Special Section: Italian Cruise DisasterCruise ship to port: It's just a blackoutPressure mounts on cruise ship divers. is University of Washington a good school. The crew said that likely saved their lives, because the ship's emergency beacon didn't work. It had also had several sewerage-holding tank non-return valves stripped for repairs following problems with bilge water rising through showers and toilets on a recent trip to Mozambique. [20][21], Dateline NBC aired a documentary of the incident on 23 May 2010. Given that the officers of the vessel had all fled in . TRY ASKING HOST DOUGhe usually knows those things. In August 2005, a Titanic wreckage expedition found two large, extraordinarily well-preserved sections of the bottom of the ship's hull. Moss and Tracy, who now live in Liverpool, continued working as cruise ship entertainers for many years. Captain Davina Avranas English wife aboard the ship with their daughter Faye. ", the captain of the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia. The moment was immortalized by Rudyard Kipling as the "Birkenhead drill." As provided for by Greek Maritime Law pursuant to Article 223: Captain of non-departures last during the abandonment of a dangerous ship, punishable by imprisonment and penalty of money . There were also 12 inflatable rescue media on the cruise ship. With holes in its walls, loose hull plates, and missing parts that control the flow of water, it looked pretty neglected. Epirotiki Lines had lost two other ships within the three years preceding the sinking: the company's flagship Pegasus only two months before, and MV Jupiter, three years before. An iceberg, sir, First Officer William Murdoch replied. Jim Staples, a captain for 20 years, who spoke Wednesday from a 1,000-foot cargo vessel he was captaining near New Orleans, said captains are duty-bound to stay with the ship until the situation is hopeless. [citation needed], While trying to make up lost time, Oceanos encountered rough seas. Now he was about to preside over one of the worst sea disasters of all time. The international and some Greek media condemned the attitude of Captain Yiannis Avranas. The team retired for the night, hoping that conditions would improve. Oceanos headed into 40-knot winds and 9 m (30 ft) swells. I would avoid any cruise that involves a Greek ship! Several estimated it was no more than five miles away. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. "In Anglo-American law, you would lose your license and make yourself liable.". The World witnessed an ugly scene back on 03 August 1991 when MTS Oceanos sunk in 1991 because of uncontrolled floods. That is unbelievable!! Those who did earned instant infamy, like the captain of the Greek luxury liner Oceanos, which sank in rough seas off South Africa in 1991. WATCH: Full episodes of When Big Things Go Wrong online now. All Rights Reserved. If some people like to stay, they can stay.". Some consider them to be dangerous deviations from planned routes. No one knows exactly where Captain E.J. The impact damaged the ship, allowing water to seep in and putting the 4,229 people on board in danger. Through the confusion,the captain somehow made it into a lifeboat before everyone else had made it off. This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies. Although conditions looked very good for diving, a large shore break was preventing our launch, and the skippers felt the risk to the team, and their vessels were too great. Stranger still are several widely publicized reports that he didnt die at all. Several of the ship's crew, notably Capt. Costa Concordia disaster, the capsizing of an Italian cruise ship on January 13, 2012, after it struck rocks off the coast of Giglio Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. All Rights Reserved. Captain of White Star Liner, RMS Titanic, Commander Edward J. Smith, c. 1911. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. EAST LONDON, South Africa . He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. 1940)[1] is a Greek former sea captain who commanded the cruise ship Oceanos when she sank off the Wild Coast of the Transkei, South Africa, on Sunday 4 August 1991. Michael O Mahoney, a passenger remembers at least 30 crew members got on the first boat, while the captain left on a helicopter while passengers were still on deck. Ralph White/Corbis/Getty Images. WE ARE ALLOWED TO DO BUSINESS IN NEW YORK, TEXAS AND KENTUCKY ALONG WITH OTHER STATES WHERE WE ARE REGISTERED, EXEMPTED OR EXCLUDED FROM REGISTRATION. Life seems to have been unaware that immediately after Silent Smiths death in 1915, the Lima News had identified the man as one Michael McKenna. Share; Posted May 23, 2010. The Oceanos had been on its usual route along the South African coast when it encountered heavy rains and gale-force winds. From mariners on ships plying the world's oceans, the answer is loud and clear: Aye. A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. Has the old idea that captains should not abandon ship itself been abandoned? This day turned out much better than expected. "When they go bad, they're evil," Shealy says. We were crazy to do that dive.. At sea, there's no question about who's in charge, so there's no doubt who is responsible for safety. In 1965, the captain and several other crew members were among the first to abandon ship after the Yarmouth Castle caught fire and started sinking off the Bahamas, killing 90. A wide range of diverse considerations had to be taken care of, both personally and as a team. Fleeing in a lifeboat, they were told by the captain of a rescue ship to go back and help their passengers. An often asked question is what happened to the captain of the oceans at this stage, eyewitness accounts reveal that many of the crew, including Captain Avranias, were already packed and ready to depart, seemingly unconcerned with the safety of the passengers. I will certainly avoid any Greek ferriesof course truth be known, I avoid all foreign ferries since I don't trust what they think an acceptable number of passengers is. Making the most of the break, the team took some time out from the daily diving routine to explore the remarkable area with its beautiful landscapes and majestic sea views. Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images Schettino also didnt immediately alert the Italian Search and Rescue Authority about the accident. Best Known For: Captain Edward J. Smith played a role in one of the most famous disasters at sea in history, the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. The Oceanos thrust her stern into the air and slid nose first into the sea. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), 5 Maritime Disasters You Might Not Know About, Titanic By the Numbers: From Construction to Disaster to Discovery, Why Nobody Remembers America's Worst Maritime Disaster, https://www.history.com/news/costa-concordia-cruise-ship-disaster-sinking-captain, The Costa Concordia Disaster: How Human Error Made It Worse. [2], At the time of the accident, Yiannis Avranas had been an officer for twenty years and a seaman for thirty. On one occasion the 200-liter drum we used as a marker buoy was pulled down to 34m by the current. The objective was to show how the application of experience and established diving technique to a near-insurmountable challenge could safely lead to success. The Agulhas shifts an estimated volume of 70 x 106m3/s down the East Coast of South Africa, making it the most powerful current on the globe. [9], A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. "It comes from the tradition that the captain has ultimate responsibility and should put the care of others ahead of his own well-being in the discharge of his duties," says David Winkler, program director with the Naval Historical Foundation. This window period, although based on unscientific information provided by maritime vessels in the area, falls in May and December. How does the braking system work in a car? Various factors affect the flow rate of the current including pressure systems, the position of flow, coastal-trapped waves, and wind. Brett and Paul penetrated the portside corridor behind the on-deck pool while Barry singularly explored the large dining hall area. The Concordia was supposed to take passengers on a seven-day Italian cruise from Civitavecchia to Savona. ":rolleyes: I don't know what ever happened to him. Even before the journey started, the ship had already started to wear. Other information if you google or youtube it. "[10], Captain Avranas received extensive media coverage as an example of unprofessional behaviour whilst in command. Without a driving force, however, he had to find another solution., The captain broadcast SOS. Then, about two years ago, South African technical divers Barry Coleman and Brett Hawton decided it was time to revisit the Oceanos. [5][6] Thirteen of the sixteen were South African Air Force Pumas, nine of which hoisted 225 passengers off the deck. I would know him even without his beard.. More than 4,200 people were rescued, though 32 people died. I saw Captain Smith getting excited; passengers would not have noticed, but I did, May Sloan, a surviving Titanic stewardess, wrote in a letter shortly after the disaster. [7][failed verification] The South African Navy, along with the South African Air Force, launched a mission to airlift the passengers and crew to the nearby settlements of The Haven and Hole in the Wall, about .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}10km (5+12nmi) south of Coffee Bay. [5], Oceanos sank bow first approximately 45 minutes after the last person was airlifted from the deck. What happened to the Italian cruise ship captain? From Times Wire Services. She headed into 40-knot (20m/s) winds and 9m (30ft) swells. Its captain was accused of manslaughter and abandoning the 4,200 passengers and crew on the night of the wreck. ", First published on January 19, 2012 / 3:02 PM. By the next morning rescuers found Oceanos adrift just off Coffee Bay, on the Wild Coast. Towards the end, passengers had to jump into . As water gushed into the ship and the three other crew members jumped overboard, Royer stayed in the wheelhouse to make a frantic mayday call and give the ship's position to the Coast Guard. All 571 passengers and crew survived. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger crash-landed a flight in the Hudson River in 2009, he twice walked the plane to make sure no one was left onboard before leaving himself. The remaining members of the team waited on the boat; some recalled the video footage they had seen of the previous dive made on Monday afternoon and tried to imagine themselves being down there on the wreck with them. "If the master is simply looking out for himself or herself, you've breached your duty both legally and morally, to your ship, your crew and your passengers," says Allen, the University of Washington law professor. That was one of several incidents that have led some historians to question whether Smith had gone into a state of shock. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}320715S 290713E / 32.12083S 29.12028E / -32.12083; 29.12028 (Oceanos wreck). He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. After twenty-seven minutes at 90m and thirty-four minutes on run time, an orange submersible marker buoy broke the surface, and the deep-water back divers bailed into the water. In his characteristic style, he managed to weave a comical moment into his narrative of the tumultuous events, telling reporters that he had started singing "Bye Bye Miss American Pie", when he suddenly realised that the next line was going to be "Thisll be the day that I die" - and quickly switched to another song[14][15], Hills later said that searching for Captain Avranas, he had discovered him smoking on the fantail and he said "I think he was in deep, deep shock. On open-circuit scuba, the exhaled breath is not fed back into the system but is expelled and is no longer useable. "[9] They were among the last to be rescued. By The sewage and water systems had their one way "check valves" removed and not replaced. One week later, a 32-member team arrived on the scene as part of MNet Camera 7 news channels investigative documentary into the sinking of the Oceanos. Something strong wind, something the helicopter pilot, they didnt let me down he said. [5] They used the radio phone to broadcast a mayday distress call until Moss received a response.[7]. Francesco Schettino Sparks Outrage". The ship was left adrift. Whilst laying the anchor line on the Oceanos that day, the boats remained almost stationary as the opposing forces of wind and current battled against each other for ascendancy. The Oceanos lies at a depth between 92m and 97m, about 5km offshore, on the western edge of the mighty Agulhas current. Meanwhile, he told the ships two wireless operators to get ready to transmit distress signals. At about 9:30p.m., a muffled explosion was heard and Oceanos lost power. And the second boat was only cooks. "It isn't just a maritime code, it's a code of leadership," Gurnon said. The 402 passengers and 179 crew members all survived, but Captain Yiannis Avranas and other officers left the ship while some passengers were still on board. Follow her on Twitter at @MsBeckyLittle. Thomas Andrews, the Titanics head designer, reported that his inspection revealed flooding in at least five of the Titanics 16 watertight compartments. At six in the morning the helicopters appeared. Once complete, the team focused on preparing for the dives. On the morning of July 12, 1952, Forges Chantiers de la Gironde launched the last of four sister ships in Bordeaux, France, under the name of Jean Laborde. Hills organized the orderly evacuation of passengers by the helicopters, later reporting that Avranas was among the first to leave at this point. Captain of MTS Oceanos. It was abject cowardice.". All the while, the wind and swell were steadily dropping and, at 12:30, the decision to dive was made. Barry Coleman was yelling, Its a good day to dive, I can feel it in my bones! Well, a good day it certainly was! Only entertainment staff, singers and waiters helped us later. MTS Oceanos was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when she suffered uncontrolled flooding. Employer. Will this discovery change our understanding of Titanic's final moments? The technology means that the rebreather diver uses significantly less gas, has reduced nitrogen uptake, and subsequently fewer decompression requirements. The Oceanos lies at a depth between 92m and 97m, about 5km offshore, on the western edge of the mighty Agulhas current. I wouldnt recommend this wreck to anyone but the best technical divers who really know what theyre doing.. When they bail early, everything falls apart. "You need someone on the ship to communicate with them, to command the people who are on the ship, to help get the passengers off and to guide the rescuers.". Although Barry, Paul, and Brett would dive to the Oceanos as a team, they were all on different equipment. An In Memoriam vintage postcard featuring the Titanic which sank after hitting an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April 14, 1912 and commemorating her captain, Edward Smith and brave bandsmen, published in Redruth, c. May 1912. The unethical, unprofessional prick are working as a Captain of a ferry in Greece. He didnt give up on the mystery ship, ordering the crew of at least one lifeboat to row toward the lights, drop off passengers and return to Titanic for more. But in interviews, Captain Avranas was unapologetic for leaving the ship ahead of others, saying he was better able to direct rescue efforts from shore. : "Go back on board!". Sailing close to shore to give passengers a nice view or salute other sailors is known as a sail-by, and its unclear how often cruise ships perform these maneuvers. It has been reported that the ship was in a state of neglected maintenance with loose hull plates and an unfitted ventilation pipe. What is glucosamine and fish oil good for? Industries; War and Militaries; None of the 571 passengers drowned. This is an amazing story -- if they're doing a new story maybe something new has happened -- like maybe the captain will finally be . After an hour of waiting, he said he saw Smith coming, approached him, and asked him how we was. The Oceanos crew was referred to disciplinary inspection for withdrawal of diploma or grade, but they were all acquitted.. The captain goes down with the ship is a maritime tradition suggesting that a captain is honor-bound to stay on a sinking ship until all passengers and crew members have been safely evacuated. I am on business., Pryal said he trailed Smith to a train station. And he did not lighten his position after the accident when he told a foreign television station: The ships abandonment applies to everyone. Unbelievable but true - an account of the terrifying conditions on the OCEANOS on 4 August 1991 when it became obvious that not only was the position of the ship unknown, but the whereabouts of the captain and some crew as well. [5][23][24], The Oceanos wreck lies at a depth of between 92m (302ft) and 97m (318ft), about 5km (3.1mi) offshore. [4] The storm worsened, and at approximately 21:30 UTC+2, while off the Wild Coast of the Transkei, a muffled explosion was heard. A South African navy diver said the captain of the sunken Greek liner Oceanos pushed past elderly pa. I just watched national geografic program about the Oceanos tragedy. What happened to the captain of the Oceanos? But the report noted that some passengers testified that they didnt hear the alarm to proceed to the lifeboats. Both literature and real life offer plenty of examples of shipmasters who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect their passengers and crew. Several witnesses claimed to have seen him in the water. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yiannis_Avranas&oldid=1133434367, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 19:56. On schedule, the shallow-water backup team left the boat and descended toward the decompressing divers. Most have heard the story, the sinking of the OCEANOS with 571 passengers and crew on board, none of whom suffered . But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Midday, the sea spills over the bow of Oceanos. In Moby-Dick, Captain Ahab sets off to hunt the whale, leaving the capable Starbuck in charge. A 2:20 a.m., the last portion of the Titanic disappeared between the waves. [22] The show Extreme Weather: The Survivors featured a segment on the sinking. Powered by Invision Community. The generators had been shorted, and the supply of power to the engines had been severed. Regular drills ensure everyone knows what to do. But with no sign of conditions improving, the captain eventually decided to lift anchor and the Oceanos, with 581 guests and crew on board, sailed off into 40-knot winds and 9m-high (30ft) waves. But is it realistic to expect skippers only human after all to suppress their survival instinct amid the horror of a maritime disaster? [4] Boltman told a newspaper: "Later in the morning, Captain Avarnasi (sic) even contacted me from shore to ask how things were going. "Shoreside rescue people can do all the shoreside coordination efforts needed," he said. He also knew that its 20 lifeboats, with a total capacity of 1,178, couldnt begin to accommodate the more than 2,200 passengers and crew members aboard. "It's a matter of honor that the master is the last to leave. A very small loss of hull integrity caused a storage tank in the lower machine spaces to fill with sea water. Jean Laborde went through many different owners and name changes (Jean Laborde, Mykinai, Ancona, Eastern Princess) in the succeeding decades. Avranas at the time defended his actions, saying he left the ship to direct rescue operations. The Oceanos lost power following a leak in the engine room's sea chest. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. On the front page was a Kostas Mitropoulos cartoon that lampooned the Captain, it read: Where to take you captain?the helicopter pilot asked him as he rescued him from the sinking ship named Ocean of failures. I heard (former) Captain Avranas was stripped of his papers and sent to jailbut maybe his sentence was suspended??? Abandon is for everybody. The South African Navy and Air Force launched a massive seven-hour mission in which 16 helicopters were used to airlift the remainder of the passengers and crew to the nearby settlements of The Haven and Hole in the Wall, about 10km south of Coffee Bay. If some people like to stay, they can stay. [1] He was married to British national Davina Avrana.[3]. "It is my responsibility. What happened to the captain of the Costa Concordia? Steve said, We had to hold onto the anchor line with all our strength. The Costa Concordia ran aground off the Italian coast in 2012, killing 32 people. The good news was that the current had weakened substantially, so the dive was postponed in the hope that conditions would improve later in the day. He hit the bottom, got back up, side of the fault and was swallowed by the sea forever.. There was no stopping the flooding and no hope for the Oceanos sinking. In a matter of hours, more than 1,500 passengers and crew would be dead, including Smith himself. Still hoping to get the attention of the mysterious ship nearby, the captain ordered the firing of distress rockets at 12:45 a.m. At the same time, Boxhall tried to contact it with a signal lamp, flashing a plea for help in Morse code. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Realising the fate of the ship, the crew reportedly fled in panic, neglecting the standard procedure of closing the lower deck portholes. But witnesses said he appeared on the bridge of the Titanic just moments . The current, too, was very strong, and the team was worried. Francesco Schettino Sparks Outrage", "Revisiting the sinking of Oceanos part 1:Heroic Rescue Effort Saves 571", Down With The Ship NPR Snap Judgement episode #726, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MTS_Oceanos&oldid=1151622929, Sunk by uncontrolled flooding on 4 August 1991 off the coast of, This page was last edited on 25 April 2023, at 05:19. By Philip G Van Rensburg. Whether or not Captain Francesco Schettino was trying to impress his girlfriend is debatable. I wanted to go down to the deck, where they were left lying on the floor, covered with blankets, passengers and crew members who sang to get courage. Just before he boarded a train to Washington, Pryal reported, the man smiled at him and said, Be good, shipmate, until we meet again., There is no possibility I am mistaken. Pryal told a reporter. All Rights Reserved. The ocean had reached the point where the sea was 81 meters deep. Lee Jun-Seok, who was one of the first to flee from the ferry as it sank on Wednesday. The one who abandoned ship along with his officers and crew and left the entertainers aboard to organize the rescue in August of 1991 off the African coast? Back in the early 1990's came an incredible event, most now, don't remember or know about. The notorious master of the vessel was Captain Yiannis Avranas. The Oceanos lies at a depth between 92m and 97m, about 5km offshore, on the western edge of the mighty Agulhas current. For a villain, there was J. Bruce Ismay, the White Star chairman, who got off in a lifeboat and was accused of pressuring Smith to maintain a reckless speed. As in August, throughout the two-week period of the expedition, they only managed to reach the wreck on two occasions with a maximum bottom time of eight minutes. It was also around 12:45 a.m. that crewmen lowered the first of the Titanics lifeboats to the ocean surface. When his "death-glorious ship" sinks, Ahab mourns that he's been denied the "pride" of having gone down with her. "His duty as the highest authority available short of God himself was to make sure his crew was safe before he left the ship," says Craig Symonds, a retired Naval Academy historian. [6] When the ship's worsening list to starboard made it unsafe to continue, Hills and several passengers went to the bridge to look for the crew, but found it unmanned. A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. While we were busy on one hand throwing the boats they went the other way and left, says Nikolaou. The onsite expedition requirements included everything from personal diving gear, three imported Silent Submersion scooters, twenty staged decompression cylinders, a specialized mixed gas compressor unit, several large oxygen, and helium cylinders, three 7.3m rigid hull inflatable boats, an evacuation helicopter, and trained medical personnel. Yonhap/EPA/Landov Rear Adm. Richard Gurnon, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy called Schettino's actions "abhorrent" and a violation of an unwritten code. / AP. When the team arrived at the wreck marker buoys, it was evident that the current was almost non-existent and the wind and swell had all but disappeared. The captain of the Oceanos was an experienced seaman Yiannis Avranas, who had been sailing the oceans for 30 years, including 20 years as an officer. Spouse. He remains incarcerated in a prison just outside of Rome, where he is expected to stay until he is around 80 years old.