They have pictures of him under a blanket in a lifeboat...I guess he fell under the blanket, too? This was before he hopped into a cab when he got to shore and told the driver to take him as far away as possible. I wonder how he explains that.
The guy is an embarrassment to Italy. I read one Italian commentator who was lamenting that the story makes the rest of the world think that all of their negative images of Italians have ample confirmation. Frivolous, dishonest, cowardly, liars...the “captain” looks like a walking Italian joke.
Sadly, I think it’s going to do a lot of damage to the Italian cruise industry among foreigner travelers.
A think his smile, charisma and how he looked in an Armani-designed silk captain’s uniform counted for more than his sea experience or judgement.
The Italians DO have to answer for that.
You won’t hear of anything like this from a Norwegian or Scottish captain. (They provide many of the officers for the world’s merchant fleets.)
Remember about 15 years ago, the cruise ship that sank off of South Africa? The captain and crew were first off in the boats, leaving the mosty British entertainment crew to run the evacuation by small boats and helicopters.
Same story. Like the old joke gun ad, “Italian Mannlicher Carbine, almost like new, never fired, only dropped once.”
But for all of those who question Italian masculinity I have the following anecdote from Arendt's "Eichmann in Jerusalem": During WWII at one point the Italians and the Germans were occupying separate areas of Yugoslavia. The SS noticed that the cattle cars intended to ship Jews north were returning from the Italian sector empty and so they summoned the Italian general: "where is your quota of Jews?"
Said the Italian, "Rounding up people for slaughter is beneath the dignity of the Italian Army"
Here we see the pitiable Italian Army of WWII showing a dignity far beyond the grasp of the mighty Wehrmacht.