“I know that the crew is populated with ne’er do wells and miscreants judging by some of the stories you hear coming from these cruise”
Either that, or the cruise lines are taking on high school kids part time to pilot cruise ships during holiday break.
Fox News (Cavuto) played this little piece of telephone dialogue between the captain and the port authority:
Port Authority: Go, call me when you are on board. My air and rescue team is there. He is at the bow. Get going. There are already corses. Move!
Captain Schettino: How many dead are there?
Port Authority: I don’t know. One I am aware of. You need to be telling me this. Christ!
Captain Schettino: But are you aware that it is dark and we can’t see anything?
Port Authority: And what do you want? To go back home Schettino? It’s dark and you want to go back home? Get on the bow of the ship and tell me what can be done, and how many there are, and what they need. Now!
The idea that the Captain should be counting bodies at that point in time is ridiculous.
I think you're going to find a totally different story as this progresses.
Had the Captain not grounded this ship AFTER hitting rocks....miles before....and run it out to sea, that ship would have sunk a lot quicker.