It's been difficult gaining an understanding of the occurrance of Costa Concordia's grounding. One would think that by now, a week after her gounding, we'd have a good timeline developed by the Italian Maritime authorities. But we're still stuck with media sensationlism and gossip.
I've tried to develop a timeline based on multiple sources and have started a Blog to see if we can develop a plausible scenerio.
Quotes shown are from various witnesses or assessments made by others.
Comments are welcome, hoping we can come close to the actual events that night.
Here sits the ship as we might have expected to see her last Friday just before starting out on her cruise.
Friday, January 13
- 7:00 pm: The ship sets sail from the port of Civitavecchia near Rome, with 4229 people aboard including over 3000 tourists and a crew of more than 1,000, hailing from 60 countries, most of them Italians, French, Germans and Spaniards. The first port-of-call on the seven-day cruise was to be Savona in northwest Italy, with stops including Marseille and Barcelona.
- 8:30 pm: Many passengers are having dinner or drinks in one of Costa Concordia's five restaurants and 13 bars, while others are in their cabins.
- 8:35 pm: The Costa Concordia is approaching the island of Giglio.
- 9:15 p.m.: Ship takes a five miles detour to pass closer to the picturesque Tuscan (Isla del Giglio)
This first photo depicts a close pass by of the island previously taken by the ship, Blue Line. Now, on this day the Captain took the ship on a course much closer to the shore line, Red Line.
We next see a Goggle Earth picture taken from an orbiting space craft and can easily see the submerged rock outcropping which the ship brushed alongside. There can be no doubt that
this obstruction was evident on navigational charts.
“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.”
Realizing the proximity of a shallow rock outcropping, he ordered right rudder, but too late, slide slipping to port, brushing the rock aft of the port stabilizer.
- 9:30pm: The ship strikes a rocky outcrop just off the Tuscan island of Giglio. Five minutes later, the electricity goes off. many passengers begin to panic.
The captain was reported to have said he hit a rock that was not marked on his charts.
“Suddenly, around 9.30 pm, there was an almighty bang. Our table went flying, everything crashed to the floor and the lights went out…..”
Ships with high freeboard will heel over considerably in a turn while at speed. It would appear that realizing his position close to rocks, the Captain ordered a large starboard rudder angle change. This would almost immediately cause the ship to heave over to port violently which would explain "Our table went flying," etc. I suspect they were sailing at 15 kts or better.
As an example, when I was conning the aircraft carrier Intrepid, about 15 or so seconds before ordering a course change, we would announce over the 1MC (Public Address System), 'Heel to Port/Starboard,' depending on direction of course change. The ship heels in the direction opposite to the turn. On executing the turn, I would order only 5° rudder, then, once seeing the bow begin to swing, I would order the rudder eased to 1°. Even with this small degree of rudder, the ship would still heel at a good angle and execute the turn timely. The announcement over the 1MC was given in sufficient time for plane captains to either set aircraft brakes or chock their wheels. Failing to do so, would result in loosing aircraft over the side.
- 9:35 pm: Power loss means lights go out. The electricity goes off. Many passengers begin to panic.
- 9.45 pm Alarm is raised but by passengers, not Captain, and via a circuitous route. One passenger calls his parents in Tuscany, who call the local Carabinieri, who then call the coastguard in Livorno on the Tuscan coast.
A first alarm is sounded: two long whistles and one short, informing the crew of a problem.
The ship starts taking on water. It is now listing 7° to Port. The Captain continues for a few hundred yards but then turns back towards port as he realizes his ship is in trouble.
- 9:50 pm: The ship begins to list, as the Captain tries to turn the vessel around towards Giglio harbour. In the restaurants, dinnerware crashes off tables. Some passengers rush to their cabins for their life vests.
- 9:58 pm: – Costa Concordia loses power and the coastguard, alerted by the family of a passenger, begins their rescue operation.
- 10:oo pm: Some passengers gather on the fourth deck where the lifeboats are located, as the Captain tries to manoeuvre the vessel closer to shore. Ship runs aground???
- 10:10 pm: The "abandon ship" signal is given: seven short whistles and one long. Lifeboats begin their deployment.
- 10.06 pm: Coastguard calls Capt Schettino and asks him what is going on. He tells them “It’s all OK, it’s just a blackout, we’re taking care of the situation.” Concordia dropped anchor and is halfway into hard turn to starboard ???
- 10.16 pm: Coastguard calls him again and he admits water is coming into the hull but says there is no emergency.
Ship is holed just below the water line adjacent to the Engineering spaces.
- 10:20 pm: The coastguard launches rescue operations with the help of speedboats and helicopters. Giglio's 800-strong population turns out in force to help transfer passengers to shore. Many passengers jump into the chilly waters instead of boarding lifeboats.
- 10:30 pm: Crew announces to passengers at Muster Stations to return to cabins. Schettino orders a Mayday, Concordia is listing 20 degrees
- 10.30 pm: Under pressure from the coastguard, the captain agrees to send a Mayday signal – 50 minutes after the collision. The ship is by now listing at 20 degrees.
- 10:30-10:50 pm: Concordia is still moving to starboard, apparently under thruster control
- 10:42 pm: – Costa Concordia stops, evacuation starts and people begin to get into lifeboats.
- 10.50 pm: Again under pressure from the coastguard, the captain orders the ship to be abandoned – 70 minutes after the vessel smashed into the rock.
"From what I can tell, up until 11:00, the ship was still moving (one hour and twenty minutes after the she was holed)."
- 11:00 pm: Concordia finally stops moving toward land, apparently is grounded
Here she appears to be just after her grounding, emergency powered lightening still available and all but perhaps 5 of her 13 starboard side lifeboats previously launched.
"He picked up a chunk of that rock as you can see in the second photo. He then went out to sea and then turned back to port in an attempt to ground the ship in shallow water to make evacuation easier. Probably got very aggressive with the counter flooding so to turn over on the opposite side of the damage."
[Believe they had emergency powered lighting up to the time they finally heeled over]
- 11:15 pm: – Costa Concordia begins to heel over. The first lifeboat reaches Giglio. In all, around 4,000 people make it safely aboard a lifeboat.
- 11.40 pm: Capt Schettino reportedly gets into a lifeboat. Passengers, including women and young children, are still on board.
- 11:40 pm: Media reports say Captain Francesco Schettino is found ashore, exhausted.
Saturday, January 14
- 00.40 am: Captain tells coastguard: “I’m co-ordinating the rescue.” In fact, he is in the lifeboat. A coastguard official tells him: 'You’re in a lifeboat? Get back on your ship immediately.’
- 00.50 am: In the Captain’s absence, the coastguard takes control of the operation.
- 02:30 am: Some 300 people remain aboard awaiting evacuation.
By early morning, nine hours after the incident, the Costa Concordia, was at an angle of more than 80 degrees.
Question left unaswered is when the listing became such to make occupying the bridge untenable.
Discussion of Captain's role in the aftermath of grazing the submerged rock.
The ship by all reports lost lightening, perhaps propulsion power, however, noting the presence of emergency lightening and the fact that ship propulsion must have been restored such that the Captain was able to navigate the ship back toward the harbor and ground her on her starboard side, he must be credited for his seamanship up to this point. Evacuation of passengers is evident by the absence of most of the starboard side lifeboats.
When, and why the ship capsized completely to about 80° is an unknown at this time. However, when this occurred all emergency lightening was lost, and the hulk was in total darkness, illuminated only by rescue craft arriving on the scene.
"Overseeing an evacuation is part of a captain’s duties. The responsibilities of the captain and crew in the event of an emergency are laid out and approved by the country under whose flag the boat flies."
"Regardless of the boat’s approved safety plan, the captain is at the helm, says Mr. Palmiotti. 'You’re communicating with the outside world from [the command and control center] and internally through telephones and radios,' Palmiotti says. “If there’s no command, there’s no control. [The captain] has a position on board that’s responsible for coordinating everything, but … I can’t think of a [legally binding] law that enforces that.”
**Sometime After 11:00 Deputy Mayor boards Concordia during this time, no other officers anywhere with the exception of Chief Purser, not even on the bridge.
So. here we have a front on view of what was the bridge, the glassed in structure which extends outboard of all other decks. There is no power, no mode of propulsion left, no outside communications available due to loss of power. Just, what could be conducted in this facility in which
there is no way one can stand upright without support?
All the Captain had to communicate with his ship officers and others in authority, was his hand held VHF Handy Talkie radio.
Where would be the best position in which he could direct further evacuation efforts. I would offer that
that place might very well be afloat in a boat from which he can circumvent his stranded ship directing the process. This is where he was later found and accused of abandoning ship.
I offer that this judgement requires careful review.
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