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hellosailor · 16-01-2012, 11:13

I think what we have here is proof of a number of old sayings. As in, mother nature is a ßitch, and she plays with loaded dice. And that people are cheap, they want cheap vacations and they wouldn't pay enough for the cruise industry, or any commercial marine industry, to be able to pay proper wages for "seamanlike" professionalism from their employees. There have been any number of video segments and articles in the last few years about how crews from all over the world earn basically nothing but tip money for the grunt work on these ships. Professional crew? Cost money, so the lines employ as few as possible.

No surprises here.

Languages? What do you call someone who speaks three languages? Trilingual.
What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual.
What do you call someone who only speaks one language? American.
Yeah, well, we're spoiled by our geography, by and large. But again, no surprise that there'd be language confusion on an internationally crewed floating hotel with an international tourist list.

But threading the needle with a cruise ship...I'm content to wait and see what the inquiry brings out. Off Alaska the cruise ships (not to be confused with ocean liners) routinely snuggle up to the ice for sightseeing, and even into dead end fjords so they can amaze the passengers by rotating in place with thrusters to turn around and get back out. Showmanship. My only question would be, was this the captain's own idea, or part of the "same course 25 times a year" that Carnival reported early on, here in the US nooze.

Arrest for mansalughter? Sure, manslaughter is not murder. It just means he was legally responsible for the ship at the time deaths occurred. The whole "system" is less likely to be chastised for doing so, than for not doing so if it turns out they should have but didn't.

In time the answers will all turn up. I'm betting on "cheap" and "stupid" being among them multiple times. Although if you remember, it was, what, ten years ago? That one of the Cunard Queens squatted off Woods Hole? And fortunately did less damage to the hull, but ended a cruise and made bigtime news. And Cunard had a reputation for being top class, not particularly cheap or stupid at all at the time.

**boatman61** · 16-01-2012, 11:19

Cruise ships pull these stunts all the time...
I was heading into Andratx, Mallorca last year en-route to Turkey... be around 0030hrs and a cruise ship appeared from behind Dragonera and cut across my front by about 500metres and went right up by the entrance before swinging off and away past the cliff... lotsa folk on deck and music...
They're Gynormous that close up...

Oppsss... make that 2010... forget we'd gone forward... lol

S/V Alchemy · 16-01-2012, 12:14

Apparently, there are doubts whether it's worth refloating, or whether it should be scrapped...it would be the biggest maritime loss ever...

Wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia could be refloated | Herald Sun

"Not salvageable": Costa Concordia not salvageable

avb3 · 16-01-2012, 12:18

The move was intentional if one looks at this Facebook posting that occured BEFORE the collison with the rocks.

Clearly criminal; unauthorized deviation from planned route, and a need to "show off", endangering 1000's and killing a yet to be defined number in the process.

Methinks enough details are out now to make such an assertion.

Cruise disaster: captain neared rocks in Facebook stunt for friend's family - Telegraph

hellosailor · 16-01-2012, 12:47

If it is just a gash and some wet carpet, some welding and redecorating are all it needs. But if frames and structure have shifted, or the ship was obsolete or due for refitting, hello license plate factory.

IslandHopper · 16-01-2012, 12:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacG

It seems that there are still 14 persons trapped inside. If they still live nobody knows with certainty.
The search for the trapped passengers is still not under controlled direction.
The firebrigade' s divers are on board but left because the Concordia moved (only a few centimeters) but they panicked and left the boat.

This is poor business. Those firemen - even divers - are no specialists for this kind of job. Here you need high caliber divers with the very best gear available. I am afraid that the diving-team of Smit Salvage is still waiting till negotiations between the parties of Smit Salvage and the beancounters of Costa are finished at cost of the pax inside.

And if you believe the divers from SMIT would have not suspend operations when the vessel shifted, then you are sadly misinformed...

To deride the efforts of those involved in rescue operations by suggesting they panicked, is frankly insulting to those risking their lives to save others...

SaucySailoress · 16-01-2012, 13:33

I have deleted a number of posts which contributed little to the thread regarding serious discussion of this fatal accident.

I also offer up my prayers for the families of those who lost lives at sea in this very sad accident.

lolarose · 16-01-2012, 13:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by IslandHopper

And if you believe the divers from SMIT would have not suspend operations when the vessel shifted, then you are sadly misinformed...

In HOLLYWOOD WE TRUST....

MacG · 16-01-2012, 13:57

@IslandHopper :
Too late to answer that - time has already expended.

There are still more people on board then was published. At leas another 20 plus four crewmembers. So far 6 victims are found. There is still some hope of finding people alive.

deckofficer · 16-01-2012, 14:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Maybe give passengers a closer view of the shore side lights???

From post #33

Need a palm reading? I'm your man. Drop the "deckofficer" username, just call me "sea-psychic".

**Cotemar** · 16-01-2012, 14:53

When you have a ship 1000 feet long and just one boat length from shore and going 20 knots at speed.
You have to wonder what that captain, Francesco Schettino was thinking.

Everything in the forground in this picture is on land (Giglio). And this is before it made a U turn to lay the starboad side up on the rocks.

deckofficer · 16-01-2012, 14:58

avb3 just posted what it was all about, it was a Facebook stunt, the Captain was doing it for the Chef, who is from that island and has family there that were alerted via Facebook to watch at around 9:30 PM local for the ship.