The disaster of the Costa Concordia

On January 13, 2012 the cruise liner, "Costa Concordia" hit a rock off the coast of Giglio, Italy and capsized. What really was supposed to happen was that the ship was going to do an unauthorized cruise near shore to give the people on shore an exciting sight. Just a few weeks before a different cruise ship did the same thing but... successfully. When the Concordia was getting close to the shore it hit a rock in shallow water. The ship started to slow down and drift away from shore where deeper water was which is worse because the ship would just sink. Fortunately the wind was blowing the ship back towards shore and the wind started to tip the boat over and therefore making it tilt very slowly. The captain was trying to figure out what to do. He told the passengers to not get in the lifeboats and wait until further command. Eventually he told the crew to load the life boats and evacuate people. While the passengers were trying to get off the captain abandoned the ship and left the boat!! The coast guard then contacted him and yelled at him.

PHOTOS AT BOTTOM!!!!!!

Coast Guard Captain (de falco) and Costa Concordia Captain (schettino) Conversation:


_De Falco: "This is De Falco speaking from Livorno. Am I speaking with the commander?"


_Schettino: "Yes. Good evening, Cmdr. De Falco."

_De Falco: "Please tell me your name."

_Schettino: "I'm Cmdr. Schettino, commander."

_De Falco: "Schettino? Listen Schettino. There are people trapped on board. Now you go with your boat under the prow on the starboard side. There is a pilot ladder. You will climb that ladder and go on board. You go on board and then you will tell me how many people there are. Is that clear? I'm recording this conversation, Cmdr. Schettino..."

_Schettino: "Commander, let me tell you one thing..."

_De Falco: "Speak up! Put your hand in front of the microphone and speak more loudly, is that clear?"

_Schettino: "In this moment, the boat is tipping..."

_De Falco: "I understand that, listen, there are people that are coming down the pilot ladder of the prow. You go up that pilot ladder, get on that ship and tell me how many people are still on board. And what they need. Is that clear? You need to tell me if there are children, women or people in need of assistance. And tell me the exact number of each of these categories. Is that clear? Listen Schettino, that you saved yourself from the sea, but I am going to... I'm going to make sure you get in trouble. ...I am going to make you pay for this. Go on board, (expletive)!"

_Schettino: "Commander, please..."

_De Falco: "No, please. You now get up and go on board. They are telling me that on board there are still..."

_Schettino: "I am here with the rescue boats, I am here, I am not going anywhere, I am here..."

_De Falco: "What are you doing, commander?"

_Schettino: "I am here to coordinate the rescue..."

_De Falco: "What are you coordinating there? Go on board! Coordinate the rescue from aboard the ship. Are you refusing?"

_Schettino: "No, I am not refusing."

_De Falco: "Are you refusing to go aboard commander? Can you tell me the reason why you are not going?"

_Schettino: "I am not going because the other lifeboat is stopped."

_De Falco: "You go aboard. It is an order. Don't make any more excuses. You have declared 'abandon ship.' Now I am in charge. You go on board! Is that clear? Do you hear me? Go, and call me when you are aboard. My air rescue crew is there."

_Schettino: "Where are your rescuers?"

_De Falco: "My air rescue is on the prow. Go. There are already bodies, Schettino."

_Schettino: "How many bodies are there?"

_De Falco: "I don't know. I have heard of one. You are the one who has to tell me how many there are. Christ."

_Schettino: "But do you realize it is dark and here we can't see anything..."

_De Falco: "And so what? You want go home, Schettino? It is dark and you want to go home? Get on that prow of the boat using the pilot ladder and tell me what can be done, how many people there are and what their needs are. Now!"

_Schettino: "...I am with my second in command."

_De Falco: "So both of you go up then ... You and your second go on board now. Is that clear?"

_Schettino: "Commander, I want to go on board, but it is simply that the other boat here ... there are other rescuers. It has stopped and is waiting..."

_De Falco: "It has been an hour that you have been telling me the same thing. Now, go on board. Go on board! And then tell me immediately how many people there are there."

_Schettino: "OK, commander"

_De Falco: "Go, immediately!"


Schettino did not end up going back on board.


The Costa Concordia still remains in the water and they are saying it might take 10 months to clean it up. Currently divers are still searching for missing bodies and they are working on removing all of the fuel on the ship. Last Wednesday they just found 8 more bodies aboard the ship including one young girl.

Total people missing/dead: 32

Total dead so far: 18

People still missing: 14
(7 of them are bodies, but not identified)

Youngest dead: 5 year old girl

Oldest dead: 85 year old man