Truth More Terrifying Than Fiction: The Sinking Of the Costa Concordia

Taking a cruise. It sounds like a great idea doesn’t it? I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise but for the people aboard the Costa Concordia, a great idea to get away from it all for a short time turned into a nightmare. When the nightmare was over 32 passengers lost their lives and the ship’s captain found himself the target of a criminal investigation. So what happened and why? It seems there are a few similarities between the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. This disaster occurred in 2012. You know what they say about history? Those who don’t learn from it are bound to repeat it.

One of the first issues was a sudden change in the ship’s course by the captain. He wanted to do a sail by of a local island named Giglio for a crew member. They did a sail by before without any problems but he’d increased the speed of the ship when it was too close to the island and after ordering several turns to try to correct the course, they collided with the reef. The crew was attempting to reassure the passengers by claiming it was just a blackout but people were not buying it. The engine room was getting flooded and like the Titanic, the Costa Concordia starting to sink, only it was sinking sideways. Passengers and staff were preparing themselves for disaster but the ship’s captain was still trying to push the narrative that nothing was wrong while debris was flying everywhere. Passengers could even see the island from the ship.

The Coast Guard started getting in contact with the ship after other crew members and passengers were calling the mainland and family reporting an emergency but it was still being passed off as a blackout. No one was being ordered to be evacuated while the ship continued to sink sideways. Staff members started helping the passengers as much as they could while the crew was having trouble getting the lifeboats loaded and lowered. One of them got stuck on the side of the ship. The crowded conditions on the ship made it difficult for some of the passengers to get to the lifeboat stations. Hearing the survivors recount their stories is chilling, hearing family members speak for the ones lost is heartbreaking. Residents on Giglio could see the ship sinking in the water and started preparing to turn the island into a refuge as the lifeboats started coming ashore.

The Mayor of Giglio boarded the ship but he was shocked to discover the captain was no longer aboard and there were no crew members around. He began trying to help people escape along with the Coast Guard who was now on the scene. The commander of the Coast Guard operation was finally able to get in touch with the captain and in the recording the captain is clearly refusing to get back on the ship and help with the rescue efforts. There were already casualties and he had NO IDEA how many there were. That was supposed to be part of his job! He still refused to get back on the ship and the Coast Guard had to assume full control since the captain was no longer interested in doing, just wanted to get away.

Not everyone got off the ship. In the chaos there were still 300 people trapped aboard. The rescue teams were working hard to rescue survivors and recover the bodies of those who did not. 32 people were confirmed dead and while families mourned and recovered one of the most expensive and time consuming salvage operations began because the wreckage was causing environmental issues for the island. It took years and cost millions.

As for the captain, he was charged with manslaughter and given sixteen years for his total disregard for the safety of everyone but himself. I consider this sentence a little light but apparently this was what the law stipulated. Whether he learned his lesson we will never know.

This disaster was slightly different from Titanic however many lost their lives due to poor decisions by crew members of both vessels. It’s enough to make anyone not want to be anywhere near a cruise ship but I would still like to go in one someday. However, I will pay very close attention to safety protocols.