Guest fountainhall Posted January 15, 2012 Posted January 15, 2012 Watching the videos of that mega-cruise liner topple over on to its side not only brought the Titanic to mind, its proximity to shore and some very obvious rocks was incredibly obvious. According to CNN the ship was 2.5 miles off course. How is that possible in such a modern vessel, I wonder? And the captain’s comment? “That rock was not indicated on the chart!” I suppose had he lived, the Titanic’s captain might also have claimed, “that iceberg should not have been there!” One appalling fact to emerge from the disaster was the total panic on board and the ineptitude of most of the crew. Nautilus International, a maritime employees trade union, called the accident a "wake-up call" to regulators. "Nautilus is concerned about the rapid recent increases in the size of passenger ships -- with the average tonnage doubling over the past decade," said Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson in a statement. "Many ships are now effectively small towns at sea, and the sheer number of people onboard raises serious questions about evacuation." . . . Many passengers asked why they had not yet received an obligatory safety briefing when disaster struck http://www.cnn.com/2....html?hpt=hp_t1 Quote
Bob Posted January 15, 2012 Posted January 15, 2012 We were talking about this at lunch a bit. When you have a billion (?) dollar ship, it's almost unfathomable to think that it doesn't have enough electronic gear (depth sounders, sonars, radars, etc.) to give anybody driving that huge ship a whole lot of clue that they're about to get into trouble. My guess is either faulty equipment (which I tend to doubt) or a really inadequate skipper and crew. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted January 15, 2012 Posted January 15, 2012 Wikipedia has updated its entry pretty smartish. The ship entered service in July 2006 and cost US$570 million. Costa Concordia costalot It was taken "out of service: 13 January 2012". I guess that's one way to describe what happened! Sank in just a few fathoms! "Unfathomable" indeed! Quote
Guest Posted January 15, 2012 Posted January 15, 2012 My guess is either faulty equipment (which I tend to doubt) or a really inadequate skipper and crew. I think it's likely to be an incompetent skipper too.Of course one of the major contributors to improved airline safety has been software that stops planes flying into mountains. Let's hope somewhere in the world there is a leader smart enough to order some swift benchmarking of maritime & aviation industries. Quote
kokopelli Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 I think it's likely to be an incompetent skipper too. Perhaps the skipper had reason to steer close to the beach? You would think a sea captain would know about Sirens and the danger they impose upon sailors and ships. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted January 20, 2012 Posted January 20, 2012 Which Queen is that in the background, I wonder? Quote
KhorTose Posted January 20, 2012 Posted January 20, 2012 The Italian captian is like some bad Italian joke. Not only does he drive his ship into a charted rock, but he abandons it at his first opportunity, leaving the evacuation of his passenger to some crew members and the passengers own resources. It must have been hell, which reminds me of another Italian joke. Heaven & Hell HEAVEN is where: The police are British The chefs Italian The mechanics are German The lovers are French and it's all organised by the Swiss HELL is where: The police are German The chefs are British The mechanics are French The lovers are Swiss and it's all organised by the Italians!! Quote
Bob Posted January 20, 2012 Posted January 20, 2012 It must have been hell, which reminds me of another Italian joke. I like that one. And, of course, it reminds me to ask the question as to why they have glass-bottomed boats in Italy? So one can go out and see the Italian navy...... Quote
kokopelli Posted January 20, 2012 Posted January 20, 2012 I post a serious cause for the sinking of the Costa Concordia and you guys makes jokes. What is this forum coming to? Quote
KhorTose Posted January 21, 2012 Posted January 21, 2012 I post a serious cause for the sinking of the Costa Concordia and you guys makes jokes. What is this forum coming to? It really is not a funny thing. On the other hand, some times the best way to deal with a tragedy is a little laughter. I just found this great story about Winston Churchill that I have to add. The current plight of the Costa Concordia reminds me of a comment made by Churchill. After his retirement he was cruising the Mediterranean on an Italian cruise liner and some Italian journalists asked why an ex-British Prime Minister should choose an Italian ship. “There are three things I like about being on an Italian cruise ship” said Churchill. “First their cuisine is unsurpassed. Second their service is superb. And then, in time of emergency, there is none of this nonsense about women and children first.” Quote
Rogie Posted January 21, 2012 Posted January 21, 2012 I post a serious cause for the sinking of the Costa Concordia and you guys makes jokes. What is this forum coming to? Koko's 'siren' theory is indeed worthy of serious contemplation. Please, if any readers know of a cruise that sails close to shore where such siren beauties can be glimpsed, I will make arrangements to jump ship, and bugger the lifeboats. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted January 21, 2012 Posted January 21, 2012 I will make arrangements to jump ship, and bugger the lifeboats. You'll bugger the lifeboats? What sort of fetish is that, I wonder? Quote
KhorTose Posted January 21, 2012 Posted January 21, 2012 You'll bugger the lifeboats? What sort of fetish is that, I wonder? It depends on how old the lifeboats are? Quote
kokopelli Posted January 21, 2012 Posted January 21, 2012 I will make arrangements to jump ship, and bugger the lifeboats. Better jump with a lifebuoy and bugger him. Quote
Rogie Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 I have this strange fantasy, the sirens take pity on me, and swim out to the boat, I am somewhat bewildered but have the presence of mind to lower a lifeboat into which I secrete myself as surreptitiously as possible, I then throw each of the two sirens a lifebuoy and haul them aboard, thus availing myself of the lifeboat's scrumptious contents. Although only a fantasy I trust that clears up any misunderstanding over my earlier assertion that I would bugger the lifeboats, as clearly that would be no mean feat. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 Clearly Rogie was light-headed from an excess of eager anticipation. He missed out a small word - "buggering in the lifeboats!" Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 11, 2012 Posted July 11, 2012 So the captain of the Costa Concordia has finally apologized! Well, sort of. But he insisted others should also share the blame, saying the ship had been under the command of another officer at the time . . . He said he blamed himself for being "distracted" but said he had not been on the bridge when the ship ran aground. http://www.bbc.co.uk...europe-18792232 That suggestion he was not on the bridge and the nature of the distraction was contradicted in an earlier interview with the object of that distraction – Domnica Cemortan had been dining and flirting with Captain Francisco Schettino before the disaster and was with him on the bridge when the ship struck rocks on January 13 http://www.dailymail...tino-crash.html The captain of the Titanic was not able to apologise. He went down with his ship. And if I remember correctly, he was also not in command at the time his ship hit the iceberg. Yet he accepted the buck stopped with him. Quote
