Ships that Crash in the Night

Pictures of the Costa Concordia have been splattered all over the news this week, as have the actions of the ships captain, Francesco Schettino. Seems he opted to leave the doomed vessel before his passengers. Apparently, he felt he could better direct rescue efforts from the shore. RI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-GHT! Women and children first? Captain goes down with his ship? I don't think so. Captain Schettino, it seems, was concerned about the fact that it was dark. Don't get it? Me either, but that's what he told the coast guard commander who ordered him to return to his ship. Captain Schettino is currently enjoying house arrest while divers search for the the bodies of the two dozen passenger that are still unaccounted for. The good captain is facing some serious charges.

Of course, this is not the first time this sort of thing has happened. It was just over twenty years ago when the Greek Registered cruise ship Oceanos sank in a storm of South Africa's Wild Coast. Fortunately, all 557 passengers were rescued. But even before the rescue was complete, the word got about that the captain, Yiannis Avrannis, and many of the ships crew had left the ship before all of the passengers had been evacuated. Pushed elderly passengers out of the way and jumped onto the waiting rescue helicopters. The remaining passengers were evacuated by the ship's entertainers, of all people, and the last people to leave the stricken ship were the Filipino cooks, who stayed behind to make sure that everyone had gotten off. When he heard of the passengers were accusing him of deserting them, Captain Avrannis claimed he had gone to shore so that he could better direct the rescue operations. Later, he was infamously quoted as saying, "When I give the order abandon ship, it doesn't matter what time I leave. Abandon is for everybody. If some people want to stay, they can stay." Seems the maritime court didn't quite agree with him. He and several of the ships senior crew were found guilty of negligence by the Greek Maritime Board. And nobody died in that one. Captain Schettino should seriously consider getting himself a really good lawyer.