Italian Liner Sinks - lights go out

The captain of the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia was distracted by guests on the bridge when he collided with the Italian island of Giglio, according to a witness who has also claimed Francesco Schettino then played no role in guiding the holed ship into shallow water, instead panicking before returning to his cabin.

"There was someone who asked which island it was and the maitre d'hotel was chatting, basically disturbing the steering, with a consequent impact on concentration," said one officer on the bridge, Silvia Coronika, describing the moment of impact...

... Shortly after he had smashed into rocks, holing the vessel, Schettino told an officer to inform the coastguard the ship had merely suffered a blackout and did not need assistance.

"He was walking from one end of the bridge to the other in panic," said Coronika.

Crew members were meanwhile reporting water flooding the engine rooms through a 50-metre gash in the hull torn by the massive chunk of granite that remained embedded in the side of the ship.

"I told the captain Schettino of the situation," said Giuseppe Pilon. "I told him we had lost control of the ship." Only about an hour after the impact did Schettino give the order to abandon ship.

It has been suggested that Schettino saved lives by steering the drifting vessel in shallow water, using the anchors to turn it. But Coronika said she heard no orders from Schettino to try the manoeuvre...

http://m.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/...tain-distracted-guests?cat=world&type=article

 

At the start of the Concordia's fatal cruise, Schettino invited a number of passengers to a cocktail party. Among them were Marco Monda, his new wife Rosetta and other honeymooning couples.

Monda, a hairdresser, noticed that Domnica Cemortan, 25, a translator and former dancer, was at the captain's side. "Cemortan behaved as if she was the captain's consort. When the ship's photographer took pictures of us and the other couples with the captain, she posed next to him," Monda said.

Investigators suspect Cemortan may have been a guest of Schettino's, although she has vigorously denied having an affair with him.

On the Friday evening, Monda spotted Schettino with Cemortan again as they walked into an invitation-only restaurant on the 11th deck of the ship, accompanied by an unidentified brunette. Schettino had his arms around both women's waists, he said.

The trio walked up to a panoramic window and stood chatting and admiring the nearby Tuscan coast.

"The captain looked like a braggart - he was acting as if he was a millionaire with these two girls," said Monda, 47, from Asti in northern Italy. "He looked very relaxed and arrogant. He was showing off."

http://m.theaustralian.com.au/news/...lls-and-inaction/story-fnb64oi6-1226250612022

 

Cool recreation of ship's path

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16742405

 

There's no evidence that 25-year-old Domnica - a former ballet dancer from Moldova - has birds' feathers and scaly feet like the Sirens. But she fits the bill in almost every other detail.

She has come out with a statement today in which she says "I was on the bridge because I was in love with the captain. I found him charming and fascinating. I love him. I was on the bridge as his guest. It's not right that his image is being destroyed."

Schettino, dubbed Captain Coward by Italian media, is married and has a teenage daughter. He and Miss Cemortan, a single mother, both deny having an affair but police divers say they have recovered a suitcase and items of her clothing from his cabin.

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/captain-greybeard/2012/02/face-of-the-siren-who-lured-ca.html

 

So the Captain didn't go down with his ship but she went down on the Captain?

 

They need to move the captain from house arrest to a real jail cell, to protect him from Mrs Schettino!

 

Is that the Captain's gal...

 

Which one?

 

For the record:

Both pictures are from the many in a Google images search
on "Loose lips sink ships."

The first picture from a free association with xs650's earlier
"went down on" post. A steamy, sultriness was indicated vice
the cartoonish nature of the many other possible choices.

The second picture -- also from that search -- refers to the
captain's consistently currish behavior and that would be him
on the right. The dog is actually too cute to do him justice.

Although they appear similar, I don't believe the women in
the two pictures are one and the same.

Neither picture was associated with the vessel sinking in its
original use.

 

60 Minutes recently did a piece on what's involved w/effort to raise the ship to be towed and salvaged elsewhere.

Code:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50137223n

might be the entire piece.

Crazy effort!

 

Great link! My wife, two other couples and I will be there in April might take a ride out and see it.