Cruise Ship Strikes Rock off Italian Coast; 3 dead, 70 missing.

[pingu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_L-T9M-zvI
This is the phone call that the capitain Schettino had with the coast guard. Even if you don't speak english you can easly understand that the coast guard guy (uhm I don't know how it's called in english, sorry) is pissed off with the capitain. He tries to make excuses for not being on the ship: he fell off, he's coordinating the rescue mission from the island,...

[pingu]

I've found an english video with subtitles, which explains the phone call way better than my previous post:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/vide...one-call-video

[Catherine M]

I read the transcript of the phone call and I think if the Coast Guard guy was anywhere near the captain, he probably would have punched him! It must have been so frustrating for the Coast guard to have to deal with complete and utter failure on the part of the captain and crew.

So sad for the families of the deceased and missing to know that this all could have been prevented.

[genevieve]

Good grief! So did he end up going back on board?

[pingu]

Good grief! So did he end up going back on board?

Of course not.
I don't remember if it has already been written here, but according to the news he could spend up to 15 years in jail. And I really hope he will.
He is also probably going to have a drug test (I don't know the precise word in english).

[Rex]

When the Lakonia went down in the Canaries in 1963, IIRC, the captain was found negligent and spent several years in prison, but was let off early for good behavior (it's not in this link; I read that from one of my ship books). That was a fire; 130 people died.

[Anita18]

I've found an english video with subtitles, which explains the phone call way better than my previous post:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/vide...one-call-video

Captain: "I am here [in the lifeboat] with the second commander."
Coast Guard: "Excuse me?"

The amount of complete fail...I can do nothing but now, I'm sorry.

[orbitz]

The second commander abandoned ship too? I hope they'll both enjoy working at The Olive Garden in the future, because their careers as sea captains are so over.

[Lacey]

They won't find jobs anywhere, and if they each spend 15 years in jail, may be too old.

[pingu]

I hope they'll both enjoy working at The Olive Garden in the future, because their careers as sea captains are so over.

Is that a metaphor?

[milanessa]

Is that a metaphor?

Nah, the Olive Garden is a chain restaurant in the states. Doesn't really apply.

[Southpaw]

Captain: "I am here [in the lifeboat] with the second commander."
Coast Guard: "Excuse me?"

The amount of complete fail...I can do nothing but now, I'm sorry.

That's Chico and Harpo in the lifeboat. Groucho is still on deck unsuccessfully trying to toss Margaret Dumont into a raft and she's beating him with her opera glasses.

[FigureSpins]

That audio with the transcript is astounding. The Coast Guard Captain was awesome - he got a little ticked off and raised his voice, but other than a little blasphemy, he kept his temper in check. Knowing the call was being recorded probably helped, but he was very clear in telling the AWOL ship's captain exactly what actions were expected and who was in charge now. He'll be the star of the made-for-TV movie, rightly so. Sounds like his crew did more than the ship's crew. Bravo! (I hope, for the ship's captain's sake, the two of them never meet in person. I think the Coast Guard Captain would deck him.)

So sorry about the needless injuries and loss of lives in this nightmare.

[pingu]

Nah, the Olive Garden is a chain restaurant in the states. Doesn't really apply.

Thanks

[NeilJLeonard]

I've found an english video with subtitles, which explains the phone call way better than my previous post:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/vide...one-call-video

Pathetic. The poor man is not only stupid, he's incompetent, too.

NJL

[duane]

Captain: "I am here [in the lifeboat] with the second commander."
Coast Guard: "Excuse me?"

The amount of complete fail...I can do nothing but now, I'm sorry.

If not for the loss of life, it sounds like a 3 Stooges/Laurel & Hardy movie. The captain is in the lifeboat with the 2nd commander!??!! As the Coast Guard says, excuse me????

[AragornElessar]

Second Commander is the First Officer right? Just making sure I have that right.

This entire thing is so beyond sad and tragic the words just fail to come.

[danceronice]

Dreadful tragedy. Oh, Titanic was only 45,000 ton this ship in the article was 110,000 ton, Oasis of the Seas is 225,000 ton.

Yes, but on Titanic, there were 2200 passengers and lifeboats for two-thirds (and in fairness to White Star/IMM, they had about 30% MORE lifeboat capacity than the Board of Trade required for her tonnage), and 1500 people died, while here it's about a dozen at last count. Plus on Titanic, the movie vilifying them aside, the worst fatalities by percentage were the crew. There were streets in Southampton where every single house lost someone. Half the deck officers including the Captain died. In this case it sounds like the crew for the most part said screw the passengers and left them to fend for themselves. I'm not saying a captain should go down with his ship, but he shouldn't be stepping on the passengers on his way to the lifeboat...

Yeah, we're doing a 100th anniversary program (we had a first-class couple and a wife and two children traveling third class to meet her husband here that came from Dowagiac, and Senator Smith was born here, too and lead the investigation) and the Titanic comparisons are starting to grate.

[julieann]

Yes, but on Titanic, there were 2200 passengers and lifeboats for two-thirds (and in fairness to White Star/IMM, they had about 30% MORE lifeboat capacity than the Board of Trade required for her tonnage), and 1500 people died, while here it's about a dozen at last count. Plus on Titanic, the movie vilifying them aside, the worst fatalities by percentage were the crew. There were streets in Southampton where every single house lost someone. Half the deck officers including the Captain died. In this case it sounds like the crew for the most part said screw the passengers and left them to fend for themselves. I'm not saying a captain should go down with his ship, but he shouldn't be stepping on the passengers on his way to the lifeboat...

Yeah, we're doing a 100th anniversary program (we had a first-class couple and a wife and two children traveling third class to meet her husband here that came from Dowagiac, and Senator Smith was born here, too and lead the investigation) and the Titanic comparisons are starting to grate.

I agree, the Titanic comparisons are beginning to be laughable.

[milanessa]

What have I missed? Who's making comparisons to the Titanic?