read that, it sounds to me that what he said was in response to being asked if he planned on suing the cruise line. Other quotes from the couple talk about them being grateful about having a second chance at life.

Just goes to show you can't take any quote without the context which it was quoted in I guess. 660 News only played that part about ruining everyone's vacation, so I didn't know what question was actually asked of them.

[afc wimbledon]

I like my ships captains to come from Britain, call me a chauvenist if you will but there is something comforting about the fact they still think if the captain gets off at all he should be the last one off.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

I like my ships captains to come from Britain, call me a chauvenist if you will but there is something comforting about the fact they still think if the captain gets off at all he should be the last one off.

And that's exclusive to the British is it?

[afc wimbledon]

I'm begining to think it is, thus far every report I've seen has the crew running around like headless chickens except some 19 year old kid from the UK who was a dancer who made himself into a human bridge allowing a couple of dozen women and kids to escape, its something about shipwrecks and Brits, it seems to bring out the best in us.

[Roof-Daddy]

^^^Strong seafaring abilities AND modesty.

Nice combo.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

about the fact they still think if the captain gets off at all he should be the last one off.

They should just make all captains female; it would guarantee the above...

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by First Lady

They should just make all captains female; it would guarantee the above...

Not on my ship it wouldn't.

[burn_this_city]

Wasn't a Brit at the helm of the Titanic?

[Hilch]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Wasn't a Brit at the helm of the Titanic?

Didn't he go down with the ship?

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Hilch

Didn't he go down with the ship?

True, but he sped through fog into an iceberg and didn't get all the lifeboats away.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by Hilch

Didn't he go down with the ship?

Yes, he went down after insisting Women and Children first.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by fotze

Yes, but the only performance measure to judge a captain is his 'godownwiththeshipness'. The iceberghitting quotient is irrelevant.

Agree. Human error will always happen with ships. Also, at the time they thought a ship of that size was unsinkable.

I think in the end, from what I have read, he did the honourable thing, and that is all you can ask for.

If he jumped in a boat first, then refuses to return, like this clown in 2012, I think he deserves what is coming to him.

[Hilch]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

True, but he sped through fog into an iceberg and didn't get all the lifeboats away.

But that is nothing more than human error. It's not like he was trying to travel as close as possible to the iceberg to show off for his buddy on facebook. At that time they believed that ship was unsinkable so there was no reason not to continue it's travels through the fog.

Even with the errors this captain made in Italy I could live with, even though people died, but the fact he bailed off the ship and didn't want to attempt to help people makes me sick. From the stories told of the Titanic not only did the captain go down with the ship but he also made sure women and children were the first off.

I think this is just one of those things where the captain of this boat enjoyed the lime light of being a captain but when his real duties faced him he pussied out, for a lack of a better term. People in general are more selfish, this is just another example of that.

[Barnes]

In true Italian fashion and faced with the inevitable loss of his ship, the captain switches sides and takes a pro rock position.

#ww2jokes

[4X4]

I don't know about you guys, but sinking a half billion dollar ship whilst showing off is getting pretty close to the limit I have where I'd probably rather die than face the consequences. And if I was going to die, I'd be happier going to the grave knowing that at least I tried to redeem myself a bit by saving some of the people that I didn't kill.

The Italian justice system is as corrupt as....everything else in Italy. But I guarantee that this guy is going to get strung up by the thumbs.

[afc wimbledon]

From Grendelreport:-

The Royal Marine and Army recruits and replacements aboard the Birkenhead when the troopship struck an uncharted rock off South Africa in 1852 assembled in ranks on the deck of the ship started sinking. They stayed still while the crew swayed the lifeboats out and loaded them with women and children, then with the civilians. There were not nearly enough boats. Only after the boats were away, were the troops allowed to take their chances with the two mile swim to shore through rough (and literally shark-infested) waters. Of 643 aboard, there were 193 survivors.

Kipling’s poem on the Royal Marines says this about the Birkenhead incident.


…To take your chance in the thick of a rush, with firing all about,
Is nothing so bad when you've cover to 'and, an' leave an' likin' to shout;
But to stand an' be still to the Birken'ead drill
is a damn tough bullet to chew,
An' they done it, the Jollies -- 'Er Majesty's Jollies --
soldier an' sailor too!
Their work was done when it 'adn't begun; they was younger nor me an' you;
Their choice it was plain between drownin' in 'eaps
an' bein' mopped by the screw,
So they stood an' was still to the Birken'ead drill,
soldier an' sailor too!
We're most of us liars, we're 'arf of us thieves,
an' the rest are as rank as can be,
But once in a while we can finish in style
(which I 'ope it won't 'appen to me)...

Always loved this poem, seems a good excuse to put it up..