Titanic vs. Costa Concordia – my how things have changed

[jerp]

This is another of my off-topic rambling observations, but for some reason I have been fascinated by the Costa Concordia story. Just seeing that huge ship on its side is very surreal. I‘ve done a lot of reading over the years about the sinking of the Titanic (100 years ago this April) and something really struck me when watching news coverage over the last few days. Is chivalry dead? With the Titanic it was only after all the lifeboats had been launched and the ship was about to go under that the captain gave his officers and crew the “every man for himself “ order. Most of them did not survive. The captain of the Concordia on the other hand – who it sounds like was responsible for the disaster – apparently found a way to save his own skin pretty early on. More than that though, are the stories of passengers on the Concordia. I saw interviews with four different women who said hysterical men were pushing past everyone including kids to get on the lifeboats first. When the Titanic went down, letting the women and children take the boats that were available was a given – an ethic of the times. I read one account that a panicked guy who jumped on one of Titanic’s lifeboats ahead of the women was pulled off by other men and got his arse whupped. In fact more women from 3rd class - in cramped quarters deep in the hull – survived than men in first class. So instead of visions of men in tuxedos saying their goodbye’s and going down with the ship like gentlemen, this time we had petrified guys in flip flops knocking down women and children to save themselves. While I’m sure some men kept their heads about them and did the right thing, we are hearing lots of stories of the opposite. So is the “women and children first” thing over with? Is sacrificing your life so someone else’s wife and children can live a thing of the past? Would things have been different if it was all Texans on board?

[cosmiccowboy]

The more that comes out about the ship captain the more bizarre it all sounds...The captain took one of the first lifeboats to the beach, hailed a taxi, and just went home.

The transcripts show heated telephone exchanges took place between captain Schettino and harbour master officials in the hours after he struck the rocks at around 9.40pm on Friday evening.
At 9.49pm Schettino is asked: 'Is everything ok?' He replied: 'Yes, just a small technical problem.'
This was despite the hull having a 70m gash.
There was silence until half past midnight when officials managed to contact the captain - who by now had got off a lifeboat and safely on shore.
Hundreds of passengers were still onboard as the order to abandon ship had only been given an hour earlier.
An official at Livorno harbour asked: 'How many passengers are left to evacuate captain?' He answered: 'I've called the company and they say around 40.'
The official, who knew from reports at the scene that hundreds were still onboard, added: 'How come so few? Are you still onboard captain?'
Captain Schettino replied: 'No, I'm not onboard, the ship's beached, we have abandoned.' To which the shocked official responded: 'What? You have abandoned ship?' He answered: 'No, what are you talking about abandoning.'
Minutes later he was contacted again and told: 'Get back on board, get back to the ship and co-ordinate the rescue. You need to tell me how many people are onboard, how many women, how many children. You need to organise the rescue.
'Captain this is an order, I am in charge now, you have given the order to abandon ship and you need to get back to coordinate the rescue, OK. There are already bodies.'
Captain Schettino replied in a whisper: 'How many?' with the harbour master shouting at him: 'You tell me. What do you want to do? Go home? You now get back on board and tell me what you are going to do.'
He replied: 'Alright, I'm going'. But he failed to obey the order and instead was reportedly seen getting into a taxi which took him from Seagull Point, the reef where the Concordia had beached, to the harbour at Giglio.

[Jethro]

Chivalry may not be dead, but it sure has taken one heck of a beating the last 30 years.

[Codie]

This is another of my off-topic rambling observations, but for some reason I have been fascinated by the Costa Concordia story. Just seeing that huge ship on its side is very surreal. I‘ve done a lot of reading over the years about the sinking of the Titanic (100 years ago this April) and something really struck me when watching news coverage over the last few days. Is chivalry dead? With the Titanic it was only after all the lifeboats had been launched and the ship was about to go under that the captain gave his officers and crew the “every man for himself “ order. Most of them did not survive. The captain of the Concordia on the other hand – who it sounds like was responsible for the disaster – apparently found a way to save his own skin pretty early on. More than that though, are the stories of passengers on the Concordia. I saw interviews with four different women who said hysterical men were pushing past everyone including kids to get on the lifeboats first. When the Titanic went down, letting the women and children take the boats that were available was a given – an ethic of the times. I read one account that a panicked guy who jumped on one of Titanic’s lifeboats ahead of the women was pulled off by other men and got his arse whupped. In fact more women from 3rd class - in cramped quarters deep in the hull – survived than men in first class. So instead of visions of men in tuxedos saying their goodbye’s and going down with the ship like gentlemen, this time we had petrified guys in flip flops knocking down women and children to save themselves. While I’m sure some men kept their heads about them and did the right thing, we are hearing lots of stories of the opposite. So is the “women and children first” thing over with? Is sacrificing your life so someone else’s wife and children can live a thing of the past? Would things have been different if it was all Texans on board?

I have no doubt that it is over with - it's just the beggining of things that are "over with" in our society

[Smart]

Found a website with some great pics. I had heard snippits about a shipwreck but had no idea it was a cruise ship. How the heck do you "remove" that?....piece by piece?

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/16/striking-photographs-of-tragedy-in-shallow-waters-as-the-costa-concordia-sinks/

[trailboss]

It is not a thing of the past. Look at every man or woman that dons a military, police, or firefighter uniform and you can see there are plenty that are willing, even eager to place the lives of others before themselves.

Unfortunately this mindset does not seem to prevail among the general public to the degree that it did in the days of the Titanic.

Life is precious to each of us and one never knows how he/she will react if faced with the choice of life or death. Courage is tested in times of disaster and I would like to believe that the majority of men still hold to the values of the men in past times, but as we have seen - there are many who don't.

Trailboss

[Bisch]

I had not heard about this until reading this post John (I don't get out much).

WOW! Is about all I can say. I cannot believe that it went down and the chicken.....err.....captain left the ship before all the passengers did. UNREAL!!!!!!

Bisch

[Nova]

The women's movement killed chivalry

[tex_n]

I'm a "helper" in times of crisis. I'd make sure my wife and kids got on a boat (we'd probably stop and help others on the way). If I were confident that they'd be taken care of on the life boat (someone competent to drive and look out for the safety of those on board, who knew how to shut the hatches after launching, etc) then I'd tell my family i'd meet them on shore. If the life boat looked "iffy" I'd go with them to lead the group (not just because my family were on it, but also because there were 40 other people as well). If the boat were taken care of, I'd stay and help others (so would my wife if the life boat was guaranteed to take our kids to safety). Of course I have "life" skills. Too many folks today (I blame technology for most of it) don't have the skills to know how to make it in emergencies. Few know how to change tires, light bulbs, etc. A sign of the times.

[Twztid]

It would be an horrific sight but would be interesting to be a fly on the wall ( or seagull on the smoke stack) to watch both situations unfold...


---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=29.488228,-98.498821

[bear]

I sure hope that in a crisis time my first concern would be getting folks to safety until all that was left was me.... but, I dont know

[bowhuntntxn]

Great find on the pics Jason! I would speculate the will try to cover the hole somehow and then pump the water out and pull it upright again. Then tow it somewhere or put a submersible barge under it to haul it off.


As far as women and children first, apparently not everyone read that memo...

[John Galt]

The women's movement killed chivalry

Ya beat me to it! Women's lib did irreversible damage to the whole chivalry thing I'm afraid. Not gone and not dead but will never be the same either. Just compare the 18 year old set from the Gen Xers, the Baby Boomers and the Greatest Generation of Titanic times.

There's great people in every generation but look at the numbers and percentages from the Greatest Generation.

OK just my 2 cents.

[Tommyh]

It was a european port, and they dont exactly think like we Americans do any longer. Hard to say what was going on in their minds other than omgwtf

[captainsling]

One thing I read was there was atl east 12 different nationalities that were on that boat. That may have something to do with it. From my observations(my opinion only) Eurpoeans are very rude individuals. I think it would have been different if it had been all Americans, or Texans for that matter.