Princess Chatter

"The key to the night’s tragic events lies in the actions of the captain, now under house arrest facing charges of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship.

At around 9.05pm he was seen leaving the Concordia Club on Deck 11, in the company of Domnica Cemortan, an off-duty Moldovan member of the crew, and another officer.

A witness said the party had drunk at least a decanter of red wine, raising questions over Capt Schettino’s insistence that he drank no alcohol that night.

Prosecutors have established that the captain was at the controls of the Concordia 37 minutes later, when he steered the huge cruise ship onto rocks off the island of Giglio as he was allegedly trying to perform an "inchino" – or sail-past salute – for a former Costa Cruises captain and for the ship’s chief steward, Antonello Tievoli.

This risky manoeuvre appears to have been established practice for some Costa captains.

Also on the bridge was Miss Cemortan, who investigators now want to interview to shed light on what happened.

By 9.45pm the ship was listing by seven degrees and some passengers, beginning to realise that something was badly wrong, made phone calls to relatives, leading to the coastguard in Livorno being notified that the cruise liner was in trouble.

Mr Schettino only called his employers at 10.05pm – 23 minutes after the collision – reporting a problem with the ship. However when the Livorno harbour master’s office radioed a minute later the ship said it had suffered a “blackout”.

Twenty minutes later Livorno radioed again and Capt Schettino, 52, admitted water was entering the hull – but said there was no emergency. By 10.30pm the ship was listing by 20 degrees and he finally issued a May Day signal, waiting a further 20 minutes – at 10.58 – before ordering the ship to be abandoned.

Capt Schettino should then have waited for the ship’s passengers to be evacuated before leaving himself. However, witnesses saw him wrapped in a blanket getting on a lifeboat just over an hour after ordering the evacuation.

The captain told magistrates that when he did get onto a lifeboat it was only because he had “tripped” and fallen into the rescue craft while trying to help with the evacuation.

At 1.46am he picked up another call from the port authorities and was for a second time angrily ordered to return to his ship by Gregorio De Falco, the Livorno harbour master. However he was later spotted by a police patrol boat heading towards land in a life boat.

At 5am Capt Schettino called his 80-year-old mother Rosa, telling her: “Mamma, there’s been a tragedy. But don’t worry, I tried to save the passengers. I won’t be able to phone you for a while. Just stay calm,”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9029866/Costa-Concordia-the-inside-story-of-the-night-of-Friday-January-13.html

"Dr Cinquini insisted that the ship’s officers did their best amid the chaos and fear, even though video footage which emerged on Friday suggested the crew had told passengers to go back to their cabins as late as 10.25pm – more than 40 minutes after the collision.

The abandon ship alarm was only given at 10.58pm.

He reserved judgment on Capt Francesco Schettini, who is under house arrest and is expected to be charged with abandoning ship, causing a shipwreck and multiple counts of manslaughter.

He said: “I’d only known Capt Schettino for a little while. I know he’s a good sailor but the sea doesn’t forgive the arrogance of man.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9029644/Costa-Concordia-ships-doctor-describes-chaotic-scenes-as-liner-keeled-over.html

"It looks like the only one responsible is the captain. That's what everyone on the outside (thinks)," Mayor Paolo Trapani said. "But in this village, people know he cannot be responsible for everything. It's not like journalists want to portray it."

Prosecutors have accused the captain of piloting the ship too fast to allow him to react to dangers, causing the shipwreck, according to legal papers.

Judge Valeria Montesarchio's initial ruling found Schettino changed the ship's course, steering too close to shore and causing the ship to hit a rock.

Earlier this week, Costa Cruises chairman Pier Luigi Foschi placed the blame for the wreck squarely on the captain, saying it was his choice to deviate from frequently traveled routes."

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/21/world/europe/italy-cruise-main/

"A Costa Concordia crew member reportedly asks in this screen grab taken from an Italian television report for passengers to return to their cabins after the cruise liner ran aground off Tuscany Jan. 13, 2012.
(Credit: Rainews24 via YouTube)"

"We'll resolve the electrical problem that we have with the generator," the female crew member tells passengers in Italian, according to the BBC. "Everything will be fine. If you want to stand here, it's fine.

"But I'm kindly asking you to go back to your rooms, where you'll be seated and tranquil. Everything is under control."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-57362620-503543/cruise-staffer-go-back-to-your-rooms/?tag=contentMain;contentBody

"Less than 30 meters from where the ship is resting is the first of many terraced drop-offs that lead to 90-meter-deep waters. The 17 fuel tanks can withstand pressure of only 20 meters of water before bursting.

A fuel spill would flood the Giglio Archipelago, the largest marine park in Europe, comprising 150,000 acres of protected waters in which hundreds of species of marine life thrive, including giant swordfish, dolphins and monk seals. The islands are magnets for scuba divers, snorkelers, and birdwatchers, and are home to exotic birds, butterflies, and rare frogs.

The family members hoping for a miracle would prefer the salvage operations are held off a little bit longer.

On Friday, Albertini joined a group of family members who were accompanied by the Coast Guard to take a close look at the wreckage by boat. They have been told that there is very little chance of finding their loved ones alive, but they cannot yet give up hope. “Please don’t stop looking for my baby,” Albertini pleaded on a national television program this week. “Please bring her home to me as soon as you can. Don’t stop looking.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/01/20/last-hope-for-costa-concordia-s-missing-as-ship-tanks-risk-bursting.html

"The sensors detected that the ship's bow was moving about 15 millimeters (half an inch) an hour and the stern about 7 millimeters (one-quarter inch) an hour, said Nicola Casagli of the University of Florence, who was called in by Italian authorities to monitor the ship's stability."

---

"The sea floor drops off sharply a few meters (yards) from where the ship is resting, and Italy's environment minister has warned it risks sinking."

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/search-aboard-costa-concordia-resumes-15405198#.Txnj3oHCaSo

Editor: Casagli says the bow is moving 1 foot a day and the stern 1/2 foot a day.  The drop off is maybe 6 feet away. Do the math!

"Sky News has obtained a report and animated reconstruction of the Costa Concordia's final route based on shipping navigational data.

The animation shows the cruise liner hitting an "exposed rock" before continuing on.

The report - from professional sources - details the vessel's route, which is superimposed over shipping charts of the area.

One of the images depicts the liner, a "safety contour" outline around the island of Giglio and the heading "struck exposed rock with a speed of 15 knots".

Animation 'shows' Costa Concordia hit 'exposed rock' based on AIS data, obtained by Sky News

The animation based on AIS navigation data shows the ship hitting an "exposed rock"

The report is based on information from the Automatic Identification System (AIS), an automatic tracking system used by vessel traffic services (VTS) to locate and identify ships.

It works by electronically exchanging data with other nearby ships and AIS base stations.

Marine radar is the primary method of collision avoidance for water transport, supported by AIS information."

According to a leaked transcript being quoted in the Italian media, Francesco Schettino - who has been put under house arrest - admitted making the mistake that led to the Costa Concordia hitting a rock.

"I was navigating by sight because I knew the depths well and I had done this manoeuvre three or four times," he reportedly said.

But this time I ordered the turn too late and I ended up in water that was too shallow. I don't know why it happened."

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16152603