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Italian Shipwreck Captain Left Glasses In Cabin

Francesco Schettino Glasses

First Posted: 03/ 3/2012 7:16 am Updated: 03/ 5/2012 5:26 am

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The first officer of the Costa Concordia says the captain of the Italian cruise ship left his reading glasses in his cabin on the evening the vessel hit a rock off the Tuscan coast and asked him to set up the ship's radar.


The officer, Ciro Ambrosio, made the comment in testimony given to the prosecutor as a pre-trial hearing into the Jan. 13 disaster was getting underway Saturday in the Tuscan town of Grosseto.


The captain, Francesco Schettino, faces charges of causing a shipwreck, manslaughter and abandoning ship while it sank, but denies wrongdoing. His lawyer says Schettino will not be attending the hearing and remains under house arrest in Meta di Sorrento, his hometown near Naples.


Ambrosio and seven others — four officers from the cruise liner and three executives of the ship's owner, Costa Cruises — are also under investigation, but no one has been formally charged.


Prosecutors allege the captain caused the accident by sailing the Costa Concordia too close to land to perform a naval manoeuvre called a "salute" for islanders on Giglio.


Ambrosio told investigating magistrates that Schettino did not have his glasses on when he steered the ship closer to the island.


"When he took command of the bridge he didn't have his glasses with him because he'd left them in his cabin. He asked me to set up the radar because he wasn't able to see very well," Ambrosio said.


The first officer's lawyer, Salvatore Catalano, quoted his client as saying the captain "repeatedly" asked Ambrosio to look at the radar to check the route.


Seventeen people were killed and 15 are missing and presumed dead in the accident, when the grounding tore a hole in the ship's the hull. The 289-metre-long vessel remains resting on its side.


The luxury liner was carrying 4,229 people from dozens of countries when it crashed and began taking on water, including 12 Canadians who made it out safely.


Hundreds of people, mostly consultants and the lawyers for former passengers and crew members, are in Grosseto for the hearing.


Experts in attendance were to be handed all of the evidence collected by investigators, including more than 5,000 pages of witness testimony. The two naval experts and two academics on the court-appointed panel of experts were given access to the ship's voice and data recorder.


The pre-trial hearing is being held inside a theatre that can hold more than 600 people, but the proceedings will remain closed to journalists and the public.


The panel of experts is expected to spend months sifting through the evidence to establish exactly what happened in the vessel's disastrous final moments.


Francesco Verusio, the prosecutor leading the Italian investigation, says it could take experts three months just to analyze the ship's voice and data recorder.


Loading Slideshow...

  • A view of the stricken luxury liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 22, 2012. Italian rescuers again suspended their search today for 20 people still missing since the cruise liner capsized more than a week ago, and 12 people have been confirmed dead. (Getty)

  • A view of the stricken luxury liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 22, 2012. (Getty)

  • Tourists look at the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 22, 2012. (Getty)

  • Tourists look at the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 22, 2012. (Getty)

  • Tourists look at the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 22, 2012. (Getty)

  • Tourists look at the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 22, 2012. (Getty)

  • Workers operate in the port at the site the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 22, 2012. (Getty)

  • A worker operates at the port on the site of the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 22, 2012. (Getty)

  • People look at fire fighters operating on the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 22, 2012. (Getty)

  • Divers work near the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia on January 22, 2012 off the Tuscan island of Giglio. (Getty)

  • Firefighters work on the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia on January 22, 2012 off the Tuscan island of Giglio. (Getty)

  • A view of the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 22, 2012. (Getty)

  • People watch the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 22, 2012. (Getty)

  • Soldiers are sat in the port of the Isola del Giglio (Giglio island), in front of the cruise liner Costa Concordia liying aground on January 23, 2012 after hitting underwater rocks on January 13. (Getty)

  • The cruise liner Costa Concordia lies aground in front of the Isola del Giglio (Giglio island) on January 23, 2012 after hitting underwater rocks on January 13. (Getty Images)

  • Italian policemen carry equipment in front of the cruise liner Costa Concordia lying aground in front of the Isola del Giglio (Giglio island) on January 23, 2012 after hitting underwater rocks on January 13. (Getty)

  • A view of the cruise liner Costa Concordia lying aground in front of the Isola del Giglio (Giglio island) on January 23, 2012 after hitting underwater rocks on January 13. (Getty)

  • A model of the Costa Concordia is displayed in a street of the Isola del Giglio (Giglio island) on January 23, 2012. (Getty)

  • A woman poses in front of the cruise liner Costa Concordia liying aground in front of the Isola del Giglio (Giglio island) on January 23, 2012 after hitting underwater rocks on January 13. (Getty)

  • A platform boat carries stones by the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia liying aground in front of the Isola del Giglio (Giglio island) on January 23, 2012 after hitting underwater rocks on January 13. (Getty)


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The first officer of the Costa Concordia says the captain of the Italian cruise ship left his reading glasses in his cabin on the evening the vessel hit a rock off the Tuscan coast and as...
The first officer of the Costa Concordia says the captain of the Italian cruise ship left his reading glasses in his cabin on the evening the vessel hit a rock off the Tuscan coast and as...
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Mrs Robinsons
42 Fans
07:24 PM on 03/04/2012
It is a disaster...

a disaster in today's world is just an opportunity
which has an inevitable sitcom
by
CHUCK LORRE
written all over it...

(whatever)...when did people start saying that?
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Poster999
A promise made is a debt unpaid.
368 Fans
08:48 AM on 03/04/2012
From all the reports I've been hearing it sounds like the captain was doing a little grand standing to impress his friends. Not a good idea when your responsible for the passengers and crew. Guess we'll have to wait and see but it's not looking good for mister Schettino especially since he was allegedly one of the first ones to abandon ship. I guess he wasn't an old school "go down with the ship" kind of guy. A real tragedy for the poor victims and there families, no amount of money will make up for their loss.
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JohnEdSmith
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05:05 PM on 03/06/2012
The captain was repeating a course that had been done in August 2011. These types of cruise often go close to the coast and until now it has been seen as a positive characteristic of these cruise ships. I thought it was nice, and I still do that cruise ships don't only travel like container ships. The story about the glasses: I am glad he wasn't wearing reading glasses while on the bridge, as this would cloud long distance sight. Previously we were told that the captain was alone steering the ship, and now we hear that others particated. It will be interesting to see where the truth goes. I hope there will be some objective evidence on what caused the first incident. I think you will find that he was not one of the first, that when he left the ship only 300 were left behind to fend for themselves, due to the tilting/capsizing. No amount of money can make up for losses, so the best thing would be to improve the safety for the future of cruise travel.
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Poster999
A promise made is a debt unpaid.
368 Fans
08:30 PM on 03/06/2012
Excellent post, well thought out. F&F
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spach10
11 Fans
02:03 AM on 03/04/2012
VA BAU ..........( his words as he was told passengers where jumping ship) --translation ..........whatever........
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JohnEdSmith
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05:10 PM on 03/06/2012
If people are refusing to follow the orders on the ship about waiting for the abandon ship signal, what can the captain do? Nothing. It is not easy to control hudreds of scared passengers who are only interested in their own survival, even when their lifes are not yet in danger. At the time of the comment there was no tilting of the ship, and the ship was still moving towards the coast with no power, only momentum and the wind blowing the ship to shore. He was obviously thinking about the passengers that would follow the orders they had from viewing the emergency drill on their televisions.
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spach10
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12:54 AM on 03/09/2012
I do not agree, any capt. or person who has a huge responsibility of saftey of others, be it one or hundreds...has to be thinking of the saftey of every individule, and must be thinking three steps ahead of the problem..if you do not have this capability you should not be in charge....any capt. ship or plane who has a lame response to hearing of his passengers running for thier saftey is a sorry excuse, not to mention so is your excuse(wether the ship was in danger or not, is not revelent) the passengers were scared...why? NO leadership to tell them different,
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Whistlejackett
Hey stop doing that
971 Fans
 
04:16 PM on 03/03/2012
This is so like a Captain scrambling for relief. The rock that wasn't on his charts is called "Coast line" and so is not a rock at all. The glasses story holds no weight as the second was watching the radar. The problem here is that his Royal Highness the Captain was simply not in any shape to be a Captain. He let his ego get the best of him. And his girlfriend was probably on the bridge at that time or he wouldn't be showing off his "Salute" maneuver, in the dark and with no one to impress.
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JohnEdSmith
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05:17 PM on 03/06/2012
Sorry, can't see the connection with the story. I think you are making up your own little story. I have met the captain on the bridge of the Concordia and he presented himself as fine captain. I don't think his ego was a factor in this tragedy as he was taking a course that he had done before with permission both from the coastal authorities and the ship owner. There were more people on the bridge and I don't think they were all showing off for his girlfriend. Some people have girl friends. Some of the presidents of the United States had girl friends. I am sure there were some passengers that would have been looking out of the window and been impressed with the closeness to the Island. At least on other occassions passengers were impressed with going close to coast lines. Passengers on these types of cruises like that kind of thing.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Whistlejackett
Hey stop doing that
971 Fans
 
10:49 AM on 03/07/2012
I understand you can't see my point because you have no idea about how to command a ship. If you hit the beach, then blame a rock, you are just a stupid captain it's that simple. My many years of experience allows me to know that this guy was not following the rules. He hit an Island, he hit an island then blames his glasses? Really, how stupid does he think people are?
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