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 waiters family on shore.
Many scorned his decision not to remain with his stricken ship.
The official death toll rose to six yesterday when a mans 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 islands 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 Concordias 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 ...
He definitely isn't this guy:
I see Drudge is now saying 29 missing. That’s a lot of people.
I was referring to the picture that Lx posted of Captain Hazelwood, late of the Exxon Valdez.
Or this guy. Admiral Tom Phillips, Royal Navy, refused to leave his flagship, HMS Prince of Wales and went down with her off Malaysia, the highest ranking Allied officer to be killed in combat during WW2.
I wonder if the main reason the captain fled the ship was that he was drunk and wanted to go someplace to sober up before facing the music - even if it meant passengers had to die. Kind of like what Ted Kennedy did at Chappaquiddick. Only Ted Kennedy had better lawyers and a fawning press corps that was eager to cover up for him.
And DEFINITELY NOT this guy!
If he's pictured wearing a neck brace, you'll have your answer.
Along with taking the time to loot the ship's safe on his way off. Guess he intended an early retirement in the South Seas.
One must remember that this is 2012 and not 1912.
Six dead so far and about 25 missing is a lot.
Maybe they can haul it the way they did with the Cole (505 feet long).
I haven’t heard that. Link please?
Paging Captain Hazelwood!
Beat me to it
1. Captain — because he's got the sole responsibility for the safety of the ship and crew.
2. Officer of the Deck — because he was approved as capable of this duty by the captain.
3. Navigator — because he's supposed to keep the captain and OOD from running the ship aground.
Commercial vessels are no less strict. The fact remains that the captain of the vessel is ultimately responsible for the safety pf the ship and its passengers. I can predict that this captain's Master's License is going to be history and he will face criminal and civil penalties for his actions (or lack of them).
1. Captain — because he's got the sole responsibility for the safety of the ship and crew.
2. Officer of the Deck — because he was approved as capable of this duty by the captain.
3. Navigator — because he's supposed to keep the captain and OOD from running the ship aground.
Commercial vessels are no less strict. The fact remains that the captain of the vessel is ultimately responsible for the safety pf the ship and its passengers. I can predict that this captain's Master's License is going to be history and he will face criminal and civil penalties for his actions (or lack of them).
You know who currently resides in the Oval Office, right?
So what's not to understand about a single ship?
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