As the Costa Concordia sinks deeper into the Mediterranean, the controversy swirling around Captain Francesco Schettino is heating up. It wasn't Schettino's navigational skills that got him into the trouble he's in today but his deplorable actions after the Concordia hit an outcropping of rocks.
Infrared video of the evacuation captured by the Italian Coast Guard shows hundreds of people trying to get off the ship as it was completely on its side, helped by the heroic rescue workers who had little more than moonlight to guide them. By then Schettino was already on dry land, having a heated argument with coastguard chief Gregorio De Falco, who was ordering him to return to his ship. Schettino can be heard explaining that he could not get back on the ship because it had capsized. De Falco then screamed, 'Get back on board, prick!' The term in Italian, 'Vada a bordo, cazzo!' has gone viral, with T-shirts an instant hit.
(via Miss Cellania)
7 comment(s):
The translation would actually be:
"Get back on board, god*ammit/for f*ck's sake!" or similar.
Although "cazzo" does mean prick (closer to d*ck actually), in Italian is not used as an adjective to describe someone, but more as an expression of exasperation regarding a situation.
I've never written a comment abuot swear words. Much fun!
Thanks stephoid for the explanation.
Why did the sonar did not detect immediate land under belly. I doubt the Captain was getting BJ from someone in his cabin or doing someone, very normal for captains on such ships to flirt with women on board take them to cabin.
Falco(n) punch!
He's a living Lord Jim
"Why did the sonar did not detect immediate land under belly"
The Captain deliberately over-rode the safety systems in place designed to prevent this kind of thing.
He was FIVE MILES off of the programmed course, and on the wrong side of the channel. All sorts of alarm-bells and warnings would have been sounded on the bridge, and he either shut them off, or ignored them.
This was done to deliberately pass by the island as closely as possible, to salute a retired captain who lived on the island, and a relative of the headwaiter's.
The Captain had done this in the past, but this time he didn't alter his course on time, and basically ran his vessel at full speed onto the rocks.
I'm just surprised that he wasn't towing water-skiers at the time.
@Jeff it's also interesting to note that even after the impact the captain managed to do the wrong thing. With the vessel taking on water he turned hard to port to make for safe harbour. All that water shifted causing the ship to roll more than it usually would. Then it wouldn't right even when he straightened up. It took on more water and finally capsized. Had he not turned so hard the ship would probably have stayed upright and sunk more slowly. Both those factors meaning the ship would have been easier to evacuate and fewer lives would have been lost.
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