Posted on 01/16/2012 5:12:26 PM PST by NCjim
The captain of the Costa Concordia has become the most hated man in Italy.
Francesco Schettino, 52, is at the centre of a Facebook hate campaign after being squarely blamed for the cruise liner running aground.
Thousands have taken to the web to vent their fury at the so-called ‘Captain Coward’, who is now claimed to have ‘skimmed’ past the Tuscan isle of Giglio not just to salute a retired officer but also to impress his head waiter’s family on shore.
Many scorned his decision not to remain with his stricken ship.
The official death toll rose to six yesterday when a man’s body was pulled from the tilting wreckage. The number of those still unaccounted for rose to 29 – 25 passengers and four crew.
Schettino, who faces up to 12 years in jail for manslaughter, will face court today after his company chiefs accused him of an ‘unauthorised and unapproved’ decision to sail so close to the eastern side of Giglio.
The £400million liner, with 4,200 passengers and crew, was sailing just 300 yards from the island’s rocky coast when it should have been at least four miles out to sea. It came to grief on Friday night after sustaining a 160ft gash in the port-side hull.
After swiftly escaping from the listing liner, Schettino – the Concordia’s skipper for six years – was arrested along with first officer Ciro Ambrosio. The captain was spotted wrapped in a blanket on his way to the shore at around 11.30pm – more than four hours before the evacuation of the vessel was completed and breaking the maritime tradition of remaining with his ship.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Hooboy. That's the sort of thing that will turn up on the old annual performance review...
By that time it was clear the ship was snagged on the reef and was not sinking further, at least for a while. So the doggone captain could at least have sat on the starboard rail and watched the frenzy.
cmon give him a break, he had a massive hangover
The Scum that ‘Skimmed’!
Yeah, keel haul him, on the ship where it sits now.
They should make him go along with the divers to retrieve the bodies still on board.
“cmon give him a break, he had a massive hangover”
Besides he was a socialist(Democrat Progressive). Laws and rules do not apply to him.
The question is who’s going to play him in the Hollywood version? The production of the entertainment product is starting soon. Why, even the theme song has been composed: “My heart is planning to proceed forward”. The good guy 1st officer who saves the lives of the majority of the passengers will be portrayed by an African-American female gay actor. The captain is a member of the Tea Party.
I had a similar experience in a much smaller and thankfully less damaging incident. I was on a touring flight on small plane (6 person capacity) with my wife and friends. Upon landing, one of the plane’s engines caught fire while taxing on the runway. The pilot getting got out and proclaimed “Everyone out!” Of course, he did not stick around to help anyone. Fortunately, the fire did not spread and everyone evacuated after some confusion and panic. There were some minor injuries but no one required medical care.
Shallow water, relatively small hole in the hull.
Quick patch and re-float?
Probably the best bet from a clean-up perspective.
Beyond repair, scrap it in place?
That would be messy!
What is to happen with the ship?
Pure dumb luck that he didn’t kill a lot of people.
It could be problematic to refloat her. The gash was pretty big. They could fill the spaces with ping pong balls (literally) and hold them in with netting to bring her upright and try to tow her to dry dock. She will be refloated, renamed and back in service in under two years. Before the all the lawsuits and criminal trials are settled.
One should refrain from comment until the Board of Inquiry meets (I sat on two of these) but if what I read is true this clown (1) directed his Conn to deviate from an approved course, (2) from 8000 yds offshore to 300, (3) in order to "salute" his headwaiter's family onshore, while (4) he wasn't even on the bridge at CPA, but (5) wining and dining a table full of cruise lovelies. He then (6) fled a sinking vessel while (7) disregarding the safety of his passengers, (8) his ship, and (9) the rescue effort. I'm only guessing, but there may be a "dereliction of duty" charge somewhere in all that...
Seems like a new maritime tradition. A couple of years ago a ship keeled over and sank off the African coast - lots of hairy videos showing the passengers being evacuated by chopper. The skipper? He joined the crew on shore, bailing out before the passengers were off. Claimed he could direct the operation from the shore.
In the '50s there was a Capt. Carlson who refused to leave his listing cargo ship until everyone was off - stayed on board for hours - then was taken off out 30 minutes before she sank.
These newbies could/should take lessons from him, but I doubt they'll get another command.
A story like this reminds me that I really don’t know how the world REALLY works.
For instance, how does a guy like this convince someone to turn over a half a $billion ship to his care? It just boggles my mind.
On Grigio that wouldn't be very far.
I think there are still something like 15 people still missing. Including a retired couple from the Twin Cities. Their family are just basket cases waiting for news.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.