Almost Titanic 2

I'm sure a captain of a ship "signs up" to that responsibility when given the job. So no, perhaps I wouldn't - but then again, I haven't signed anything saying I would :)
 
Jay794 said:
I get that the guy shouldn't have abandoned his post, but in a life or death situation (not that it was that) how many of us can see we wouldn't have attempted to save our own lives over everyone elses
Click to expand...

Thats no excuse. If he didnt want to have to face that responsibility, he shouldnt have taken the job.

As commander of the ship he had the ultimate duty to ensure the safety of his passengers and crew. Justice demands that he answers for his crime.
 
Schettino was the Captain, he knew what his responsibility was in case of a disaster. When it actually happened he fell to pieces. Prior to the event I doubt he could have imagined he would behave in the way he did. Who knows how you or I would have behaved in the same circumstances?

In 1994 I was chief officer on the tanker 'Lima' when the Italian cruise liner Achille Lauro burnt and sank in the Indian Ocean. There were 1,000 people on board. There were three fatalities, which was incredible. The first ship on the scene was another tanker 'Hawaiian King' . They had a crew of approx, 30, which rapidly became 1,030. We arrived shortly afterwards, and I spent all day in one of our lifeboats transferring deeply shocked passengers of all ages to the other vessels which turned up at the scene.

The Captain of the Achille Lauro behaved impeccably, if I recall correctly.
 
The Funktopus said:
And I'll bet you could have cartwheeled in & out of those as well.



The line I work for owned the MV Tricolor,a car carrier that was lost following a collision in the English Channel during 2002. When I was at sea between August and December, the chief engineer of the vessel I was on, Tortugas knew the chief engineer aboard Tricolor during the disaster, and he described a torrent of water so strong flooding into the engine room that there simply wasn't possible to close watertight doors. The water will literally gush into a hole below the water line with pretty much the entire weight of the ocean behind it. There's no stopping it unless it's a relatively small hole, and anyone going down into it to play heroics is going to get taken off their feet and drowned in it. There's only so much you can do. And besides, on Tortugas at least, the engine room was entirely open plan across several decks, save a pair of fireproof doors between the steering gear room, and up out of the funnel stack and into the main no.5 car deck. Compartmentalisation on commercial ships is minimal when compared to a warship, and besides, warships will keep watertight doors closed when going to general quarters, ready for combat, rather than trying to wrest them shut after the vessel is holed.
Click to expand...

I'm just speculating more than anything. I have expirience with Damage control training while serving in the Royal Navy, if an engine room is holed then the watertight hatches are dropped before the water can get to that level. On Merchantman do they not have an increased damage control state when they are going to be close to land for example?
 
Craig1981 said:
Thats no excuse. If he didnt want to have to face that responsibility, he shouldnt have taken the job.

As commander of the ship he had the ultimate duty to ensure the safety of his passengers and crew. Justice demands that he answers for his crime.
Click to expand...
Lets not get carried away. Let the courts determine all the facts first.
And I agree with Jay794, in fact I posted something similar earlier in the thread.

Until such an event happens, regardless of what you have signed up for - you cannot determine how you might react to something like this. Similar behaviour has been analysed in other professions. For example, although not directly related soldiers have been known to deliberately miss targets for fear of taking human life - after intense training, both emotionally and physically.

The reason I draw the comparison is to highlight the fact self preservation in situations where rationale is limited and probably reduced to zero will make some people think differently.

Of course, all the heros on OC would have stood firm.

I was talking to a skipper just the other day who was largely frustrated because the media were asking all the wrong questions - for example was the rock which the ship sunk charted.

I actually feel a sorry for the Captain. I imagine he is going through hell at the moment while all you brave souls along with every journalist and other opportunistic types carry out your witch hunt.
 
Tobeornottobe said:
Schettino was the Captain, he knew what his responsibility was in case of a disaster. When it actually happened he fell to pieces. Prior to the event I doubt he could have imagined he would behave in the way he did. Who knows how you or I would have behaved in the same circumstances?

In 1994 I was chief officer on the tanker 'Lima' when the Italian cruise liner Achille Lauro burnt and sank in the Indian Ocean. There were 1,000 people on board. There were three fatalities, which was incredible. The first ship on the scene was another tanker 'Hawaiian King' . They had a crew of approx, 30, which rapidly became 1,030. We arrived shortly afterwards, and I spent all day in one of our lifeboats transferring deeply shocked passengers of all ages to the other vessels which turned up at the scene.

The Captain of the Achille Lauro behaved impeccably, if I recall correctly.
Click to expand...

Now there is nostalga!! That old hulk was not a lucky ship - for starters never rename a ship!She had several "Rebirths" Who would insure a ship such as the AL? It was good the life boats held together - there is a lot of weight on the keel et al when a full lifeboat is going down the side of a ship. This was not of course a similar situation - plenty of time to radio position and for help to arrive. Surprised there were UK Officers on board - when I travelled on her just Italien Officers. Check out the film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xikoGbMWUws
 
Last edited:
wordy said:
I'm just speculating more than anything. I have expirience with Damage control training while serving in the Royal Navy, if an engine room is holed then the watertight hatches are dropped before the water can get to that level. On Merchantman do they not have an increased damage control state when they are going to be close to land for example?
Click to expand...

Not as such. My experience so far only extends to ro-ro vessels which aren't fitted with transverse bulkheads, but do possess ramps between cargo decks that can be lowered hydraulically and sealed water-tight, which are always closed whilst underway anyway. Below are a couple of photos I took whilst aboard the car carrier Tortugas while she was empty, just to show how cavernous she is. This is no.5 car deck (of 12 in total), the main car deck where the stern and side ramps are located in order to load and discharge cargo. The first photo is taken from when I was standing at the bow, looking aft, and the second while I was aft looking forward.




The procedure we had for any hull damage was to sound the general alarm (seven short and one long blast on the ship's horn), whereupon the crew were to report to their muster station on the stern carrying their survival suits and lifejackets. The chief officer would conduct a head count, then we'd standby awaiting orders. Meanwhile, the chief engineer would inspect the damage if possible, and make his recommendation to the Captain, who'd make the call to attempt repair or abandon ship. As far as any sort of procedure while close to land went, all we'd do is have the engineers man the engine room 24/7 in rotating 8 hour watches, in order to respond to any sudden calls for an increase in power, or to tackle any problems that would threaten the ship's ability to manoeuvre, such as a steering gear failure.
 
Just seen there was an unidentified woman on the bridge that night, who wasn't on the passenger list................

Oh Dear Oh Dear, Also there is a storm forcast very soon so things are looking pretty bleak right now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom