The mystery of COSTA Concordia Cruise SHIP | WORSE Than Titanic

The date and time are January 13, 2012, at 7:15 PM. The world’s largest Italian cruise ship began its 7-day European voyage.
The ship’s name was Costa Concordia. The ship was larger than the Titanic and could accommodate up to 2,000 more passengers.
That’s why 4,252 individuals have joined.

The ship provided a wide range of entertainment options. The cruise ship features 4 large swimming pools, 5 restaurants, 13 bars, a casino, a basketball court, a fitness center with a gym, sauna, Turkish bath, and an F1 racing simulator. The ship’s initial stop was Savona, a city in Italy, It was intended to take around a day to get there.

Only 2.5 hours after the ship left, everyone heard a sudden piercing noise. After that, all of the lights on the ship turned off. And the ship began to lean to one side. The time was 9:45 PM. During this time, some people slept in their rooms while others ate at the supper table. A few sleeping individuals awoke and emerged from their cabins to observe the situation. People’s plates began to slide down the side of the dining table. Passengers were informed over intercom about an electrical issue aboard the ship.

Unfortunately, the ship’s engine failed. The skipper of the ship concealed this fact from the passengers. After a while, the ship began to lean to the opposite side. The passengers realized that this was not a typical electrical breakdown. People were concerned that this might be a repeat of the Titanic disaster.

Interestingly, the Titanic disaster occurred precisely 100 years ago in 1912. During an electrical breakdown, the Titanic theme song “My Heart Will Go On” played in the ship’s dining hall. The ship gradually tilted to the right, causing lower rooms to fill with water. People had already noticed that the ship was sinking.

But why weren’t passengers fully informed? Why did the ship’s captain remain so quiet? This ship was operated by the Italian business Costa Crociere. Initially, this corporation primarily handled freight ships. However, in 1948, they introduced their Costa lines.
It quickly became into one of Europe’s largest cruise ship firms.

Later, in 2000, a firm called Carnival Corporation purchased it. Costa Croisiere became a Carnival subsidiary. In June 2006, they launched their first Concordia class ship. Today we’re going to discuss about the Costa Concordia.
The largest Italian cruise ship at the period. It cost $570 million to make. ₹25 billion at the time.

On that day, the captain of the ship was Francesco Schettino, an Italian employee, had worked for the organization since 2002. Remember his name since he plays a crucial role in our plot. This ship departed for its first stop, Savona, at 7:18 p.m. Only two hours had gone since the ship diverted from its customary itinerary. This was not a mistake.

Captain Schettino intended to take the ship past a specific island. Giglio Island, Italy. He wished for the islanders to see the gleaming ship at night. When a ship passes near land, it is referred to as a sail past or by. Normally, such large ships cruise at a distance of 7-8 kilometers from the shore. A large ship requires deep water to sail properly.

However, due to the sail-by, the ship was barely 150 meters from the land. Obviously, the water wasn’t deep. At this close distance, the ship may encounter large rocks or reefs that could cause damage. Furthermore, the ship was traveling at high speeds at night.
Later, the report of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport supported this claim.

At night, the ship was cruising dangerously near to the beach. The captain’s actions raise questions about his motivation.
Captain Schettino used to work for Senior Captain Mario Palombo. And Mario lived on Giglio Island. Captain Schettino informed Mario that the ship will pass by the island and sound a siren as a tribute to him. Mario clarified that he was not on the island, but in another Italian city. During this talk, the call is disconnected.
The call was made at 9:40 p.m.

After a few minutes, the ominous sound mentioned in the video appeared. The catastrophe that everyone feared actually happened.
This ship collided with several rocks in the ocean. This collision severed the Concordia’s hull. A 70-meter-long wound harmed the ship’s most delicate component. The hit occurred less than 100 meters away from the island. The ship approached the island in the black of night. Water began to rush fast into the ship.

Andrea Corollo, the Concordia’s third officer, was sleeping in his cabin at the time of the event. When he awoke and exited his cabin, the water had already reached the corridor. He rushed to the engine room. When he arrived, he discovered that the door could not be opened. The locked door revealed that the generators and engines were entirely buried in water.

At 9:52 PM, the chief engineer and other engine room officials attempted to activate the emergency diesel generator. Unfortunately, they failed in their attempt. The chief engineer proceeded to inform Captain Chettino about the dire situation. The captain of the ship assured the passengers that there was nothing to worry about. It was a basic blackout.

After a few minutes, the ship began to move away from the island rather than remain stationary. At around 10 PM, Captain Schettino decided to turn the ship around. He reasoned that if they sank, it would be riskier to be in the middle of the water. It would be preferable to remain near the island.

After doing a U-turn, the ship began to tilt to the opposite side, rather than remaining upright. After first leaning to the left, it has now shifted to the right. Roberto Ferrarini, the ship’s crisis coordinator, called Captain Schettino twice, at 10:05 and 10:07 PM. During the second call, Captain Schettino admitted that the ship had some issues.

It would have been better if he had admitted his concerns sooner. Ignoring the truth can be harmful. In the story, Captain Schettino admitted his mistake but then attempted to cover it up by claiming that the blackout caused the accident. However, the accident caused the blackout. Meanwhile, some passengers attempted to contact the local police. At 10:12 PM, the Italian coast guard intervened.

And notifying him that passengers aboard the ship had contacted them. However, the captain stated that there was no major incident, only a blackout. He reassured them not to worry. Half an hour has gone since the collision. After ten minutes, Captain Schettino changes his viewpoint. After all, how long could he hide the truth behind lies?

At 10:22 PM, Schettino instructed the radio operator to notify the coast guard of a collision on the ship’s left side and request tugs assistance for Concordia. And life jackets were distributed to the passengers, and everyone was safe. The ship’s progressive tilt made every minute count.

Finally, at 10:33 am, After a general emergency alert was sounded, passengers were instructed to gather in designated places and await further instructions. At 10:48 PM, the ship was slanted 30 degrees. It had been more than an hour after the collision.
At 10.54 PM, Captain Schettino issued orders to leave the ship.

Think about it, friends. More than 4,200 passengers were trapped on this ship. And this ship was slanted by 30 degrees.
Lower cabins were inundated in water, and above decks were disorganized, with items thrown around. In this case, the captain had only made one reasonable decision. To perform a U-turn. Now, based on this single positive decision,

The lying egoistic Captain hoped to get support and be viewed as a hero for his decision. Undoubtedly, this decision was required. However, he made arbitrary and incorrect decisions. In addition, he misled people on the sinking ship by telling lies. Our captain’s actions drew much criticism. When he gave the order to evacuate the ship, Concordia erupted in chaos.

Some people had already escaped in lifeboats before to the news. Others jumped into the water, confident in their ability to swim. They swam to an island nearby. But following the captain’s signal, chaos followed. The crowd of passengers dashed for the lifeboats.
People pushed and shoved one another to reach the lifeboats.

Fortunately, some crew members were already rebelling against Captain Schettino due to his poor behavior. Ten to fifteen minutes before his instruction, guests were removed from their cabins and placed in lifeboats.

In the darkness of night, the ship was gradually sinking to the right. A 40° or 50° tilt. By this period, the passengers’ cabins were on the right side had reached the sea’s surface. So they could easily jump into the ocean and head for the island. However, the issue was with people on the opposite side of the ship. How would they find their way out of a tilting ship?

In the midst of all this, an Indian staff member was present. Concordia’s security staff includes only one woman, Karnaatha Rameshana. She later explained how language barriers began to appear. Although the majority of the cruise ship’s passengers were Italian, many crew members did not speak the language.

Furthermore, there was the issue of most of the crew members had not been trained for such emergency scenarios. They were just military personnel. Despite challenges, some crew members demonstrated exceptional bravery. Karnaatha personally seated a blind woman in a lifeboat. Two members pulled wheelchair-bound people over their shoulders and seated them aboard lifeboats.
That night, another Indian crew member was aboard the ship.

Russell Rebello was working as a waiter. Prior to Captain Schettino’s orders, he assisted people in boarding the lifeboats. Despite his efforts to assist people on the sinking ship, Russel was unable to survive. During the evacuation. “We don’t know what happened to him, but we know he drowned while helping the passengers.” Russel Rebello, an Indian waiter, is claimed to have died after giving up his own life jacket to save a passenger and assisting others in lifeboats. Captain Schettino abandoned the ship and went to the island, while his crew and passengers remained on board fighting for their lives.

Yes, you heard that correctly. The same captain who attempted to hide it with lies, Wasted an hour before telling the truth to the passengers. Within minutes of making the statement, at 11:19 PM, he was among the first crew members to evacuate ship. Giglio island resembles a little town. There are not many people living there. This island has a population of just 700 people.
Some people came out of their homes to see the incident that night.

When the island’s deputy mayor, Mario Pellegrini, learned of a sinking ship, he went to assist the victims, despite his civilian status. Without hesitation, he jumped into the lifeboat and went into the sea to assist others. According to him, when the ship fell to its right side, it created wells of water that imprisoned people. He arranged for a rope and rescued those trapped in the well.

Approximately 2,500 to 3,300 persons arrived safely on the island during the initial evacuation stage. At 11:38 PM, approximately 400 passengers were still stuck on the ship. Italian Coast Guard helicopters, as well as fire and rescue boats, responded to assist the victims. Although they rescued a few hundred individuals from the ocean, it was unclear how many more were still trapped in the ship.
At 12:42 AM, Captain Gregorio De Falco, the Coast Guard commander, made a call to Captain Schettino, which we have recorded.

Listen.
In rage, he instructed Schettino that as captain, he should return to the ship. He directed Schettino to check on the remaining people on board. He reminded Schettino that he should not have abandoned his passengers and run away. Schettino made excuses and stated that he couldn’t return. Despite all of this, Captain Schettino did not return. This is why he eventually became known as Captain Coward.

On one hand, heroic crew members and the Italian Coast Guard personnel helped people throughout the night. Schettino remained at a safe distance, watching the action unfold. When the sun rose the next morning and the ship was visible, everybody realized the gravity of the situation. Look at these photographs from the morning.

The exact location of the collision is also visible. The sheer magnitude of the collision. The majority of the individuals had been rescued before dawn. Three passengers were confirmed as d3ad, but some remained trapped in the ship. Giglio residents were alerted to the occurrence and responded with assistance. The island housed 700 people, while the ship carried 4,000. Residents opened their homes to provide shelter for the passengers.

Elizabeth Nani from Giglio Tourist Information claimed that all survivors were shocked. Some individuals experienced hypothermia due to the extremely cold water. Everyone was desperate to seek family and friends. The island’s schools, churches, and canteens opened to provide survivors with shelter. They also received comforters and dry clothes. However, the rescue operation continued.
It would last for the following 2–2.5 weeks.

Everyone, including the Italian Navy, Coast Guard, and Fire and Rescue Service, was required to participate. Rescue divers were also necessary.

Because those who remained trapped were unable to unlock the cabin doors. The heavy water pressure on the opposite side confined them inside the cabin. On January 14th, a South Korean couple were rescued after being stranded inside their cabin. The majority of those affected by the incident died as a result. While trapped inside their cabin, they drowned. If they had received timely information, their lives could have been saved. The accident claimed the lives of 32 persons.

The next challenge was removing gasoline from the sunken ship and rescuing it so it wouldn’t remain there permanently. When the engineers examined the ship, It was considered a “constructive total loss.” This meant there was no hope of saving it. This ship couldn’t be utilized again. The only choice was to deconstruct and sell the scrap metal.

First and foremost, the ship had around 1.9 million litres of fuel. The ship was fully loaded. It had just begun sailing. That explains why the fuel tank was full. To remove gasoline, an oil barrier was constructed around the ship. On February 12, 2012, the oil cleanup process began. During the winter, fuel was often semi-solid. Therefore, it was required to warm it before removing. After heating, the oil was transported from one tanker ship to another using a pump. The process took more than a month. This process proceeded until the 24th of March.

Next, the ship needed to be hoisted upright and relocated, which required engineering skills. A steel framework was created in the water to elevate the ship once more. Work on this began a year later, in April 2013. Following that, massive crates were installed on the ship’s upper side. The boxes were filled with water to make them heavier. Ropes and cables were used to pull weighted boxes.
These watertight boxes are known as caissons. There were 15 similar caissons installed in total.

On September 16, 2013, the process of straightening the Concordia began. It took 19 hours to complete this. You can see how it was done. By utilizing pulling machinery, steel structures, and caissons. The next phase was to make the ship float on water. More boxes were used. Caissons were installed on the other side and drained, causing them to float. As the caissons began to float, so did the ship itself. A sound typically used to warn.

A team of 500 divers, technicians, engineers, and biologists contributed to the successful outcome. After 19 months following the tragedy, the cost of salvaging the ship alone was $799 million. This ship was towed to the harbor by another ship. This was completed in July 2014. Until then, the operation cost $1.2 billion.

However, the corporation still had additional such expenses to endure. It took a lot of time and money to scrap the metal from this wrecked ship. More than 350 people contributed to this process, which ended in July 2017. However, rescuing people resulted in a continual stream of court cases. Finally, the business returned the price of each surviving passenger’s ticket. and paid an additional €11,000 in compensation.

This is almost ₹1 million per passenger. The families of the deceased passengers received an unknown amount. The corporation incurred a total cost of $2 billion due to this incident. What happened to the captain of the ship? The individual responsible for this tragedy lied to his passengers, failed to provide timely information, and abandoned the ship before it sank.

Even after the incident, Captain Schettino’s tendency of lying persisted. When the case was tried in court. He stated in court that while the ship was at an angle of 60°-70°, his foot slipped and he fell into a lifeboat. He evidently fell in a weird way and was shipped out.
Obviously, no one believed this reasoning. The judge didn’t believe it at all.

Watch this Masterpiece, By The Great Dhruv Rathee, Concordia Cruise Mystery on youtube.

Captain Schettino received a 16-year prison sentence after being charged with manslaughter in 2017. Moving on, several further interesting details regarding Schettino were discovered. In 2003, Schettino worked under Mario Palombo, the senior captain mentioned earlier in the film. Palombo showed that Schettino was always a liar. Schettino admitted to lying in many occasions rather than admitting his mistakes.

Roberto Bosio, the captain of another ship, happened to be onboard the Concordia that night. He was the captain of the Costa Serena, but that night he was on the Concordia. Unlike Schettino, he did not flee the ship. He continued to aid people to the end. Prior to the official notice, Schettino had already begun evacuating individuals. Later, he stated that leaving all passengers on board was a disgusting act.

This was a tragic and heartbreaking experience that I will never forget. “Only a despicable man would have abandoned all those passengers on board.’’  This was a tragic and heartbreaking experience that I will never forget. Do not call me a hero. I just performed my job. Captain’s duty. Actually, this should be the responsibility of all humanity.”

Thanks for reading this article, if you want to share anything , Let’s get in touch.