Costa Concordia

[Bigprairie1]

Re: How the heck . . .

Re: How the heck . . .

I was listening on the news today of the Captain talking to either the port authorities or equivalent from....the lifeboat he was on. Sad, cowardly man....he had no good answer for them as to why he was on the lifeboat and not the on ship facilitating the emergency and the evacuation of passengers.....jeez, who gave that guy a job?
As well, they have discovered another 5 or more bodies so the death toll is now over 11.
I'm pretty sure they will salvage the ship...but who knows?
BP

 

[QC]

Re: How the heck . . .

Re: How the heck . . .

I read that an Italian official ordered him back to the ship and he refused. Also, members of the crew decided to activate the emergency and evacuation procedures because he wouldn't. It's like the guy was in total denial or shock or something. I guess I can understand that he went into a funk. I don't know what the law is, or if some of this is Company policy stuff, but there needs to be a succession of authority if someone is acting with a total disregard to responsibilities and sanity. I know the Navy has procedures for this, what are the rules for Private Captains?

 

[Knot Waiting]

Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Even without the formal training, experience, and pay of a professional sea captain in charge of a ship of this magnitude I would like to think that most of us here would make better leaders than this coward. If anything just because we are better people. The following transcript is unbelievable. Although I must say that I really like how the Coast Guard laid that sorry excuse for a captain out.


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!

 

[Philster]

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Wow.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Chief De Falco is a take charge kind of guy! I like him! (not so much the Captain!)

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Here is the actual audio, and if you understand Italian, you are in luck...
If not, you can still appreciate captain turdtino getting chewed out by the CG...

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Chief De Falco is a take charge kind of guy! I like him! (not so much the Captain!)

X2^^!!

Unreal that this conversation even takes place. How is it that the Captain of a vessel with 4000 souls on board, is in a life boat, debating with the CG where he should be, and what he should be doing. Unbelievable really.

 

[QC]

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Guys I merged these threads as I also did with one from SHTs. Despite the original one being my thread it does seem reasonable to keep them all in one place. I also changed the title to Costa Concordia as it should've been in the first place. I'm guessing we'll be talking about this deal for a while . . .

 

[QC]

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Are we sure that this translation is correct? I think of myself as generally fairly pragmatic about things. I can't believe a guy like this can make it to the level he has if he is as he seems. He has to be in some sort of mental distress to act this way. It is not rational.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Are we sure that this translation is correct? I think of myself as generally fairly pragmatic about things. I can't believe a guy like this can make it to the level he has if he is as he seems. He has to be in some sort of mental distress to act this way. It is not rational.

Dunno QC, I don't understand Italian, but one does not have to go far on Google to see the news reported about the same way...
A whiny Italian captain abandons ship, and refuses CG orders to get back on board to do his job.

 

[QC]

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Re: Transcript of the Grounded Ships' Coward Captain.

Yeah and you can see that I posted something similar just before Knot Waiting's initial post. I believe it, but it almost reads like some stupid email chain letter BS it is soooo bad. What a lowlife.

 

[oops!]

Re: Costa Concordia

when I was 10 my mother managed a hi-rise 11 (stories) apartment building. there were fire alarms all the time people ignored them....one early evening....we got a fire alarm and saw smoke in the corridors of an upper floor. (no flame)

my mother sent my slightly older brother to run around the mid to lower floors kicking and beating on the apartment doors, yelling at everyone to get out....she took the upper floors...

if a mother would send here son to evacuate a building......how is it a captain would not go and check evac procedures on a sinking ship?

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Costa Concordia

Yeah and you can see that I posted something similar just before Know Waiting's initial post. I believe it, but it almost reads like some stupid email chain letter BS it is soooo bad. What a lowlife.

Yeah... I was a bit skeptical too.
What clinched it for me is listening to the audio... It certainly does not sound like De Falco is telling Schettino "good job getting everybody off the ship, why don't you bring your life boat into shore a grab a nice hot bowl of minestrone"

 

[bassman284]

Re: Costa Concordia

Found this in another article:

NBC News is reporting that the captain had a history of disobeying orders. Schettino, according to Italian news reports, had once left Marseilles, France, in bad weather, against company policy and coast guard orders. The captain was also once reportedly caught sailing too close to the shore in another part of Italy.



Sounds like he took the ship off course to "salute" some resident of the island.

 

[Philster]

Re: Costa Concordia

The translation is accurate. I actually expected the English translation to be worse, but it's good. If it were excellent, it'd be less literal.

For example: "Speak louder" might be the literal translation, but the better one (appreciating context) would be SPEAK UP!

It matters little; it's a good translation and there is no confusion about the conversation at all when reading it in English. The coast guard in charge is furious.

 

[YZ165]

Re: Costa Concordia

Thanks for putting this all in one place QC!

I was a bit skeptical about the text version of the coast guard call until I heard, and had my wife, translate the audio.
As Philster already said, it's accurate.

Tall tree and a short piece of rope is my vote.....coward!

 

[Philster]

Re: Costa Concordia

What I liked most is that the coast guard clearly gave orders and went out of his way to indicate that they were -- indeed -- orders. Helps in hindsight when so many won't know maritime law.

Staying with the ship is the obligation; it's not just a tradition or thing of lore!

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Costa Concordia

I guess I wasn't paying attention but something just struck me. He said his second in command was there with him. The two most important men on the boat weren't even on the boat, when the people on board needed them most.

Huge pat on the back for those crew members who got almost all of the over 4000 back to safety. (In spite of the boat's Captain)

Maybe it was for the best that they were gone, something tells me that they might have even made things worse.

 

[QC]

Re: Costa Concordia

Maybe it was for the best that they were gone, something tells me that they might have even made things worse.

They tried . . . they delayed telling their passengers that there was anything seriously wrong for a looooong time. I understand lower level crew members were the first to tell the truth and begin evacuation procedures.

I sure would like to see a timeline. I have heard that they were three days out, and I have heard they were two hours out. This is important because the lifeboat drills had not been done. Also, I am confused about this waving at the Islanders deal. I have read that they hit the rocks during dinner. Wouldn't it be dark? And Islanders are out waving? Odd. And then how long from impact to where she sits now?

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Costa Concordia

I saw a report that the Capt. went off course to allow a crew member to wave at his familiy on the island. Who knows what really happened.
From QC "And then how long from impact to where she sits now?" That is a good question. And how deep was the water? Judging by how she sits how it can't be very deep. I wonder why they didn't flood the ballast tanks to keep the ship more or less upright. A top heavy vessel like that must have ballast tanks or any rough seas would make the all passengers seasick.