Concordia timeline is full of, well something

[Fury1995]

I asked this yesterday in the main "sinking" thread but I was pushed back several pages really quickly..

 

I am getting so confused by what is being reported in the media. I am genuinely asking if someone can help me understand the timeline of the vents.. If anyone can point to verified information or any definite incorrect points in this timeline, I would appreciate it. I am in no way defending the Costa Captain or crew or passengers. I am just trying to look at this factually and without bias.

 

 

According to what I have read so far the ship struck "something", passengers felt a shudder and the lights flickered, correct? This happened at 9:42 local time? Reports keep indicating the time is either 8:42 or 9:42 when this began.. which is it?

 

3 minutes later, at 9:45 a passenger calls his parents in Tuscany who then call the Coast Guard in Livorno who then call the ship at 10:06 and ask if everything is ok?

 

**9:42 Concordia strikes a rock.

 

**9:45 A passenger calls his parents just 3 minutes after they struck something?

 

**Power has allegedly gone completely out at some point during this time period, 9:45-10:06, correct?

 

According to the Qastor data, the ship approached the island at approximately 15 kts and just prior to striking the rock, dramatically slows to 8kts and turns hard to starboard at 9:45. So the timeline reported isn't perfect..

 

 

UPDATED

**9:42 Concordia strikes a rock.

 

**9:45 A passenger calls his parents just 3 minutes after they struck something?

 

**10:05 Schettino calls Costa Management, has conversation.

 

**10:06 Coast Guard at Livorno calls Concordia and speaks with Schettino.

 

**10:06 Concordia dropped anchor and is halfway into hard turn to starboard

 

http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/news.qps.nl/Grounding+Costa+Concordia.wmv

 

>>>By the way, the above link indicates the ship turned to starboard to return, not port.. which is it?<<<

 

So, 10:05 Schettino calls Costa and presumably while he is on that phone call with Costa, he gets an incoming call from Coast Guard officials from Livorno on minute later, at 10:06. Schettino is at this point holding both phones and speaking to both parties, correct? He tells the Coast Guard that Concordia is suffering from electrical issues and is in a black out and does not need assistance, no mention to the Coast Guard that the hull has been breached. What is he telling Costa officials during this same exact time that he is presumably having both conversations? Also, it's been reported by the ship's engineers that they could not reach the Captain during this time period to inform him of the amount of flooding occurring from the breach because the Schettino was on his cell phone, correct?

 

Also, during this time, 30 minutes after Concordia strikes something, Port Authorities radio Concordia. There is no confirmation of timeline, just an audio recording between Port Authorities in Livorna and Concordia indicating that a crew member called relatives and informed them that they were ordered to "put on life jackets" and "dishes were crashing on his head". Concordia responds with "we are verifying the blackout" and when asked how long they have been experiencing the blackout, replies with "about 20 minutes".

 

 

UPDATED

**9:42 Concordia strikes a rock.

 

**9:45 A passenger (possibly the crew member now) calls his parents just 3 minutes after they struck something?

 

**9:45-10:05 Crew ordered to put on life jackets

 

**10:05 Schettino call Costa Management.

 

**10:06 Coast Guard at Livorno calls Concordia and speaks with Schettino.

 

**10:06 Concordia dropped anchor and is halfway into hard turn to starboard

 

**10:12 Radio conversation between Port Authorites and Concordia (unidentified crew on Concordia) takes place discusses blackout only)

 

**10:16 Coast Guard in Livorno radios Concordia not a second, a third time.

 

 

If I am understanding correctly, by 10:12, a full thirty minutes after the incident, the ship experiences the full blackout for at least 20 minutes according to the recording between the unidentified officer and Livorno (after the initial flickering of lights), has dropped anchor, is listing at least 7 degrees from taking on water, turning hard to starboard (or port in some reports) to move the ship closer to land and crew has been ordered to put on life jackets. By 10:16 Schettino had initiated contact with Costa-not the any emergency authorities and the ships crew had been contacted not once or twice, but a third time by Port Authorities/Coast Guard and Schettino at this point still has not admitted to needing assistance?

 

CONTINUATION

**9:42 Concordia strikes a rock.

 

**9:45 A passenger (possibly the crew member now) calls his parents just 3 minutes after they struck something?

 

**9:45-10:05 Crew ordered to put on life jackets

 

**10:05 Schettino call Costa Management.

 

**10:06 Coast Guard at Livorno calls Concordia and speaks with Schettino.

 

**10:06 Concordia dropped anchor and is halfway into hard turn to starboard

 

**10:12 Radio conversation between Port Authorites and Concordia (unidentified crew on Concordia) takes place discusses blackout only

 

**10:16 Coast Guard in Livorno radios Concordia not a second, a third time.

 

**10:30 Crew announces to passengers at Muster Stations to return to cabins.

 

**10:30 Schettino orders a Mayday, Concordia is listing 20 degrees

 

**10:40 Cook reports Schettino orders dinner and waits with companion

 

**10:30-10:50 Concordia is still moving to starboard, apparently under thruster control

 

**10:50 Schettino orders abandoned ship under pressure from Coast Guard

 

 

What was Schettino planning? In the 70 minutes prior to this order (which appears to be reluctant) to abandoned ship, he turns the ship about, moves it closer to land essentially grounding it, orders crew to put on life jackets and in retrospect describes all of those actions as life saving decisions yet never gives the impression to anyone of authority (at least outside of the cruiseline that we know of) that there is any real threat to the ship? What did he think would happen? The ship would just rest there, sitting upright and eventually he would offload the passengers and crew?

 

This is where I get even more fuzzy. Costa has made a statement that the crew was able to get almost all passengers off the ship in under 2 hours yet I still see video and read accounts of many passengers attempting to get off the ship well beyond that. Coast Guard night vision video:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwmz9LN8wcE

 

CONTINUATION

**9:42 Concordia strikes a rock.

 

**9:45 A passenger (possibly the crew member now) calls his parents just 3 minutes after they struck something?

 

**9:45-10:05 Crew ordered to put on life jackets

 

**10:05 Schettino call Costa Management.

 

**10:06 Coast Guard at Livorno calls Concordia and speaks with Schettino.

 

**10:06 Concordia dropped anchor and is halfway into hard turn to starboard

 

**10:12 Radio conversation between Port Authorites and Concordia (unidentified crew on Concordia) takes place discusses blackout only

 

**10:16 Coast Guard in Livorno radios Concordia not a second, a third time.

 

**10:30 Crew announces to passengers at Muster Stations to return to cabins.

 

**10:30 Schettino orders a Mayday, Concordia is listing 20 degrees

 

**10:40 Cook reports Schettino orders dinner and waits with companion

 

**10:30-10:50 Concordia is still moving to starboard, apparently under thruster control

 

**10:50 Schettino orders abandoned ship under pressure from Coast Guard

 

**11:00 Concordia finally stops moving toward land, apparently is grounded

 

**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.

 

**11:40 Schettino reportedly seen in a lifeboat, 2nd and 3rd officers present.

 

**12:40AM Coast Guard speaks to Schettino, ordered back on board Concordia, apparently he was on land now.

 

During the time the ship made it's turn back to land and prior to abandoning ship order was given, were passengers already leaving the ship? Were there reports that stated passengers left/jumped and swam for it? From what I can tell, up until 11:00, the ship was still moving (one hour and twenty minutes after the she was holed).

 

Also, Schettino ordered abandoned ship from where? While having dinner? He ordered dinner at 10:40 from reports. Then he was reported already in a lifeboat at 11:40, just 40 minutes after the ship stopped moving towards land, just two hours after the incident. Even more crazy, remind me again where in this timeline the Schettino is still waiting for his meal to be prepared, with the young woman companion? He's in the lifeboat 60 minutes after he orders dinner (and waits for his companions desert?) I thought he was on the phone for over an hour with Costa / Port Authorities / Coast Guard? How does stay on the phone with Costa, take three calls from port authorities, maneuver the ship toward land, order dinner drinks and dessert, make way to the lifeboat and manage to make his way to land that quickly? I can't even eat in that amount of time.

 

This is all so crazy..

[AWorldCruise4Me]

It is confusing. What has been bugging me is that if he had ordered the abandon ship as soon as they were aware of the hull breach and taking on water would all have been saved?

 

His excuse that they had to get closer to shore doesn't make sense. The ship is supposed to have enough life boats and rafts for all. It is not supposed to be a ship that people have to be close to shore to evacuate from.

 

How long do they think it will take for a ship like the Concordia to evacuate? It seems like it should be under an hour and he seems to have sailed it for more than an hour after impact.

 

If fact sailing so close to shore to beach it may have caused it to list far more quickly than it would have if it had been in deep enough water to keep the open decks and cabin balconies above water.

 

I'm still reeling over the captain and all the senior officers hiding in a life boat for an hour while others worked to haul people out of flooding stairwells. They really need to overhaul how they select these people.

[Fury1995]

I am hoping that the last video being shown on the news with crew dispersing passengers back to there cabins 20 minutes before abandoned ship was ordered isn't really 20 minutes before abandoned ship was ordered...

 

I can't imagine being told to leave the muster station while the ship is tilting. I hope that wasn't the case with the still missing passengers.

[Milaandra]

 

1. in retrospect describes all of those actions as life saving decisions yet never gives the impression to anyone of authority (at least outside of the cruiseline that we know of) that there is any real threat to the ship?

 

2. This is where I get even more fuzzy. Costa has made a statement that the crew was able to get almost all passengers off the ship in under 2 hours yet I still see video and read accounts of many passengers attempting to get off the ship well beyond that. Coast Guard night vision video:

 

3. **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.

 

4. **12:40AM Coast Guard speaks to Schettino, ordered back on board Concordia, apparently he was on land now.

 

 

 

Hi, I have snipped your post and added numbers. I hope you don't mind.

 

1. I think we need to remember that when an abandon ship is called, the captain is no longe in charge of the ship. The coast guard is. Many people believe that grounding the ship was a move that saved lives. Would the coast guard have agreed?

 

2. There are a lot of different numbers out there about how many people were left on board after the two hours. Generally it's betwen 100-300. Out of 4200, you'd have to say that most were off the ship in that two hour window.

 

3. I just listened to the original telephone interview with Mario Pelligrini http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/outlook They were using an interpreter, who used the term "the upper bridges" I wonder if some of the Italian speaking CCers can make out the original Italian Pelligrini used...the interpreter is talking over Pelligrini, so I'm not sure if they will be able to hear it. I'm just wondering if it should have been "upper decks"? 20 minutes doesn't seem very long to search your way from the 4th deck to the 8th.

 

To be fair, he also found the doctor and eventualy a 2nd class officer.

 

4. The wall street journal lists two different times for phone calls with the coast guard.

 

All of which just makes it all the more confusing, doesn't it?

[Milaandra]

His excuse that they had to get closer to shore doesn't make sense. The ship is supposed to have enough life boats and rafts for all. It is not supposed to be a ship that people have to be close to shore to evacuate from.

 

A 20 degree list is enough to interfere with the launching of lifeboats (see the Andrea Doria) and it has been reported that the ship almost immediately reached that amount of list.

[Milaandra]

I can't imagine being told to leave the muster station while the ship is tilting. I hope that wasn't the case with the still missing passengers.

 

I can't imagine believing them! Me, I'd be saying, "oh, then I'll just stand here and get some fresh air...the lifejacket? I didn't bring a cardigan..."

 

I read that the father and daughter were seen slipping from the ship to the water by his girlfriend. How horrible is that? I imagine some of the missing will be in the sea, and they may never find them.

[TheBestIsYetToCome]

I am looking forward to hearing from more of the passengers with respect to their perceptions about the timeline of events. We really haven't heard from that many people who have addressed the sequence of things that happened...the impact, the power loss, the list, the bridge announcements, the call to muster, the turn, the anchor, etc.

[astrocruises]

I think we can safely discard any time information provided by the captain, who apparently has reasons to lie. Apparently he was ashore when saying he was in a lifeboat AND that he was still aboard the ship.

 

Likewise, based on recorded conversations between ship and shore officials, I think we can safely suspect any time information provided by any of the bridge officers, who would have reason to lie if the truth would impact their careers.

 

I'm highly suspect of any time information provided by the blond companion. Whether or not she has a reason to lie remains to be seen.

 

What I find most difficult to reconcile is the account of the cook, who says the captain and the blond are in the restaurant at the time of the collision and afterward. I can't think of a reason the cook would lie. This information, though, seems to be based on one TV interview in the cook's native language and translated into English. I'd like to see that interview posted in the original language and with one or more alternative translations into English.

 

The data recorder ("black box") will provide some answers, and we'll probably have to wait until the release of that information for definitive answers to some of these questions.

[yankeechick78]

I think we can safely discard any time information provided by the captain, who apparently has reasons to lie. Apparently he was ashore when saying he was in a lifeboat AND that he was still aboard the ship.

 

Likewise, based on recorded conversations between ship and shore officials, I think we can safely suspect any time information provided by any of the bridge officers, who would have reason to lie if the truth would impact their careers.

 

I'm highly suspect of any time information provided by the blond companion. Whether or not she has a reason to lie remains to be seen.

 

What I find most difficult to reconcile is the account of the cook, who says the captain and the blond are in the restaurant at the time of the collision and afterward. I can't think of a reason the cook would lie. This information, though, seems to be based on one TV interview in the cook's native language and translated into English. I'd like to see that interview posted in the original language and with one or more alternative translations into English.

 

The data recorder ("black box") will provide some answers, and we'll probably have to wait until the release of that information for definitive answers to some of these questions.

 

Yeah that is what really confuses me. We hear he is drinking an having dinner with the blond 30 minutes before the ship crashed. Than we hear from a cook that he ordered dinner an hour after the crash. As you said the "black box" will tell a lot. Does that also record what is said in the control room?

[wendygrace]

I also think that the interview with the cook is faulty. If the lights are out, and the boat is listing, there is no cooking going on, no serving, no order taking. I suspect the cook was either confused or, more likely, there was a communication break down in the questioning/translating.

[sidari]

The Abandon ship order was given by another Costa Captain who was traveling home on the ship to Savona!

[BillB48]

ooops:)

[Taxguy77]

Yes, it's very confusing, join the club. :p

At one time, the Capt. was; On the bridge talking to headquarters and the Coast Guard, and in the galley ordering dinner? :confused:

 

Just glad I wasn't there! :eek:

[OneLuckyMom]

I've seen reports where the 10:06 time is just the time when the Coast Guard is notified that a passenger has called relatives on shore regarding the problems, but they did not call the ship until 10:14.

 

I've also read that when the passenger called relatives, they either told a friend who called the police, or the relatives called the police directly. The police then called the Coast Guard.

[izatu]

what i heard in the video interview with the cook, which is somewhere on this board, is not that he ordered dinner with the blonde at 10:40, but that they were still eating and they ordered DESSERT, and the cook was unable to believe that the captain was still sitting there, waiting for his dining companions dessert.

 

the video is here, if you scroll down, its not at the top. http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/19/world/europe/italy-cruise-cook/index.html

 

i think some of the translation is messed up or something is wrong. at first they say that he ordered a meal at 10:30, and then they say he is waiting for the dessert.

 

If i had to make an educated guess, i would say the captain continued on with his meal as if nothing was wrong, which had him ordering dessert at 10:30.

[OneLuckyMom]

Also, the reports on the port authority logs put the next call from the Coast Guard to the ship at 10:26, not 10:16.

 

And I've heard "about 10:30" as the time the cook refers to ordering dinner. It does not say he was in the dining room at the time - it could have been he was ordering from the bridge. But I haven't watched the interview, just read what's in the papers about it.

[Milaandra]

The Abandon ship order was given by another Costa Captain who was traveling home on the ship to Savona!

 

That's not what the reports said. They said that he started filling the lifeboats 10 or 15 minutes before the abandon ship order was given.

[SomeBeach]

I'm just having a real hard time wrapping my brain around the cooks story.

Captain, in case you didn't notice the lights flicker or hear the groan, well Sir, we have a bunch of water pooring in the ship.

Captain replies, well I need to wait for her to get her cake.

I heard or read "somewhere" that the Captain was notified and immediately left the table, if it is indeed true he was at dinner.

Another is, how could the Captain take the ship off its regular course, which I would think was auto pilot programed, and then leave the Bridge to ???? Who was in charge?

That's not to say that Captains must always be on the Bridge, they do have to eat and sleep but this ship was going off its normal course to what was known to be a rocky area along the coast.

[TheBestIsYetToCome]

That's not what the reports said. They said that he started filling the lifeboats 10 or 15 minutes before the abandon ship order was given.

 

He, meaning....Captain Basio or Schettino?

[Jazzy Mae]

I justa can't believe that a captain (or any other human being) could behave so irracionally, there has to be something else. The power outage - why did it happen? The lights went up again after. Could it be the boat had some serious electrical issues that had something to do with the instruments ( I am not a marine expert, just looking at possibilities)? And what surprises me is why all the officers have lied? The one talking to the coast gueard saying that nothing is wrong, then the captain...I am sure there is something behind this. And the dinner - if the captain is so self orianted, why would he have dinner while the ship is sinking? I just do not believe this. To mee it feels as if the officers were not even aweare for some reason of the damage that happened, and when they did, they did the manouvers and all the rest is a result of panic and stress and incompentence?

I mean, I was affraid so many times when there was actually nothing going on on the boat...can it be they really taught the problem was not that big? Plus, I think that the crew (not the officers) did save people and they should get some credit for it. I know the passengers suffered, but can you imagine anybody out of many persons who came out ''easily'' and had time to film to say ''well, it was a bit tough, but all fine''. And there were many. On one of the videos in my country a person filming the rescue is filming and talking, and his son is joking in the line for the boats singing ''When our boat goes down down..'' (we have that song in our country). And there are no screams around or any sort of fear around.

Really a huge tragedy and my regrets to all that were there...hope it will not happen again.

[astrocruises]

This article (in English) from the TV network in the Philippines that interviewed the cook has a quote from him in what I believe is Tagalog.

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/244766/pinoyabroad/pinoy-crew-of-ill-fated-italian-cruise-ship-recall-harrowing-experience

 

Rogelio Barsista, who works as a cook in the 290-meter-long ship, shared Gatbonton’s observation, adding that he saw the captain, Francesco Schettino, in the company of an unidentified woman at the time of the incident.

 

"Dumating ho siya nung araw na 'yun, may kasama siyang babae na hindi ko kilala. Nung time na ‘yun, naramdaman po namin nagbagsakan na ho lahat ng niluluto namin. Nung kumilos ho siya, late na ho siguro kasi nagbagsakan na ho lahat at blackout na ho," he said.

[Fury1995]

One of the latest videos that surfaced today shows a female crew member telling passengers to go back to their cabins, that everything was under control. You can plainly see they were all leaning toward the rail, obviously on the starboard side of deck 4. This is reportedly occurring 20 minutes prior to the official abandoned ship announcement which would put that video somewhere around 10:30 in the timeline.

 

The other video that came out today started in the main dining room, dark from the black out. The passenger filming is Spanish and he continued filming as he walked from the dining room, passing through hallways where plates were literally shooting by presumably because the ship had listed that much. They go all the way to the pool deck and back to their cabin before you can hear the announcement "Tango India Lifeboat 3" in the background to which the person filming is surprised to hear "lifeboat" and says an expletive in surprise. I take that to mean they had no idea people were already reporting to muster by then.

[SomeBeach]

One of the latest videos that surfaced today shows a female crew member telling passengers to go back to their cabins, that everything was under control. You can plainly see they were all leaning toward the rail, obviously on the starboard side of deck 4. This is reportedly occurring 20 minutes prior to the official abandoned ship announcement which would put that video somewhere around 10:30 in the timeline..

 

Here's the problem. You're an overworked, underpaid crew member whose job is dependent upon following the rules of a Staff Member (Officer,) ultimately the Captain. They are being told by someone higher up the chain to send people to their staterooms. What do they do? They follow orders.

As a seasoned cruiser, I wouldn't have followed her request under the conditions the ship was in. Even non seasoned cruisers would have a problem with that.

[GatorMomInNC]

Can anyone explain to me why the hole was on the side of the ship that was above water? Seems like the ship would have sunk on the side where the hole was. I haven't seen any discussion of this.

[TheBestIsYetToCome]

Can anyone explain to me why the hole was on the side of the ship that was above water? Seems like the ship would have sunk on the side where the hole was. I haven't seen any discussion of this.

 

Here's a discussion about this:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1551817