Employer. As author Wyn Craig Wade wrote in The Titanic: End of a Dream, Captain Smith had at least five different deaths, from heroic to ignominious. Rumors of his survival also circulated. There were also 12 inflatable rescue media on the cruise ship. Is there confession in the Armenian Church? Special Event: Q&A with Rudi Schreiner, President, Co-Founder & Co-Owner - AmaWaterways River Cruises, Q&A with Avoya Travel: Learn How to Turn Your Passion into Success by Becoming an Independent Travel Advisor. "I'm totally embarrassed by what he did," he said of Schettino. Abandonment is for everybody, if some people want to stay, they can stay. dontpanik, July 2, 2007 in What Ever Happened To..??? / Updated May 22, 2010 / 12:42 PM PDT 20 PHOTOS . Whether or not Captain Francesco Schettino was trying to impress his girlfriend is debatable. Smith was back in the news in 1940, when a letter in Life magazine suggested that the captain had ended his days as an elderly derelict in Lima, Ohio, known as Silent Smith. Among the evidence: The man had arrived in town three years after the Titanic disaster, would only give his name as Smith, was about Smiths age and size, and bore the sort of tattoos common among seafarers. Sometimes we were almost horizontal going down. Since the year of her sinking, the Oceanos has remained in solitary confinement, guarded by the Agulhas current and the secluded landscape of the Transkei. It was now just after 12:30 a.m. The ship was left adrift. Several of the ship's crew, notably Capt. [5], Earlier repairs to the waste disposal system had not been completed, which meant that a vital ventilation pipe which ran through the watertight aft bulkhead and the non-return valves were not replaced. The ship underwent several name changes, including Mykinai, Ancona, Eastern Princess, and finally, in 1976, under the ownership of Pontos Nav SA, she was registered in Piraeus, Greece, under the name of SS Oceanos. On August 3, 1991, Oceanos set sail for East London, South Africa and headed north for Durban, led by Captain Yiannis Avranas. 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. I knew then we were soon going.. I have made a mess and practically the whole ship is flooding, Schettino told Ferrarini while the ship was sinking. Avranas at the time defended his actions, saying he left the ship to direct rescue operations. "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. All the while, the wind and swell were steadily dropping and, at 12:30, the decision to dive was made. The 9 Worst Cruise Ship Disasters | Oyster.com One of the divers, Karl van der Merwe, commented, The current was so strong that it would rip your mask off your face and your regulator out of your mouth. Edward J. Smith - Titanic, Facts & Death - Biography 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. is University of Washington a good school. [3][4] Oceanos headed into 40-knot winds and 9m (30ft) swells. All Rights Reserved. In Greece the case was referred to the High Council of Maritime Accidents of the Ministry of Maritime. He had set sail for a sandy area at four miles, which he had found on the map. The captain broadcasted a distress signal as he tried to steer the ship towards shore in order for rescuers to reach them. CASE STUDY: SINKING OF THE OCEANOS The South African coast is well The ship was built in France and owned by a Greek cruise ship company. The Italian captain went back onboard the wreck for the first time since the sinking of the cruise ship on January 13, 2012, as part of his trial for manslaughter and abandoning ship. Once complete, the team focused on preparing for the dives. Spouse. 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. In 1976, she was acquired by Epirotiki Lines of Greece and registered under the name of Oceanos.[2]. Receive the latest AI investment news, offers, and updates from Rebellion Research. Special Section: Italian Cruise DisasterCruise ship to port: It's just a blackoutPressure mounts on cruise ship divers. He said he supervised the . [9], A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. The ship started taking on water, rapidly flooding the engine room. The Costa Concordia was owned by Costa Crociere, a subsidiary of Carnival . Evidence introduced in Schettinos trial suggests that the safety of his passengers and crew wasnt his number one priority as he assessed the damage to the Concordia. August 3, 1991: An explosion shakes the engine room of the Greek cruise ship, Oceanos, as it sails off the South African coast. Midday, the sea spills over the bow of Oceanos. But whatever relief Smith might have felt at that moment was quickly shattered. "[9] They were among the last to be rescued. Schettino should have remained on board "until the last passenger is accounted for," said Abelardo Pacheco, a Filipino captain who was held hostage for five months in Somalia and now heads a seafarers' training center in Manila. All three divers were ecstatic and eager to make the most of the prevailing conditions; the second dive was scheduled for the following day. The wreck was not the fault of unexpected weather or ship malfunctionit was a disaster caused entirely by a series of human errors. 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. He had apparently confused the Titanics partially enclosed promenade deck with the totally open one of her sister ship, Olympic, which he had previously commanded. 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. The helicopter was used to survey conditions around the wreck that lies at a distance of 9.5km from Hole in the Wall. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Captain Yiannis Avranas who left passengers to die? The wind was still blowing, and large swells were visible on the horizon. Ship Captain. Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images Barry and Paul were on closed-circuit rebreathers, a Buddy Inspiration rebreather, and a CIS-Lunar MK5P rebreather, respectively. On 3 August 1991, the Oceanos - initially delayed due to a bomb threat - set out from East London, South Africa and headed for Durban.Captain Yiannis Avranas (born ca. Several witnesses claimed to have seen him in the water. In between, however, the first engineer was terrified. Physical and psychological training, descent strategies, bottom times, gas mixes, decompression profiles, equipment, and logistical planning; all these considerations had to be finalized before the team arrived on location at the Hole in the Wall hotel, where supportive technical diving and medical infrastructures do not exist. On one occasion the 200-liter drum we used as a marker buoy was pulled down to 34m by the current. What happened to the cruise ship Oceanos? There was no stopping the flooding and no hope for the Oceanos sinking. Both literature and real life offer plenty of examples of shipmasters who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect their passengers and crew. . In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, newspapers cast Smith as a hero, the brave captain who went down with his ship. Aug. 6, 1991 12 AM PT. We strive for accuracy and fairness. It was abject cowardice.". "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. The Worst Christmas Story Ever: The Sinking of SS Leopoldville on 24 December 1944, How AI is Transforming Personal and Professional Investing, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, UC Berkeleys Financial Innovation Conference, Why did Titanic Sink : A Scientific Analysis. Francesco Schettino Sparks Outrage". Everyone who had been put into lifeboats was rescued by passing ships and remarkably no lives were lost. 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. A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features. [22] The show Extreme Weather: The Survivors featured a segment on the sinking. MTS Oceanos was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when it suffered uncontrolled flooding.MTS Oceanos. The impact damaged the ship, allowing water to seep in and putting the 4,229 people on board in danger. [20][21], Dateline NBC aired a documentary of the incident on 23 May 2010. He would attempt to sit there. Schettino reportedly said he ended up in a life raft after he tripped and fell into the water. Captain of White Star Liner, RMS Titanic, Commander Edward J. Smith, c. 1911. The ships were used on the Marseilles Madagascar Mauritius service. It was owned by Epirotiki Lines of Greece and chartered at the time by a South African company, TFC Tours. By God, you are right! Smith replied. 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. The team retired for the night, hoping that conditions would improve. Edward Smith went down with the Titanic, the notion that a captain must stay with his ship became part of folklore. "That is the responsibility of the captain, that's why all privileges are given to him but he has together with that an equal burden of responsibility," Pacheco said. 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. Abandon is for everybody. After the required decompression runtimes, the divers surfaced, and the team returned to shore. A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. (Schettino insisted the ship sailed close to shore to salute other mariners and give passengers a good view.) All considered, said Canadian-American fellow team member and cave diving world record holder Paul Heinerth, the Oceanos is probably one of the most, if not the most difficult wreck in the world to dive. The difficulties of diving on the Oceanos are extreme, but with commitment and proper planning, the dive is not impossible. "When I order abandon ship, it doesn't matter what time I leave," Avranas said. Several estimated it was no more than five miles away. Cruise captain sparks outrage among mariners - CBS News "They were to stand at attention on the sinking ship until the women and children their wives and children were led off the boats.". The moment was immortalized by Rudyard Kipling as the "Birkenhead drill." Heres some good live video when it happened!!! That was one of several incidents that have led some historians to question whether Smith had gone into a state of shock. The open-circuit diver is therefore restricted in terms of profile and dive time due to the chosen static supply of gas content and quantity carried. [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. The decision was to be his last as captain of the Oceanos. Diving The Oceanos - DeeperBlue.com Steve said, We had to hold onto the anchor line with all our strength. 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. [2] Photographs taken in 2002 show that the bridge section has collapsed. Being one of the worlds most difficult wrecks to reach and successfully dive, the Oceanos offers great rewards for technical divers at the top of their game. Although Barry, Paul, and Brett would dive to the Oceanos as a team, they were all on different equipment. The Oceanos crew was referred to disciplinary inspection for withdrawal of diploma or grade, but they were all acquitted.. It was also around 12:45 a.m. that crewmen lowered the first of the Titanics lifeboats to the ocean surface. 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. There was no reply to either. After the sinking, Avranas attracted extensive media coverage, often being vilified and used as an example of poor professional behaviour while in command. This day turned out much better than expected. 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. What happened to the Italian cruise ship captain? The nearest, RMS Carpathia, replied that it would change course and hurry to the Titanics position. "It is my responsibility. 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. En route to Durban, the Oceanos cruise ship set out from the port of East London on Saturday, August 3, 1991, into 40-knot winds and nine-meter swells. 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. Open an account with Rebellion Research now and manage your assets intelligently. 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. No matter what time I leave. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Many famous naval disasters happen far out at sea, but on January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia wrecked just off the coast of an Italian island in relatively shallow water. After five days of staying at the hotel, the other Greek sailors with the assistance of the Greek consular authorities also escaped. In Moby-Dick, Captain Ahab sets off to hunt the whale, leaving the capable Starbuck in charge. Surviving wireless operator Harold Bride, a more reliable witness, said hed seen Smith dive from the bridge into the sea. Others said he was swept off by a wave orhaving been swept offswam back to the Titanic to meet his end. The captain of the Oceanos was alerted to the problem after receiving reports of water entering some of the cabins on board. Allen dismissed that idea, saying the captain's knowledge of his ship is crucial in an emergency. The World witnessed an ugly scene back on 03 August 1991 when MTS Oceanos sunk in 1991 because of uncontrolled floods. Towards the end, passengers had to jump into . ":rolleyes: I don't know what ever happened to him. Is the Oceanos still at the bottom of the ocean? Passengers remained ignorant of the events until they witnessed the first signs of flooding on the lower decks. Captain Yiannis Avranas who left passengers to die? At sea, there's no question about who's in charge, so there's no doubt who is responsible for safety. Usually, there would have been a "sail-away" party on deck with the ship's musicians and British . Sinking of Oceanos : Survivor's Accounts - Rebellion Research The Greek government is not doing anything about the incident. Maritime experts say such manifestations of courage at sea far outnumber incidents in which captains saved themselves and left their passengers behind. Captains Uncourageous: Abandoning Ship Long Seen As A Crime Two small ships in the vicinity were first on the scene, and provided the ship's coordinates to the South African authorities. "It isn't just a maritime code, it's a code of leadership," Gurnon said. The cruise ship had sailed with seven beauforts. The Story Of The Oceanos - YouTube In last year's Star Trek Into Darkness, the bad guy taunts Captain Kirk by saying, "No ship should go down without her captain.". From Times Wire Services. Something strong wind, something the helicopter pilot, they didnt let me down he said. The captain must first ensure the safety of his passengers, then of his crew and, finally, of the ship, though the notion that he's supposed to go down with it is more legend than fact. "[10], Captain Avranas received extensive media coverage as an example of unprofessional behaviour whilst in command. 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. The lights went out and the ship got an unusual inclination, but none of the crew advised us, he says in telephone communication from Ireland. Smith was at 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, April 14, 1912. 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. READ MORE: Why Nobody Remembers America's Worst Maritime Disaster. [5] The final minutes of her sinking were captured on video and broadcast by ABC News. 1940) had been an officer for twenty years and a seaman for thirty. March 5, 2004. REBELLION RESEARCH ADVISORS, L.P. IS A REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISER AND NOT FOR PROFIT EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH THINK TANK. The crew said that likely saved their lives, because the ship's emergency beacon didn't work. Yonhap/EPA/Landov MTS Oceanos - Wikipedia The Victorian notion that a captain should actually go down with the ship has become archaic. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 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. Rear Adm. Richard Gurnon, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy called Schettino's actions "abhorrent" and a violation of an unwritten code. ", the captain of the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia. Industries; War and Militaries; Italy's highest court has upheld the 16-year jail sentence given to the captain of the Costa Concordia, which capsized in 2012 killing 32 people. Smith now knew the Titanic was doomed. Navy Diver Says Oceanos Captain Demanded to Be One of First Rescued 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), https://www.history.com/news/titanic-captain-edward-smith-final-hours-death. Coast Guard to capt. Smiths body was never recovered, and his final moments remain a mystery, with no shortage of conflicting accountsincluding one in which he jumped off the ship holding a baby. Most have heard the story, the sinking of the OCEANOS with 571 passengers and crew on board, none of whom suffered . Smith also checked in periodically with the wireless operators until, at about 2 a.m., he released them from duty and told them to try to save themselves. Oceanos was very poorly maintained while simultaneously operating in one of the most dangerous and rough areas of the oceans. In 1991, Yiannis Avranas, the captain of a Greek cruise liner, was also strongly criticised after leaving the ship as it started to sink off the South African coast. that after a series of freak waves slammed against the ship, the pipe's shell plating burst open and began filling the compartment with seawater. Its captain was accused of manslaughter and abandoning the 4,200 passengers and crew on the night of the wreck. 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. Here's a link if you want to see a video of the story. [5] They used the radio phone to broadcast a mayday distress call until Moss received a response.[7].
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