Princess Chatter

"But as he came to within a quarter of a nautical mile of the coast, in water he believed to be deep enough to be safe, he saw foam breaking on what appeared to be a submerged outcrop and turned sharply, exposing the side of the hull to the sharp rock.

"I may have done something rash, I did do something rash, but God would have made it alright for me if I hadn't set the rudder to starboard," he told magistrates investigating the accident, according to a transcript."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-italy-ship-schettinotre81825z-20120209,0,5394651.story

Editor: I looks to me that if El Capitano hadn't set the rudder to starboard the ship would have plowed straight into the larger rocks dead ahead.

"Eaves said he thought too much attention is focusing on the role of the captain, who has denied abandoning the ship. The lawyer said some crew members apparently failed to promptly inform passengers of the serious nature of the accident, and another issue is why the Concordia was sailing too close to the island's rocky coast.

"The captain is not the only one responsible," Eaves said, but the "entire cruise industry." In other words, the lawyer said, "We know the captain messed up, but the question is, why did he mess up?"

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/story/2012-02-08/Lawyer-Costa-Concordia-survivors-to-push-for-change-in-laws/53011718/1

"While Nat Geo's "Italian Cruise Ship Disaster: The Untold Stories" premiers in the U.S. Feb. 12, touted as the first U.S. docu detailing the luxury liner disaster, Nat Geo's Italian outpost is producing another one-hour TV special with a more international focus, destined to air on most of its global 165 subscription channels outside the U.S. by March.

Italo production company Doclabs, which is producing the as-yet-untitled special, was on the scene a few hours after the ship carrying more than 4,200 passengers ran aground, killing 17 and injuring more then 60, with 15 others still not accounted for. But Nat Geo has also been using its global reach to run messages on its international channels urging survivors to upload footage and get in touch.

The onslaught of announced TV specials about the Titanic-like tragedy in Italy also includes Discovery Channel in the U.S., whose docu will be out this spring, and Channel 4 in the U.K., whose "Terror at Sea: The Sinking of the Concordia" aired Jan. 31."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-201202071210reedbusivarietynvr1118049820feb07,0,1869288.story

"In photos to be published on Wednesday, Capt Francesco Schettino is seen with Domnica Cemortan, 25, enjoying a seafood meal in Villefranche-sur-Mer on the Cote d’Azur.

The couple were photographed in the restaurant on Dec 13, according to Chi, an Italian weekly magazine.

Miss Cemortan reportedly told investigators last week she was “in love” with Capt Schettino, as Italian newspapers said that divers had found her lingerie, clothing and make-up bag in his cabin.

She denied both claims in an interview with another magazine, Oggi. “They are all lies. I wasn’t born yesterday. The information was put out to put pressure on the captain. They want to isolate him, even from his family,” she said.

“I never said to magistrates 'I love Schettino’. They say they’ve found my bikini in his cabin. What have they found on this bikini that connects it to me? Was my name written on it, was there my photograph, or my DNA?”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9067136/Costa-Concordia-cruise-captain-dined-on-crab-and-oysters-with-dancer.html

"The captain of the capsized Costa Concordia could be sentenced to a cumulative total of more than 2,500 years in prison if convicted of causing a shipwreck, abandoning ship and multiple counts of manslaughter, it emerged on Monday. "

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9064722/Costa-Concordia-Capt-Francesco-Schettino-could-be-sentenced-to-over-2500-years.html

"Leonardo Cherici, 34, from Civitavecchia, the very port from which Concordia set sail, was one of the first divers into the ship, smashing his way into the restaurant on deck four with an iron bar in what was initially a frantic hunt for survivors, but which turned into the sombre task of recovering bodies.

Those they recovered had to be carefully removed and taken to the surface in a delicate operation, as after days in the water any sharp movement could have led to damaged body parts breaking away in their hands.

Cherici was the first diver to find victims from the disaster – two elderly men who were both wearing life jackets.

‘They were next to each other by a muster station,’ he says.

‘And that’s what really hit me – they were so close to the lifeboats and so close to being saved. One of them was holding a woman’s handbag, which I later found out belonged to his wife.

‘The first thing we had to do was cut the life jackets off. If we don’t do that it’s like trying to carry a balloon underwater. You try not to get emotional, but it’s very difficult. We are not robots; we have feelings and emotions like everyone else.

When you see the victims wearing life jackets and so close to the lifeboats, you start asking yourself questions. Why didn’t they make it into a lifeboat? Why didn’t they jump into the water? You can only hope they were knocked out by the impact as the ship turned, otherwise if they were still alive they would have been in the dark and helpless, terrified as they were engulfed by a mountain of water.

‘That’s when you start to reflect on things,’ he adds.

‘These people were on a holiday and supposed to be enjoying themselves – they were all dressed very elegantly as if they were going to a party. The bodies I’ve recovered before from drownings have been in swimming costumes, not evening wear.’

‘The other problem we’re facing is that food and flesh are starting to rot down there and the water is getting very polluted.

'One of the guys told me that some of the water went into his mask and the stench was unbearable.

'That’s why after the last few dives we’ve had to disinfect the divers and the suits with sprays and detergents to make sure they’re not exposing themselves to any bacteriological risks. They’re being washed in units that are designed for germ warfare.’"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2094871/Costa-Concordia-Grim-quest-bodies-board-capsized-cruise-ship.html?ITO=1490

"The wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship will be re-floated and removed in its entirety rather than being cut up for scrap, a senior Italian official has said.

The salvage operation is expected to take up to 10 months, meaning that the ship will spend at least a year wedged on rocks in clear sight of Giglio's port and main settlement.

"This timeline represents the best possible outcome in a situation of this kind, although it cannot be excluded that there will be delays given the complexity of the operation," Genoa-based Costa Cruises said in a statement."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9059365/Costa-Concordia-will-be-refloated-and-removed-whole.html