Cruise Ship Costa Concordia - MERGED THREADS

[HappySeagull]

First night out and new guests/friends are keen and happy...more on wheelhouse distraction and from the chief engineer from the Scotsman..
"engine room chief Giuseppe Pilon: “I heard some loud bangs and at first thought they were the cages moving in the luggage hold. I went to the central control room and asked an officer what was happening and he just shouted back ‘There’s water, there’s water.’“I said to control that the watertight doors were shut as they should have been. I just managed to get the words out and then there was a total blackout.”
He went on: “I told Schettino the situation, telling him the engine room and the back, the electric circuits and the stern decks. I told him that we had lost control of the ship. I told him of the seriousness of the situation several times afterwards.”


Cruise ship sinking: Concordia
Costa Concordia disaster: Wealthy Russians

so turning the ship is still pretty odd.If not through human agency,it was some god or wonderful luck.

[St. Elsewhere]

Any of you curious about this?

In accident incidents such as this the news media typically intently tracks locating the "black boxes" (which they did here), the news that they are useable, and then much later the data analysis. In this case, there is a report (without attribution) that the VDR had been "broken" for several weeks, and no news followup. It seems quite odd to me that reporters have not questioned investigative authorities about it. Enough time has passed that the data should have been read, and if journalists ask, there should be news on this important item.

The "broken" report appears here; Costa Concordia “black box” founded, but it’s broken… | To Be a Travel Agent. It may not be credible, but it certainly cries out for a press follow-up.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by MacG

This was just a "cruising" retired merchant marine captain, an Italian passenger. Nothing to do with Costa at all. This fact is mentioned somewhere in the beginning of the thread.
His activity is only shortly mentioned.

Flee? I just tripped into a lifeboat, says cruise captain

The off-duty captain who was forced to step in and lead the evacuation broke his silence yesterday.
Roberto Bosio, 44, the captain of one of the Concordia's sister ships, the Serena, said: "Only a disgraceful man would have left all those passengers on board. It was the most horrible experience of my life, a tragedy, a heartache that I will carry with me forever." He added: "I just want to rest and forget. Don't call me a hero. I just did my duty, the duty of a sea captain - actually the duty of a normal man."

[SaucySailoress]

Originally Posted by St. Elsewhere

In this case, there is a report (without attribution) that the VDR had been "broken" for several weeks, and no news followup.

I have read several accounts that Schettino has been repeatedly reporting the broken black box for weeks now...

[sarafina]

Somewhere over in another thread about cruise ships someone mentioned a friend who was a career captain on these behemoths who said the ONLY problem with the job was the cargo couldn't be loaded thru hoses....


That pretty much cracked me up ; -)

[St. Elsewhere]

Originally Posted by SaucySailoress

I have read several accounts that Schettino has been repeatedly reporting the broken black box for weeks now...

Do you recall where they appeared? I do not find them on this forum.

[SaucySailoress]

The Daily Mail Can't be bothered searching out the particular article, but:

Home | Mail Online

Did I forget to share? To be fair, in Stephen Fry's words, the Daily Mail is nothing but a pile of drivel. But I love it!

[MacG]

@ Sarafina

Correct, I did try to find where one said that Bosio had nothing to do with Costa, and said to be retired captain. It looks now not so strange that Bosio ordered Schettino to clear off.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Therapy

Two days to go from 36 to 47 pages.

I don't have the energy to get through them.

Someone please recap what happend.

Not all the speculation and comments mind you. Just what happened.

I gave up. I just watch the TV now.

[St. Elsewhere]

Schettino had been reporting that the Voyage Data Recorder was broken for 15 days prior to the accident.

If true this is a huge setback for the investigation of possibly largest maritime loss in the history of the world.

Thanks Saucy, it was in the Mail Online:

"Schettino also added how in one final call Ferrarini had asked him to download all the detail from the Voice Data Recorder on the bridge's black box and added: 'I'll be honest with you. For the 15 days beforehand we had been reporting that the VDR was broken and we had asked for it to be fixed but it never was."

Read more: Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino claims bosses knew about sail-by salutes | Mail Online

There are regulations that require that the VDR equipment, and all of the associated sensors be inspected and tested annually, and that needed repairs be done as soon as possible. It is interesting that Schettino knew that it was broken. Concordia's VDR must have built in test functions.

This failure will be a finding of the investigation that could result in a rule change to make an inoperative VDR a no-go item.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

I gave up. I just watch the TV now.

Is OK.

goboatingnow is going to give us the Readers Digest versions.

Should be another soon as there are a bunch more pages just today.

[chala]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Heres the lloyds track


The captain has stated that he was navigating by sight and knew the depths well. Yet look how he went closer in the recent track to La Scole, thats what clearly happened.

He is in records now as stating he ordered the turn too late, but in fact there was no turn, he passed La Scole in a straight line

Because the turn he missed was not here but before.

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by sarafina

Flee? I just tripped into a lifeboat, says cruise captain

The off-duty captain who was forced to step in and lead the evacuation broke his silence yesterday.
Roberto Bosio, 44, added: "I just want to rest and forget. Don't call me a hero. I just did my duty, the duty of a sea captain - actually the duty of a normal man."

Now THAT sounds like a damn fine captain, hope he gets his well deserved rest
Mrs. Rain Dog

[chala]

To come to salute Giglio it can be assumed that he would have used the leg of August 14th. It was a tested leg because he had done it 3 or 4 times before. Why did he turn too late is a mystery but it can be that:
The person in charge did not hear “Arrival at waypoint” and the “Next waypoint” alarms. Both alarms are “acknowledgeable” and difficult to miss unless there is no one on duty, which is hard to think of. If nothing is done the ship will continue on its current heading.
An operator could have dropped the route inadvertently.
A malfunction may have made the electronic navigation system inoperative.

In case a waypoint is overshot the best practice is to rejoin the route as soon as possible. Using the satellite tracking it is possible to estimate by how much the waypoint was overshot and how much time was involved.

[HappySeagull]

With due respect for Captain Bosia, it's not clear that Schettino ever surrendered the command of the ship and that Bosia was giving orders anywhere except on the boatdeck, getting passengers and crews organized for evacuation - albeit, before the official abandon ship was given.

I surmise he was doing this while Schettino was still in the wheelhouse doing whatever he did do to get the ship beached. It sounds like when "safely" aground, Schettino then came down and also began to assist passengers as the ship now quickly heeled more and more and he slipped into a boat (with the 2nd mate?)...eyewitness reports seem to agree with this. The ship heeled very fast once beached.

None of the eye-witness reports I've read appear to have had any situational awareness...ie a crunch and then a whole hour of maneuvering on a slowly sinking ship. One of the mates reportedly says the ship was upright for the first 20 minutes or more, so all this crunch and dishes coming off the tables (and people falling out of their beds).

Sounds like the ship beaching and not the initial impact grazing the reef. I wonder if the passengers even noticed this first thump. Schettino obviously didn't take it too seriously. He only phoned up the company and told them to book some repairs.