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Revised Spring 2015
Literacy Performance Task
7th
Grade Learning from Tragedy
UNIT OVERVIEW The What Can We Learn from Tragedy task is embedded in a 2-3 week curricular unit on informational texts in which students read multiple sources on the subject of ocean liner disasters resulting in tragic loss of life The students complete three assessment tasks that build in complexity and are sequenced to scaffold student learning
TASK DETAILS Task Name What Can We Learn from Tragedy Grade 7 Subject English Language Arts Depth of Knowledge 3 Task Description The culminating task asks students to write an essay demonstrating the ability to examine a topic and convey ideas concepts and information through the selection organization and analysis of relevant content and textual evidence Standards RI71 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from text RI73 Analyze the interactions between individuals events and ideas in a text RI78 Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims W71 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence W72 Write informatoryexplanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas concepts and information through the selection organization and analysis of relevant content W74 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development organization and style are appropriate to task purpose and audience W79 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis reflection and research L71 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking SL72 Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats and explain how the ideas clarify a topic text or issue under study
Revised Spring 2015
Resources and Materials Required Park Andy A Ship That Sailed Under a Black Cloud Traveller Sydney Morning
Herald 16 Jan 2012 Web 26 Apr 2012 lthttpmediasmhcomaunews
world-newsa-ship-that-sailed-under-a-black-cloud-2895378htmlgt
Ballard Robert D Exploring the Titanic Literature 2008 ed Evanston
McDougall Littel 2008 100-14 Print
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo News Europe BBC 24 Jan 2012 Web 26 Apr 2012
lthttpwwwbbccouknewsworld-europe-16563562gt
Nadeau Barbie L Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of
Manslaughter The Daily Beast The Daily Beast Company LLC 11 Feb 2015
Web 26 Mar 2015
lthttpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-
convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtmlgt
Pappas Stephanie ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo Live Science
TechMediaNetwork 18 Jan 2012 Web 26 Apr 2012
lthttpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtmlgt
Peterson Barbara One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
Popular Mechanics Hearst Communication 29 Jan 2013 Web 23 Apr 2013
lthttpwwwpopularmechanicscomadventureoutdoorsa11921one-year-after-
costa-concordia-has-anything-changed-15037754gt
Supplemental and Optional ABC News ABC News Network nd Web 01 Apr 2015
httpswwwgooglecomwebhpsourceid=chrome-instantampion=1ampespv=2ampie=UTF-
8q=3Chttp3A2F2Fabcnewsgocom2F20202Fvideo2Finside-costa-concordia-
disaster-154085193E
Johnson Andy ldquoTitanic to Costa Concordia has safety at sea improvedrdquo CTV
News Bell Media 15 Apr 2012 Web 26 Mar 2015
lthttpwwwctvnewscatitanic-to-costa-concordia-has-safety-at-sea-
improved-1795387gt
Levy Megan ldquoCursed Concordia lsquoborn bad ended up worserdquo Traveller Sydney
Morning Herald 16 Jan 2012 Web 26 Apr 2012 lthttpwwwsmhcomau
traveltravel-incidentscursed-concordia-born-bad-ended-up-worse-20120116-
1q1w2htmlgt
Salvaging the Costa Concordia BBC News British Broadcasting Company 1 Dec
2014 Web 26 Mar 2015
lt httpwwwbbccomnewsworld-europe-19962191gt
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 1 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Space for Notes
TASK After reading Exploring the Titanic complete a RACE graphic organizer that develop an
argument including three reasons that analyze why so many people lost their lives in this tragedy
Follow the conventions of standard English including a variety of sentence structures and correct
spelling Use formal style and effective transitions when appropriate Cited evidence should include
both an indirect (paraphrased) and a direct quote
Revised Spring 2015
TASK After reading Exploring the Titanic complete a RACE graphic organizer that develop an
argument including three reasons that analyze why so many people lost their lives in this tragedy
Follow the conventions of standard English including a variety of sentence structures and correct
spelling Use formal style and effective transitions when appropriate Cited evidence should include both
an indirect (paraphrased) and a direct quote
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
1st evidence 2
nd evidence 3
rd evidence
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Section B Scoring Guides for Assessment Task 1
Score Point Description
4
Argument states and develops a claim with convincing evidence and
clarifying explanations The ideas are organized using transitions that are
appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship among ideas
3
Argument states and develops a claim with adequate evidence and relevant
explanations The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to
the content and help to clarify the relationship among ideas
2
Argument states and develops a claim with evidence and limited explanations
The ideas may be somewhat organized or transitions may not be used
effectively
1
Argument does not state a claim or is developed with information and details
that are not relevant There are no transitions that help to clarify relationships
among ideas
Examples of possible transitions
First second third
Initially to begin with next then finally in conclusion
Although instead of because of
In this way
Therefore as a consequence
Whilehellip
Unlikehellip as opposed to
Primary Trait of Assessment Task 1
W71 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other
information and examples
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted
use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use
of simple and compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard grammar and usage including accepted use of
simple and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including
accepted use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Scoring Guide
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 1
Student argument demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation
simple and compound sentences and spelling when writing
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 1
Explicit Statements about What Will Be Expected As Evidence of a Score Point 4
Score Point 4
Argument text states and develops a claim with three pieces of convincing evidence and clarifying explanations
The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship
among ideas
Examples of possible reasons why so many lost their lives
Poor communication on board the ship
Reluctance of the passengers to get on the lifeboats
First and second class evacuation allowed while third class locked behind barriers
Reluctance to believe the ship was capable of sinking
Poor communication between the Californian and the Titanic prevented the rescue of passengers on the Titanic
Not enough life boats
Social norms woman and children first third class citizens not equal
Speed of the ship
Calm sea made it difficult to see the iceberg
The theory of ldquounsinkablerdquo
Water-tight compartments
Inexperience of crew
Primary Trait
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other information and
examples
Revised Spring 2015
Example of Score Point 4 RACE Organizer
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
Many people lost their lives when the tragic crash of the Titanic occurred
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
Many lives were lost because of poor communication and because there were not enough lifeboats on the ship
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
No one on the Titanic really knew the dangers of the incident Even when they collided with the iceberg the radio operators didnrsquot communicate the accident clearly with the passengers ldquoOn board the Titanic almost an hour after the crash most of the passengers still did not realize the seriousness of the situationrdquo says Ballard on page 111
After the crash with the iceberg occurred passengers were alarmed thinking something went wrong However attendants on board said nothing unusual had happened and to go back to your cabin (Ballard 113)
On page 111 the text states ldquoCaptain Smith was a very worried man He knew the Titanic only carried lifeboats for half the estimated twenty-two hundred people on boardrdquo
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Because of the poor communication passengers didnrsquot have time to be prepared for the sinking If the radio operators had shared the news and warnings with other passengers they might have had more time to make sure everyone was wearing their life jackets and that everyone was safe
This evidence proves if the stewards would have informed the passengers about the crash and what happened there wouldnrsquot have been as much commotion when the Titanic began to sink which led to lives being lost
This illustrates that more people could have been saved if the Titanic had the appropriate amount of lifeboats on board Instead lives were lost because passengers were left with two choices go down with the ship or jump
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Teacher Notes Each teacher will determine the best approach to use for reading the material in these four articles Some teachers may want to read these aloud together or in a guided manner with students Other students may be expected to read the articles individually and independently To complete the table students may be allowed to work in pairs or small groups Other students may be expected to complete the table alone Teacher discretion is encouraged Depending on how students complete this task grading is optional This task may be implemented as a practice activity that provides a supporting scaffold for the final task which is an essay that incorporates in part these articles and the information they contain Teachers certainly may grade this activity but it is not a requirement
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
The total number of people killed was 32
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Answer Key
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
X Para 4
X
Para 2
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
X Para 7
X Para 18
X Para 4
X Para 12
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
X Para 1210
X Para 8
X Para 4
X Para 2
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
X
Para 18
X Para 2
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
X Para 9
X
Para 457
The total number of people killed was 32
X
Para 1
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
X
Para 19
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
X
Para 5
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Resources and Materials Required Park Andy A Ship That Sailed Under a Black Cloud Traveller Sydney Morning
Herald 16 Jan 2012 Web 26 Apr 2012 lthttpmediasmhcomaunews
world-newsa-ship-that-sailed-under-a-black-cloud-2895378htmlgt
Ballard Robert D Exploring the Titanic Literature 2008 ed Evanston
McDougall Littel 2008 100-14 Print
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo News Europe BBC 24 Jan 2012 Web 26 Apr 2012
lthttpwwwbbccouknewsworld-europe-16563562gt
Nadeau Barbie L Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of
Manslaughter The Daily Beast The Daily Beast Company LLC 11 Feb 2015
Web 26 Mar 2015
lthttpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-
convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtmlgt
Pappas Stephanie ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo Live Science
TechMediaNetwork 18 Jan 2012 Web 26 Apr 2012
lthttpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtmlgt
Peterson Barbara One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
Popular Mechanics Hearst Communication 29 Jan 2013 Web 23 Apr 2013
lthttpwwwpopularmechanicscomadventureoutdoorsa11921one-year-after-
costa-concordia-has-anything-changed-15037754gt
Supplemental and Optional ABC News ABC News Network nd Web 01 Apr 2015
httpswwwgooglecomwebhpsourceid=chrome-instantampion=1ampespv=2ampie=UTF-
8q=3Chttp3A2F2Fabcnewsgocom2F20202Fvideo2Finside-costa-concordia-
disaster-154085193E
Johnson Andy ldquoTitanic to Costa Concordia has safety at sea improvedrdquo CTV
News Bell Media 15 Apr 2012 Web 26 Mar 2015
lthttpwwwctvnewscatitanic-to-costa-concordia-has-safety-at-sea-
improved-1795387gt
Levy Megan ldquoCursed Concordia lsquoborn bad ended up worserdquo Traveller Sydney
Morning Herald 16 Jan 2012 Web 26 Apr 2012 lthttpwwwsmhcomau
traveltravel-incidentscursed-concordia-born-bad-ended-up-worse-20120116-
1q1w2htmlgt
Salvaging the Costa Concordia BBC News British Broadcasting Company 1 Dec
2014 Web 26 Mar 2015
lt httpwwwbbccomnewsworld-europe-19962191gt
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 1 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Space for Notes
TASK After reading Exploring the Titanic complete a RACE graphic organizer that develop an
argument including three reasons that analyze why so many people lost their lives in this tragedy
Follow the conventions of standard English including a variety of sentence structures and correct
spelling Use formal style and effective transitions when appropriate Cited evidence should include
both an indirect (paraphrased) and a direct quote
Revised Spring 2015
TASK After reading Exploring the Titanic complete a RACE graphic organizer that develop an
argument including three reasons that analyze why so many people lost their lives in this tragedy
Follow the conventions of standard English including a variety of sentence structures and correct
spelling Use formal style and effective transitions when appropriate Cited evidence should include both
an indirect (paraphrased) and a direct quote
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
1st evidence 2
nd evidence 3
rd evidence
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Section B Scoring Guides for Assessment Task 1
Score Point Description
4
Argument states and develops a claim with convincing evidence and
clarifying explanations The ideas are organized using transitions that are
appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship among ideas
3
Argument states and develops a claim with adequate evidence and relevant
explanations The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to
the content and help to clarify the relationship among ideas
2
Argument states and develops a claim with evidence and limited explanations
The ideas may be somewhat organized or transitions may not be used
effectively
1
Argument does not state a claim or is developed with information and details
that are not relevant There are no transitions that help to clarify relationships
among ideas
Examples of possible transitions
First second third
Initially to begin with next then finally in conclusion
Although instead of because of
In this way
Therefore as a consequence
Whilehellip
Unlikehellip as opposed to
Primary Trait of Assessment Task 1
W71 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other
information and examples
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted
use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use
of simple and compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard grammar and usage including accepted use of
simple and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including
accepted use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Scoring Guide
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 1
Student argument demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation
simple and compound sentences and spelling when writing
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 1
Explicit Statements about What Will Be Expected As Evidence of a Score Point 4
Score Point 4
Argument text states and develops a claim with three pieces of convincing evidence and clarifying explanations
The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship
among ideas
Examples of possible reasons why so many lost their lives
Poor communication on board the ship
Reluctance of the passengers to get on the lifeboats
First and second class evacuation allowed while third class locked behind barriers
Reluctance to believe the ship was capable of sinking
Poor communication between the Californian and the Titanic prevented the rescue of passengers on the Titanic
Not enough life boats
Social norms woman and children first third class citizens not equal
Speed of the ship
Calm sea made it difficult to see the iceberg
The theory of ldquounsinkablerdquo
Water-tight compartments
Inexperience of crew
Primary Trait
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other information and
examples
Revised Spring 2015
Example of Score Point 4 RACE Organizer
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
Many people lost their lives when the tragic crash of the Titanic occurred
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
Many lives were lost because of poor communication and because there were not enough lifeboats on the ship
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
No one on the Titanic really knew the dangers of the incident Even when they collided with the iceberg the radio operators didnrsquot communicate the accident clearly with the passengers ldquoOn board the Titanic almost an hour after the crash most of the passengers still did not realize the seriousness of the situationrdquo says Ballard on page 111
After the crash with the iceberg occurred passengers were alarmed thinking something went wrong However attendants on board said nothing unusual had happened and to go back to your cabin (Ballard 113)
On page 111 the text states ldquoCaptain Smith was a very worried man He knew the Titanic only carried lifeboats for half the estimated twenty-two hundred people on boardrdquo
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Because of the poor communication passengers didnrsquot have time to be prepared for the sinking If the radio operators had shared the news and warnings with other passengers they might have had more time to make sure everyone was wearing their life jackets and that everyone was safe
This evidence proves if the stewards would have informed the passengers about the crash and what happened there wouldnrsquot have been as much commotion when the Titanic began to sink which led to lives being lost
This illustrates that more people could have been saved if the Titanic had the appropriate amount of lifeboats on board Instead lives were lost because passengers were left with two choices go down with the ship or jump
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Teacher Notes Each teacher will determine the best approach to use for reading the material in these four articles Some teachers may want to read these aloud together or in a guided manner with students Other students may be expected to read the articles individually and independently To complete the table students may be allowed to work in pairs or small groups Other students may be expected to complete the table alone Teacher discretion is encouraged Depending on how students complete this task grading is optional This task may be implemented as a practice activity that provides a supporting scaffold for the final task which is an essay that incorporates in part these articles and the information they contain Teachers certainly may grade this activity but it is not a requirement
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
The total number of people killed was 32
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Answer Key
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
X Para 4
X
Para 2
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
X Para 7
X Para 18
X Para 4
X Para 12
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
X Para 1210
X Para 8
X Para 4
X Para 2
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
X
Para 18
X Para 2
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
X Para 9
X
Para 457
The total number of people killed was 32
X
Para 1
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
X
Para 19
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
X
Para 5
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 1 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Space for Notes
TASK After reading Exploring the Titanic complete a RACE graphic organizer that develop an
argument including three reasons that analyze why so many people lost their lives in this tragedy
Follow the conventions of standard English including a variety of sentence structures and correct
spelling Use formal style and effective transitions when appropriate Cited evidence should include
both an indirect (paraphrased) and a direct quote
Revised Spring 2015
TASK After reading Exploring the Titanic complete a RACE graphic organizer that develop an
argument including three reasons that analyze why so many people lost their lives in this tragedy
Follow the conventions of standard English including a variety of sentence structures and correct
spelling Use formal style and effective transitions when appropriate Cited evidence should include both
an indirect (paraphrased) and a direct quote
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
1st evidence 2
nd evidence 3
rd evidence
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Section B Scoring Guides for Assessment Task 1
Score Point Description
4
Argument states and develops a claim with convincing evidence and
clarifying explanations The ideas are organized using transitions that are
appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship among ideas
3
Argument states and develops a claim with adequate evidence and relevant
explanations The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to
the content and help to clarify the relationship among ideas
2
Argument states and develops a claim with evidence and limited explanations
The ideas may be somewhat organized or transitions may not be used
effectively
1
Argument does not state a claim or is developed with information and details
that are not relevant There are no transitions that help to clarify relationships
among ideas
Examples of possible transitions
First second third
Initially to begin with next then finally in conclusion
Although instead of because of
In this way
Therefore as a consequence
Whilehellip
Unlikehellip as opposed to
Primary Trait of Assessment Task 1
W71 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other
information and examples
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted
use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use
of simple and compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard grammar and usage including accepted use of
simple and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including
accepted use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Scoring Guide
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 1
Student argument demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation
simple and compound sentences and spelling when writing
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 1
Explicit Statements about What Will Be Expected As Evidence of a Score Point 4
Score Point 4
Argument text states and develops a claim with three pieces of convincing evidence and clarifying explanations
The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship
among ideas
Examples of possible reasons why so many lost their lives
Poor communication on board the ship
Reluctance of the passengers to get on the lifeboats
First and second class evacuation allowed while third class locked behind barriers
Reluctance to believe the ship was capable of sinking
Poor communication between the Californian and the Titanic prevented the rescue of passengers on the Titanic
Not enough life boats
Social norms woman and children first third class citizens not equal
Speed of the ship
Calm sea made it difficult to see the iceberg
The theory of ldquounsinkablerdquo
Water-tight compartments
Inexperience of crew
Primary Trait
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other information and
examples
Revised Spring 2015
Example of Score Point 4 RACE Organizer
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
Many people lost their lives when the tragic crash of the Titanic occurred
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
Many lives were lost because of poor communication and because there were not enough lifeboats on the ship
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
No one on the Titanic really knew the dangers of the incident Even when they collided with the iceberg the radio operators didnrsquot communicate the accident clearly with the passengers ldquoOn board the Titanic almost an hour after the crash most of the passengers still did not realize the seriousness of the situationrdquo says Ballard on page 111
After the crash with the iceberg occurred passengers were alarmed thinking something went wrong However attendants on board said nothing unusual had happened and to go back to your cabin (Ballard 113)
On page 111 the text states ldquoCaptain Smith was a very worried man He knew the Titanic only carried lifeboats for half the estimated twenty-two hundred people on boardrdquo
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Because of the poor communication passengers didnrsquot have time to be prepared for the sinking If the radio operators had shared the news and warnings with other passengers they might have had more time to make sure everyone was wearing their life jackets and that everyone was safe
This evidence proves if the stewards would have informed the passengers about the crash and what happened there wouldnrsquot have been as much commotion when the Titanic began to sink which led to lives being lost
This illustrates that more people could have been saved if the Titanic had the appropriate amount of lifeboats on board Instead lives were lost because passengers were left with two choices go down with the ship or jump
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Teacher Notes Each teacher will determine the best approach to use for reading the material in these four articles Some teachers may want to read these aloud together or in a guided manner with students Other students may be expected to read the articles individually and independently To complete the table students may be allowed to work in pairs or small groups Other students may be expected to complete the table alone Teacher discretion is encouraged Depending on how students complete this task grading is optional This task may be implemented as a practice activity that provides a supporting scaffold for the final task which is an essay that incorporates in part these articles and the information they contain Teachers certainly may grade this activity but it is not a requirement
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
The total number of people killed was 32
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Answer Key
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
X Para 4
X
Para 2
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
X Para 7
X Para 18
X Para 4
X Para 12
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
X Para 1210
X Para 8
X Para 4
X Para 2
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
X
Para 18
X Para 2
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
X Para 9
X
Para 457
The total number of people killed was 32
X
Para 1
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
X
Para 19
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
X
Para 5
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
TASK After reading Exploring the Titanic complete a RACE graphic organizer that develop an
argument including three reasons that analyze why so many people lost their lives in this tragedy
Follow the conventions of standard English including a variety of sentence structures and correct
spelling Use formal style and effective transitions when appropriate Cited evidence should include both
an indirect (paraphrased) and a direct quote
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
1st evidence 2
nd evidence 3
rd evidence
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Section B Scoring Guides for Assessment Task 1
Score Point Description
4
Argument states and develops a claim with convincing evidence and
clarifying explanations The ideas are organized using transitions that are
appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship among ideas
3
Argument states and develops a claim with adequate evidence and relevant
explanations The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to
the content and help to clarify the relationship among ideas
2
Argument states and develops a claim with evidence and limited explanations
The ideas may be somewhat organized or transitions may not be used
effectively
1
Argument does not state a claim or is developed with information and details
that are not relevant There are no transitions that help to clarify relationships
among ideas
Examples of possible transitions
First second third
Initially to begin with next then finally in conclusion
Although instead of because of
In this way
Therefore as a consequence
Whilehellip
Unlikehellip as opposed to
Primary Trait of Assessment Task 1
W71 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other
information and examples
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted
use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use
of simple and compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard grammar and usage including accepted use of
simple and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including
accepted use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Scoring Guide
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 1
Student argument demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation
simple and compound sentences and spelling when writing
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 1
Explicit Statements about What Will Be Expected As Evidence of a Score Point 4
Score Point 4
Argument text states and develops a claim with three pieces of convincing evidence and clarifying explanations
The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship
among ideas
Examples of possible reasons why so many lost their lives
Poor communication on board the ship
Reluctance of the passengers to get on the lifeboats
First and second class evacuation allowed while third class locked behind barriers
Reluctance to believe the ship was capable of sinking
Poor communication between the Californian and the Titanic prevented the rescue of passengers on the Titanic
Not enough life boats
Social norms woman and children first third class citizens not equal
Speed of the ship
Calm sea made it difficult to see the iceberg
The theory of ldquounsinkablerdquo
Water-tight compartments
Inexperience of crew
Primary Trait
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other information and
examples
Revised Spring 2015
Example of Score Point 4 RACE Organizer
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
Many people lost their lives when the tragic crash of the Titanic occurred
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
Many lives were lost because of poor communication and because there were not enough lifeboats on the ship
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
No one on the Titanic really knew the dangers of the incident Even when they collided with the iceberg the radio operators didnrsquot communicate the accident clearly with the passengers ldquoOn board the Titanic almost an hour after the crash most of the passengers still did not realize the seriousness of the situationrdquo says Ballard on page 111
After the crash with the iceberg occurred passengers were alarmed thinking something went wrong However attendants on board said nothing unusual had happened and to go back to your cabin (Ballard 113)
On page 111 the text states ldquoCaptain Smith was a very worried man He knew the Titanic only carried lifeboats for half the estimated twenty-two hundred people on boardrdquo
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Because of the poor communication passengers didnrsquot have time to be prepared for the sinking If the radio operators had shared the news and warnings with other passengers they might have had more time to make sure everyone was wearing their life jackets and that everyone was safe
This evidence proves if the stewards would have informed the passengers about the crash and what happened there wouldnrsquot have been as much commotion when the Titanic began to sink which led to lives being lost
This illustrates that more people could have been saved if the Titanic had the appropriate amount of lifeboats on board Instead lives were lost because passengers were left with two choices go down with the ship or jump
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Teacher Notes Each teacher will determine the best approach to use for reading the material in these four articles Some teachers may want to read these aloud together or in a guided manner with students Other students may be expected to read the articles individually and independently To complete the table students may be allowed to work in pairs or small groups Other students may be expected to complete the table alone Teacher discretion is encouraged Depending on how students complete this task grading is optional This task may be implemented as a practice activity that provides a supporting scaffold for the final task which is an essay that incorporates in part these articles and the information they contain Teachers certainly may grade this activity but it is not a requirement
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
The total number of people killed was 32
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Answer Key
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
X Para 4
X
Para 2
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
X Para 7
X Para 18
X Para 4
X Para 12
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
X Para 1210
X Para 8
X Para 4
X Para 2
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
X
Para 18
X Para 2
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
X Para 9
X
Para 457
The total number of people killed was 32
X
Para 1
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
X
Para 19
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
X
Para 5
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Section B Scoring Guides for Assessment Task 1
Score Point Description
4
Argument states and develops a claim with convincing evidence and
clarifying explanations The ideas are organized using transitions that are
appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship among ideas
3
Argument states and develops a claim with adequate evidence and relevant
explanations The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to
the content and help to clarify the relationship among ideas
2
Argument states and develops a claim with evidence and limited explanations
The ideas may be somewhat organized or transitions may not be used
effectively
1
Argument does not state a claim or is developed with information and details
that are not relevant There are no transitions that help to clarify relationships
among ideas
Examples of possible transitions
First second third
Initially to begin with next then finally in conclusion
Although instead of because of
In this way
Therefore as a consequence
Whilehellip
Unlikehellip as opposed to
Primary Trait of Assessment Task 1
W71 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other
information and examples
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted
use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use
of simple and compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard grammar and usage including accepted use of
simple and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including
accepted use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Scoring Guide
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 1
Student argument demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation
simple and compound sentences and spelling when writing
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 1
Explicit Statements about What Will Be Expected As Evidence of a Score Point 4
Score Point 4
Argument text states and develops a claim with three pieces of convincing evidence and clarifying explanations
The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship
among ideas
Examples of possible reasons why so many lost their lives
Poor communication on board the ship
Reluctance of the passengers to get on the lifeboats
First and second class evacuation allowed while third class locked behind barriers
Reluctance to believe the ship was capable of sinking
Poor communication between the Californian and the Titanic prevented the rescue of passengers on the Titanic
Not enough life boats
Social norms woman and children first third class citizens not equal
Speed of the ship
Calm sea made it difficult to see the iceberg
The theory of ldquounsinkablerdquo
Water-tight compartments
Inexperience of crew
Primary Trait
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other information and
examples
Revised Spring 2015
Example of Score Point 4 RACE Organizer
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
Many people lost their lives when the tragic crash of the Titanic occurred
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
Many lives were lost because of poor communication and because there were not enough lifeboats on the ship
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
No one on the Titanic really knew the dangers of the incident Even when they collided with the iceberg the radio operators didnrsquot communicate the accident clearly with the passengers ldquoOn board the Titanic almost an hour after the crash most of the passengers still did not realize the seriousness of the situationrdquo says Ballard on page 111
After the crash with the iceberg occurred passengers were alarmed thinking something went wrong However attendants on board said nothing unusual had happened and to go back to your cabin (Ballard 113)
On page 111 the text states ldquoCaptain Smith was a very worried man He knew the Titanic only carried lifeboats for half the estimated twenty-two hundred people on boardrdquo
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Because of the poor communication passengers didnrsquot have time to be prepared for the sinking If the radio operators had shared the news and warnings with other passengers they might have had more time to make sure everyone was wearing their life jackets and that everyone was safe
This evidence proves if the stewards would have informed the passengers about the crash and what happened there wouldnrsquot have been as much commotion when the Titanic began to sink which led to lives being lost
This illustrates that more people could have been saved if the Titanic had the appropriate amount of lifeboats on board Instead lives were lost because passengers were left with two choices go down with the ship or jump
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Teacher Notes Each teacher will determine the best approach to use for reading the material in these four articles Some teachers may want to read these aloud together or in a guided manner with students Other students may be expected to read the articles individually and independently To complete the table students may be allowed to work in pairs or small groups Other students may be expected to complete the table alone Teacher discretion is encouraged Depending on how students complete this task grading is optional This task may be implemented as a practice activity that provides a supporting scaffold for the final task which is an essay that incorporates in part these articles and the information they contain Teachers certainly may grade this activity but it is not a requirement
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
The total number of people killed was 32
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Answer Key
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
X Para 4
X
Para 2
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
X Para 7
X Para 18
X Para 4
X Para 12
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
X Para 1210
X Para 8
X Para 4
X Para 2
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
X
Para 18
X Para 2
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
X Para 9
X
Para 457
The total number of people killed was 32
X
Para 1
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
X
Para 19
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
X
Para 5
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Section B Scoring Guides for Assessment Task 1
Score Point Description
4
Argument states and develops a claim with convincing evidence and
clarifying explanations The ideas are organized using transitions that are
appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship among ideas
3
Argument states and develops a claim with adequate evidence and relevant
explanations The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to
the content and help to clarify the relationship among ideas
2
Argument states and develops a claim with evidence and limited explanations
The ideas may be somewhat organized or transitions may not be used
effectively
1
Argument does not state a claim or is developed with information and details
that are not relevant There are no transitions that help to clarify relationships
among ideas
Examples of possible transitions
First second third
Initially to begin with next then finally in conclusion
Although instead of because of
In this way
Therefore as a consequence
Whilehellip
Unlikehellip as opposed to
Primary Trait of Assessment Task 1
W71 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other
information and examples
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted
use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use
of simple and compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard grammar and usage including accepted use of
simple and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including
accepted use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Scoring Guide
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 1
Student argument demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation
simple and compound sentences and spelling when writing
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 1
Explicit Statements about What Will Be Expected As Evidence of a Score Point 4
Score Point 4
Argument text states and develops a claim with three pieces of convincing evidence and clarifying explanations
The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship
among ideas
Examples of possible reasons why so many lost their lives
Poor communication on board the ship
Reluctance of the passengers to get on the lifeboats
First and second class evacuation allowed while third class locked behind barriers
Reluctance to believe the ship was capable of sinking
Poor communication between the Californian and the Titanic prevented the rescue of passengers on the Titanic
Not enough life boats
Social norms woman and children first third class citizens not equal
Speed of the ship
Calm sea made it difficult to see the iceberg
The theory of ldquounsinkablerdquo
Water-tight compartments
Inexperience of crew
Primary Trait
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other information and
examples
Revised Spring 2015
Example of Score Point 4 RACE Organizer
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
Many people lost their lives when the tragic crash of the Titanic occurred
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
Many lives were lost because of poor communication and because there were not enough lifeboats on the ship
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
No one on the Titanic really knew the dangers of the incident Even when they collided with the iceberg the radio operators didnrsquot communicate the accident clearly with the passengers ldquoOn board the Titanic almost an hour after the crash most of the passengers still did not realize the seriousness of the situationrdquo says Ballard on page 111
After the crash with the iceberg occurred passengers were alarmed thinking something went wrong However attendants on board said nothing unusual had happened and to go back to your cabin (Ballard 113)
On page 111 the text states ldquoCaptain Smith was a very worried man He knew the Titanic only carried lifeboats for half the estimated twenty-two hundred people on boardrdquo
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Because of the poor communication passengers didnrsquot have time to be prepared for the sinking If the radio operators had shared the news and warnings with other passengers they might have had more time to make sure everyone was wearing their life jackets and that everyone was safe
This evidence proves if the stewards would have informed the passengers about the crash and what happened there wouldnrsquot have been as much commotion when the Titanic began to sink which led to lives being lost
This illustrates that more people could have been saved if the Titanic had the appropriate amount of lifeboats on board Instead lives were lost because passengers were left with two choices go down with the ship or jump
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Teacher Notes Each teacher will determine the best approach to use for reading the material in these four articles Some teachers may want to read these aloud together or in a guided manner with students Other students may be expected to read the articles individually and independently To complete the table students may be allowed to work in pairs or small groups Other students may be expected to complete the table alone Teacher discretion is encouraged Depending on how students complete this task grading is optional This task may be implemented as a practice activity that provides a supporting scaffold for the final task which is an essay that incorporates in part these articles and the information they contain Teachers certainly may grade this activity but it is not a requirement
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
The total number of people killed was 32
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Answer Key
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
X Para 4
X
Para 2
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
X Para 7
X Para 18
X Para 4
X Para 12
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
X Para 1210
X Para 8
X Para 4
X Para 2
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
X
Para 18
X Para 2
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
X Para 9
X
Para 457
The total number of people killed was 32
X
Para 1
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
X
Para 19
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
X
Para 5
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted
use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use
of simple and compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard grammar and usage including accepted use of
simple and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including
accepted use of simple and compound sentences and spelling
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Scoring Guide
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 1
Student argument demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation
simple and compound sentences and spelling when writing
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 1
Explicit Statements about What Will Be Expected As Evidence of a Score Point 4
Score Point 4
Argument text states and develops a claim with three pieces of convincing evidence and clarifying explanations
The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship
among ideas
Examples of possible reasons why so many lost their lives
Poor communication on board the ship
Reluctance of the passengers to get on the lifeboats
First and second class evacuation allowed while third class locked behind barriers
Reluctance to believe the ship was capable of sinking
Poor communication between the Californian and the Titanic prevented the rescue of passengers on the Titanic
Not enough life boats
Social norms woman and children first third class citizens not equal
Speed of the ship
Calm sea made it difficult to see the iceberg
The theory of ldquounsinkablerdquo
Water-tight compartments
Inexperience of crew
Primary Trait
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other information and
examples
Revised Spring 2015
Example of Score Point 4 RACE Organizer
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
Many people lost their lives when the tragic crash of the Titanic occurred
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
Many lives were lost because of poor communication and because there were not enough lifeboats on the ship
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
No one on the Titanic really knew the dangers of the incident Even when they collided with the iceberg the radio operators didnrsquot communicate the accident clearly with the passengers ldquoOn board the Titanic almost an hour after the crash most of the passengers still did not realize the seriousness of the situationrdquo says Ballard on page 111
After the crash with the iceberg occurred passengers were alarmed thinking something went wrong However attendants on board said nothing unusual had happened and to go back to your cabin (Ballard 113)
On page 111 the text states ldquoCaptain Smith was a very worried man He knew the Titanic only carried lifeboats for half the estimated twenty-two hundred people on boardrdquo
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Because of the poor communication passengers didnrsquot have time to be prepared for the sinking If the radio operators had shared the news and warnings with other passengers they might have had more time to make sure everyone was wearing their life jackets and that everyone was safe
This evidence proves if the stewards would have informed the passengers about the crash and what happened there wouldnrsquot have been as much commotion when the Titanic began to sink which led to lives being lost
This illustrates that more people could have been saved if the Titanic had the appropriate amount of lifeboats on board Instead lives were lost because passengers were left with two choices go down with the ship or jump
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Teacher Notes Each teacher will determine the best approach to use for reading the material in these four articles Some teachers may want to read these aloud together or in a guided manner with students Other students may be expected to read the articles individually and independently To complete the table students may be allowed to work in pairs or small groups Other students may be expected to complete the table alone Teacher discretion is encouraged Depending on how students complete this task grading is optional This task may be implemented as a practice activity that provides a supporting scaffold for the final task which is an essay that incorporates in part these articles and the information they contain Teachers certainly may grade this activity but it is not a requirement
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
The total number of people killed was 32
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Answer Key
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
X Para 4
X
Para 2
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
X Para 7
X Para 18
X Para 4
X Para 12
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
X Para 1210
X Para 8
X Para 4
X Para 2
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
X
Para 18
X Para 2
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
X Para 9
X
Para 457
The total number of people killed was 32
X
Para 1
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
X
Para 19
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
X
Para 5
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 1
Explicit Statements about What Will Be Expected As Evidence of a Score Point 4
Score Point 4
Argument text states and develops a claim with three pieces of convincing evidence and clarifying explanations
The ideas are organized using transitions that are appropriate to the content and help to clarify the relationship
among ideas
Examples of possible reasons why so many lost their lives
Poor communication on board the ship
Reluctance of the passengers to get on the lifeboats
First and second class evacuation allowed while third class locked behind barriers
Reluctance to believe the ship was capable of sinking
Poor communication between the Californian and the Titanic prevented the rescue of passengers on the Titanic
Not enough life boats
Social norms woman and children first third class citizens not equal
Speed of the ship
Calm sea made it difficult to see the iceberg
The theory of ldquounsinkablerdquo
Water-tight compartments
Inexperience of crew
Primary Trait
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Develop the topic with relevant facts definitions concrete details quotations or other information and
examples
Revised Spring 2015
Example of Score Point 4 RACE Organizer
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
Many people lost their lives when the tragic crash of the Titanic occurred
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
Many lives were lost because of poor communication and because there were not enough lifeboats on the ship
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
No one on the Titanic really knew the dangers of the incident Even when they collided with the iceberg the radio operators didnrsquot communicate the accident clearly with the passengers ldquoOn board the Titanic almost an hour after the crash most of the passengers still did not realize the seriousness of the situationrdquo says Ballard on page 111
After the crash with the iceberg occurred passengers were alarmed thinking something went wrong However attendants on board said nothing unusual had happened and to go back to your cabin (Ballard 113)
On page 111 the text states ldquoCaptain Smith was a very worried man He knew the Titanic only carried lifeboats for half the estimated twenty-two hundred people on boardrdquo
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Because of the poor communication passengers didnrsquot have time to be prepared for the sinking If the radio operators had shared the news and warnings with other passengers they might have had more time to make sure everyone was wearing their life jackets and that everyone was safe
This evidence proves if the stewards would have informed the passengers about the crash and what happened there wouldnrsquot have been as much commotion when the Titanic began to sink which led to lives being lost
This illustrates that more people could have been saved if the Titanic had the appropriate amount of lifeboats on board Instead lives were lost because passengers were left with two choices go down with the ship or jump
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Teacher Notes Each teacher will determine the best approach to use for reading the material in these four articles Some teachers may want to read these aloud together or in a guided manner with students Other students may be expected to read the articles individually and independently To complete the table students may be allowed to work in pairs or small groups Other students may be expected to complete the table alone Teacher discretion is encouraged Depending on how students complete this task grading is optional This task may be implemented as a practice activity that provides a supporting scaffold for the final task which is an essay that incorporates in part these articles and the information they contain Teachers certainly may grade this activity but it is not a requirement
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
The total number of people killed was 32
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Answer Key
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
X Para 4
X
Para 2
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
X Para 7
X Para 18
X Para 4
X Para 12
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
X Para 1210
X Para 8
X Para 4
X Para 2
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
X
Para 18
X Para 2
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
X Para 9
X
Para 457
The total number of people killed was 32
X
Para 1
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
X
Para 19
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
X
Para 5
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Example of Score Point 4 RACE Organizer
R Restate or Reword- the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer
Many people lost their lives when the tragic crash of the Titanic occurred
A Answer the question- include all parts of the question _____ because _____
Many lives were lost because of poor communication and because there were not enough lifeboats on the ship
C Cite the evidence to prove your claim (R and A) Do not forget the author and page number
Direct quotes ldquo___rdquo said __ Indirect quotes __ states __
The author says The text states For example
No one on the Titanic really knew the dangers of the incident Even when they collided with the iceberg the radio operators didnrsquot communicate the accident clearly with the passengers ldquoOn board the Titanic almost an hour after the crash most of the passengers still did not realize the seriousness of the situationrdquo says Ballard on page 111
After the crash with the iceberg occurred passengers were alarmed thinking something went wrong However attendants on board said nothing unusual had happened and to go back to your cabin (Ballard 113)
On page 111 the text states ldquoCaptain Smith was a very worried man He knew the Titanic only carried lifeboats for half the estimated twenty-two hundred people on boardrdquo
E Explain - how the evidence supports your claim Connect the evidence from C to the claim (R and A) This shows This is because This meanshellip The evidence proveshellip This illustrates
Because of the poor communication passengers didnrsquot have time to be prepared for the sinking If the radio operators had shared the news and warnings with other passengers they might have had more time to make sure everyone was wearing their life jackets and that everyone was safe
This evidence proves if the stewards would have informed the passengers about the crash and what happened there wouldnrsquot have been as much commotion when the Titanic began to sink which led to lives being lost
This illustrates that more people could have been saved if the Titanic had the appropriate amount of lifeboats on board Instead lives were lost because passengers were left with two choices go down with the ship or jump
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Teacher Notes Each teacher will determine the best approach to use for reading the material in these four articles Some teachers may want to read these aloud together or in a guided manner with students Other students may be expected to read the articles individually and independently To complete the table students may be allowed to work in pairs or small groups Other students may be expected to complete the table alone Teacher discretion is encouraged Depending on how students complete this task grading is optional This task may be implemented as a practice activity that provides a supporting scaffold for the final task which is an essay that incorporates in part these articles and the information they contain Teachers certainly may grade this activity but it is not a requirement
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
The total number of people killed was 32
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Answer Key
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
X Para 4
X
Para 2
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
X Para 7
X Para 18
X Para 4
X Para 12
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
X Para 1210
X Para 8
X Para 4
X Para 2
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
X
Para 18
X Para 2
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
X Para 9
X
Para 457
The total number of people killed was 32
X
Para 1
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
X
Para 19
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
X
Para 5
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Teacher Notes Each teacher will determine the best approach to use for reading the material in these four articles Some teachers may want to read these aloud together or in a guided manner with students Other students may be expected to read the articles individually and independently To complete the table students may be allowed to work in pairs or small groups Other students may be expected to complete the table alone Teacher discretion is encouraged Depending on how students complete this task grading is optional This task may be implemented as a practice activity that provides a supporting scaffold for the final task which is an essay that incorporates in part these articles and the information they contain Teachers certainly may grade this activity but it is not a requirement
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
The total number of people killed was 32
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Answer Key
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
X Para 4
X
Para 2
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
X Para 7
X Para 18
X Para 4
X Para 12
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
X Para 1210
X Para 8
X Para 4
X Para 2
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
X
Para 18
X Para 2
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
X Para 9
X
Para 457
The total number of people killed was 32
X
Para 1
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
X
Para 19
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
X
Para 5
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
The total number of people killed was 32
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Answer Key
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
X Para 4
X
Para 2
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
X Para 7
X Para 18
X Para 4
X Para 12
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
X Para 1210
X Para 8
X Para 4
X Para 2
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
X
Para 18
X Para 2
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
X Para 9
X
Para 457
The total number of people killed was 32
X
Para 1
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
X
Para 19
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
X
Para 5
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 2 Answer Key
Task 2 You will read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Based on a careful reading of these articles complete the table by marking which articles contain the specific facts or information listed in the left hand column If an article contains the fact mark an X in that box Next cite where you found the information by listing the paragraph number
Costa Concordia
Disaster --- BBC News
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare ---Pappas
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed --- Peterson
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter --- Nadeau
The captain did not call for assistance in a timely manner
X Para 4
X
Para 2
Captain Schettino left the ship when passengers were still on board
X Para 7
X Para 18
X Para 4
X Para 12
The captain hit rocks when he did not follow the charted course that stays far from Giglio
X Para 1210
X Para 8
X Para 4
X Para 2
Captain Schettino claims he ldquofellrdquo into a lifeboat
X
Para 18
X Para 2
Captain claims the wreck is not completely his fault
X Para 9
X
Para 457
The total number of people killed was 32
X
Para 1
ldquoThe captain must go down with the shiprdquo is a standard procedure
X
Para 19
Since the Costa Concordia sank at least 10 rules or reforms have been adopted to ensure safety of cruise ship passengers
X
Para 5
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Section A Assessment Task 3 Student Name _____________________________________ Class Period ________ Space for Notes
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his
level of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events
comparingcontrasting their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
Compose Your Essay in the Space Below Compose Your Essay in the Space Below
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3 You read Exploring the Titanic Then you viewed the video (ldquoA Ship That Sailed Under a Black
Cloudrdquo) and read four articles about the sinking of the Costa Concordia
ldquoCosta Concordia Disasterrdquo --- BBC
ldquoCosta Concordia vs Titanic Do they Comparerdquo --- Pappas
ldquoOne Year After the Costa Concordia Has Anything Changedrdquo --- Peterson
ldquoCosta Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughterrdquo --- Nadeau
Consider this question Based on a careful comparison and analysis of the information you have viewed and read which man is
the more honorable captain Captain Schettino of the Costa Condordia or Captain Smith of the Titanic
Argue which captain is more honorable based on the evidence Compare and contrast their leadership actions in handling the situation Cite specific examples of the actions of each captain that reveal his level
of integrity
Your essay should include a clear thesis statement as part of an engaging introduction
at least two specific situations in which the captains acted differently
evidence that explains how BOTH captains acted in response to the events comparingcontrasting
their response
a satisfying conclusion
transitions to effectively guide the reader to an understanding of the ideas
formal style and correct conventions
correct citations of evidence including both direct and indirect
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
StepBack Questions Please answer the following questions in the space below Your responses will be collected but not graded
What did you do to complete the Performance-Based Assessment task List the steps that you took to complete the task
What did you find easy about the Performance-Based Assessment task
What did you find difficult about the Performance-Based Assessment task
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Assessment Task 3---Written Response
Score Point Description
4
Student writing shows evidence of detailed critical analysis and deep consideration of ideas
and concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating thoughtful and detailed examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
3
Student writing shows evidence of critical analysis and general consideration of ideas and
concepts presented Student cites and explains specific examples of the captainsrsquo words and
actions in these tragedies Student compares and contrasts the actions of each captain
demonstrating an examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor leadership
2
Student writing shows evidence of limited analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Student cites and explains few or limited specific examples of the captainsrsquo words
and actions in these tragedies Studentrsquos comparisons of the actions of each captain
demonstrate a minimal examination of personal honor responsibility for actions andor
leadership
1
Student writing shows no evidence of analysis or consideration of ideas and concepts
presented Studentrsquos examples and explanations are vague and disconnected Examples if
present do not demonstrate comparisons or examination of personal honor responsibility for
actions andor leadership
Conversion from Rubric to Grade
Score 4 = 1010 points
Score 3 = 910 points
Score 2 = 810 points
Score 1 = 710 points
Primary Trait
Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis reflection and research
SCORING GUIDE
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point 4
Example Essay of a Score Point 4
EXAMPLE
Both Captain Smith (of the Titanic) and Captain Schettino (of the Costa Concordia) faced a
dire situation when the ship they commanded met with an unfortunate end However the way each
captain handled the tragedy speaks volumes about the character of the man entrusted with the lives
of so many After careful consideration of the words and actions of these ship captains Smith was
clearly the more honorable man
The causes of the shipsrsquo sinking were very different The Titanic sank due to natural causes
it hit an iceberg Captain Smith had been warned of the threat of icebergs he posted the
information on a bulletin board for crew members to read and he did warn his crew to be on the
lookout While he did not seem to be overly worried about the icebergs that may not have been his
fault after all the ship had been touted by its designers and builders as ldquounsinkablerdquo and he
believed their assertion (Ballard 107)
On the other hand the Costa Concordia sank when it was deliberately sailed off-course at the
direction of Captain Schettino Schettino did not follow the approved route and ran the ship
aground into rocks (Nadeau 1) This ship sank due to human error displaying a lack of leadership
poor judgement and questionable character on the part of the Costa Concordiarsquos captain
Once the two ships were damaged in each accident the captainsrsquo actions reveal more about
their character The Titanic hit the iceberg at about 1140 PM Within 20 minutes of the collision
Captain Smith and the shiprsquos builder Thomas Andrews were already below deck investigating the
damage (Ballard 109) Smith immediately went to the radio room to order the operator to start
sending out SOS messages to get help and a few minutes after midnight Captain Smith ordered his
crew to prepare the lifeboats (Ballard 110) At 1230 he ordered the crew to start loading the
lifeboats women and children first (Ballard 112) When the Titanic sank over 1500 people died---
including Captain Smith who followed the maritime tradition that ldquoThe captain goes down with the
shiprdquo
When the Costa Concordia sank Captain Schettinorsquos actions were very different from
Smithrsquos Schettinorsquos orders were responsible for the ship sinking in the first place but his actions
after the crash are even more troubling ldquoBy his own admission he left the ship before all of the
passengers were safely rescued--- though he says he accidentally fell into a lifeboat and couldnrsquot get
back on boardrdquo (Nadeau 1) In an interview Schettino is quoted as saying ldquoSince the beginning
they have searched for a way to put all the blame on mehelliprdquo (Nadeau 1) Clearly this captain not
only did not have the character and sense of honor to follow the maritime tradition to ldquogo down
with the shiprdquo he continues to ignore his responsibility
Captain Smith according to all reports saved as many lives as he could when he went down
with his ship on that icy disastrous night in April of 1912 Captain Schettino in contrast saved
himself and left 32 people to die on the ship he captained in January of 2012 (Peterson) Clearly the
man of honor and strong moral character is Captain Smith
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Score Point Description
4
Consistently uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
3
Generally uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple and
compound sentences and spelling
2
Only sometimes uses standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
1
Little evidence of use of standard English grammar and usage including accepted use of simple
and compound sentences and spelling
Secondary Trait of Assessment Task 3
Student explanation demonstrates use of standard English focusing on punctuation simple and
compound sentences and spelling when writing
Scoring Guide
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Disaster
BBC NewsEUROPE
24 January 2012
At least 28 people died after the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground
with more than 4000 passengers and crew on 13 January only hours after
leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia The maps and graphics below reveal
details about the vessel and its ill-fated journey
The Costa Concordia left Civitavecchia at about 733pm local time (1833 GMT) Automatic
positioning data from Dutch firm QPS shows how the ship sails towards the island of Giglio -
and what happens next
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
QPS reconstruction of the Concordias final minutes
At about 940pm nearly three hours after leaving port the Costa Concordia hit a rocky
outcrop as it sailed past the island of Giglio The ship was holed on the left-hand side and
began to tilt as it started taking on water
Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard we have a blackout
The positioning data shows the captain tried to turn the Costa Concordia back towards the
islands port soon after 1000pm It seems the ship then began to list in the opposite direction
possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn
At 1012pm the coastguard called the crew after passengers contacted police on land to say
the ship had experienced problems In a recording of the conversation the crew member can
be heard saying We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board
As the ship lay sideways on the islands rocks the abandon ship order was given at 1058pm
according to the official charge sheet
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Most passengers escaped in lifeboats but evacuation efforts were hampered by the angle of
the tilting ship The coastguard launched boats and helicopters to carry stranded passengers
to safety
The captain is reported to have left the ship in a lifeboat before all the passengers had been
rescued In another conversation recorded at 1242am a coastguard commander ordered
the captain to get back on board He did not and went ashore
The rescue continued over the weekend with the ships safety officer Marrico Giampietroni
being discovered and evacuated with a broken leg at 1200pm on Sunday A South Korean
couple were also rescued
A recording has been released in which the coastguard is heard ordering the captain to get back on board
Captain Francesco Schettino now under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter said the rocks
were not marked on maps and were not detected by navigation systems He later admitted
making a navigational error and told investigators he had ordered the turn too late as the
ship sailed close to the island
The ships owners Costa Cruises said the captain had made an unapproved unauthorised
deviation in course sailing too close to the island in order to show the ship to locals
Crash investigation
Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13
January Data from 14 August last year shows the ship followed a similar course close to the
shoreline according to Lloyds List Intelligence On 6 January this year it passed through the
same strait but sailed much further from the island
Investigators have recovered the black box system similar to those used by aircraft that
record voices on the bridge as well as radar position and other data which they hope will
explain how the incident happened
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Divers have been searching the ship as it rests on the seabed in about 20m of water The
operation has been suspended a number of times as the ship has shifted position The sea
floor eventually drops to about 100m
Removing the oil
Before salvage work can begin to refloat or remove the Costa Concordia there are 2400
tonnes of fuel in its tanks which need to be extracted
How oil will be pumped out
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
previous slide next slide 16
The Dutch salvage firm Smit has brought a barge alongside the ship as divers install external
tanks that will collect the diesel Work to remove the oil is expected to start soon and could
take up to four weeks
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
There are between 15-20 oil tanks that need draining They are located against the outer wall
which means salvage teams can attach a valve to the outside of the ship and drill in to reach
the oil without the oil escaping - a process known as hot-tapping
As the ship is no longer functioning the heavy fuel oil can get thick and viscous making it
harder to pump
To remedy this a steam-heated element is put through the pipeline to warm the oil making
pumping much faster The oil will be pumped to a barge and then to a larger offloading
vessel
Sucking out the oil creates a vacuum so another hole is made lower down the tank to allow
seawater to be pumped in replacing the oil This also ensures extracting the oil does not
cause the ship to shift position on the seabed
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
The surreal sight of the Costa Concordia on Jan 14 2012 crippled and capsized off the Italian coast the morning after the accident became an iconic image worldwide
One Year After Costa Concordia Has Anything Changed
BY BARBARA PETERSON January 29 2013
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster We investigate what the cruise
industry has done to prevent it from happening again
The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lists in the waters
off Giglio more than a year after the crash Commercial
pilots flying overhead are known to point it out to
passengers Itrsquos been photographed from space Recently
the doomed vessel demanded a second rescue after a group
of thrill-seeking tourists got too close to the wreck and
their dinghy nearly overturned in the frigid waters
It was an unfortunate reminder of how little of substance
has been accomplished since the tragedy last January
which killed 32 of the 4200 people aboard and ranks
among the worst cruise ship disasters in memory The next
12 months will determine how long the Costa Concordia
remains a disaster tourism spectacle and whether the ship
itself and the questions about what caused it to sink are
finally put to rest
The salvage operation said to be the largest such project in
maritime history is turning out to be more complex than
expected Foul weather and some technical difficulties have pushed back the plan to refloat the vessel first
planned for this spring to September The two companies handling the $400 million job Floridarsquos Titan and its
Italian partner Micoperi plan to tow the wreck to a shipyard where it will be dismantled
As for the investigation the legal process in Italy moves at a notoriously creep Capt Francesco Schettino who
infamously left the ship after having run it into the rocks might go on trial later this year along with seven
others and this week the Italian authorities said they would also charge the cruise shiprsquos owner Costa Crociere
with gross negligence The US Coast Guard is joining the investigation of the accident along with the National
Transportation Safety Board But the full evidence including the black box recordings wonrsquot be fully analyzed
or released until the probe is further along and the criminal proceeding will trump the civil investigation into
what caused the accident
In the meantime a consortium of 26 major cruise lines the Cruise Lines International Assn has voluntarily
adopted a series of 10 reforms and the International Maritime Organization is considering whether to make
them mandatory for all cruise ships Most of the 10 stem from the confusion that followed the Concordiarsquos
grounding on the reef when passengers couldnrsquot get to lifeboats and received little direction from the crew
Key changes include briefing of all passengers before or right after departure not within 24 hours as before (or
in some cases days after sailing designating that passage planning like filing a flight plan must not only be
done in advance but must be adhered to by the crew and that the ship must carry excess lifejackets
Perhaps the biggest change in culture would be to severely restrict access to the bridge during maneuvers or
times of increased vigilance But enforcement largely would rely on an honor system which might not stop a
rogue captain (right before the Concordia crashed her captain was entertaining a guest and talking on his cell
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
phone) What this rule proposes would be akin to the sterile cockpit protocols aboard airliners under 10000
feet In aviation though its an official policy thats enforced by a government entity
The new rules also grow out of an increasing recognition that communication among the crew is critical during
an emergency Similar to the airlines crew resource management the shipping industry is moving to change
the idea that the captain calls the shots and canrsquot be challenged As one Coast Guard veteran told me I have
had unlicensed seamen save my butt recalling that early on as a captain I was going too fast in a channel and
my second mate told me Hey arenrsquot you going too fast I quickly changed course I always tell me crew If
you see something tell me
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter By Barbie Latza Nadeau The Daily Beast
February 11 2015
Capt Schettino was sentenced to 16 years for crashing his ship He escaped much heavier penalties Has he learned his lesson Probably Has the cruise industry Maybe GROSSETO Italy mdash Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty Wednesday of causing a maritime disaster
guilty of abandoning ship and guilty of 32 counts of manslaughter in the sinking of the cruise ship he
commanded the Costa Concordia He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison
Schettinorsquos trial never really was about guilt or innocence After all the facts were hard to dispute Schettino
ordered the ship off course and then negligently albeit accidentally crashed it into shallow rocks off the Tuscan
island of Giglio in January 2012 By his own admission he left the ship before all of the passengers were safely
rescuedmdashthough he says he accidentally fell into a life boat and couldnrsquot get back on board No one died on
impact but 32 of the 4229 people on board lost their lives during the evacuation which the captain had failed
to call for nearly an hour after the accident
According to Schettino the real question has always been about money and how Costa and its parent company
Carnival could make sure their insurance companies would pay for the hefty salvage operation which will have
cost $15 billion by the time the wreck is dismantled The Concordia was parbuckled to an upright position in
September 2013 and then towed to Genoa last July where it is being stripped down and recycled and sold for
scrap
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast last March Schettino said he was a scapegoat ldquoSince the
beginning they have searched for a way to put all the blame on me saying the captain went crazy for a
moment [so as] not to forfeit the insurance moneyrdquo Schettino told us ldquoIt didnrsquot take long to figure out that it
would all be better if the responsibility rested with just one person rather than the whole companyrdquo
ldquoI died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
This week as his trial wound down Schettinorsquos lawyers repeated the claims telling the panel of three judges
that ldquothe cards were stacked against Schettinordquo from the beginning They claimed he was vilified criminalized
and made the laughing stock of Italy ldquoThe personality that was created is not in line with realityrdquo Domenico
Pepe told the court ldquoHe has been massacredrdquo
Pepe also argued that the court refused to accept requests to analyze various functions of the ship which
Schettino claims malfunctioned and led to the deaths Because none of the victims died on impact the defense
tried to prove that had the shiprsquos watertight doors and emergency generators worked lives could have been
saved
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Schettinorsquos defense team also blamed the crew for not being better trained which he said was the responsibility
of the company not him He blamed his helmsman Indonesian national Jacob Rusli Bin for misinterpreting his
order to turn the ship away from the coast before the rocks were hit None of those factors proved his innocence
certainly but they may have played a role in his sentence which could have been still heavier
The captain has clearly learned his lesson He will be able to appeal his verdict and given Italyrsquos court system
has a good chance to get a few years knocked off his sentence Before the judges retired to deliberate Schettino
spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo he said then broke down in tears
What is less clear is whether the cruise ship industry has learned its lesson
Schettinorsquos lawyer told the court that he had an opportunity to go on a Costa cruise which he said he did to help
better understand how to defend his client He said that when Schettino worked for Costa the Concordia only
had two muster stations where passengers meet when there is an emergency Pepe told the court that the cruise
he was on had ten He also said that the members of the staff were attentive and well trained and that they
spoke a number of languages which he was able to test with his multi-lingual wifersquos help
Pepe said there were crew members near the meeting areas on the ship he took which was not the case the night
the Concordia went down Pepe also surmised that proper checks had been made to ensure the watertight doors
and emergency generators functioned too
ldquoThis trial has served a purpose to correct the industryrdquo said Schettinorsquos lawyer ldquoAnd who knows how many
lives could have been lost in the future if not for thatrdquo
Source
httpwwwthedailybeastcomarticles20150211costa-concordia-captain-convicted-on-32-counts-of-manslaughterhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia Captain Convicted on 32 Counts of Manslaughter
Suggested discussion questions
Objective I can analyze language and evaluate arguments
1 Reread the quote by Domenico Pepe in the fifth paragraph Make an inference and explain what Pepe
means by this
2 There are multiple similarities to the tragedy of the Titanic Compare at least two
3 In paragraph eight use context clues to determine the meaning of deliberate What do you think it means
Explain how you came to that understanding
4 Schettino spoke ldquoOn January 13 I died with those 32 passengersrdquo Explain what Schettino means by this
5 From the article what do you think were Schettinorsquos lawyerrsquos two strongest arguments Why
6 Do you agree or disagree that Schettino was used as a scapegoat Why
7 Do you think Schettino deserves the punishment he got Why or why not
8 To aid in your understanding of the whole situation what two search phrases would
you research using the internet
9 How do we know Barbie Latza Nadeau is a credible source How did you find out
10 Is The Daily Beast a credible source Do some research and explain what you found out and HOW you
found out
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Costa Concordia vs Titanic Do They Compare By Stephanie Pappas Live Science Contributor
January 18 2012
The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of
the disastrous Titanic disaster In fact Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de
Genegraveve that Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On the theme song to the 1997 film Titanic was playing
in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks
So how do the two shipwrecks match up While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than
on the Costa Concordia even the Titanics poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic
than the one off the Tuscan coast By the numbers heres a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship
disasters
Date of wrecks The Titanic went down on April 15 1912 The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan13
2012
Size of ships The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of
46000 The Costa Concordia was larger with a tonnage of 114500 and a length of 951 feet and 5
inches (290 m) The width of the Titanic was 925 feet (28 m) compared with 118 feet (36 m) for the
Costa Concordia
Bragging rights The Titanic was the largest ship of her day The Costa Concordia had the largest
spa center ever built on a cruise ship
The sinking cruise ship Costa Concordia
Credit copy Lupoalb68 | Dreamstimecom
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
People on board 2201 people were aboard the Titanic when it sunk and 4200 were aboard the
Costa Concordia
Cause of wreck The Titanic famously hit an iceberg on its starboard side in the middle of the North
Atlantic while the Costa Concordia struck a rock on its port side when the captain brought the ship in
close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in the Mediterranean Sea
Lifeboat capacity The Titanics lifeboats could have carried no more than 1178 people Nowadays
according to the International Maritime Organization ships are required to have plenty of lifeboat
space with enough lifeboats hanging off the port side to accommodate half of the passengers
enough on the starboard side to accommodate the other half and room for 25 percent more of the
ships passengers in inflatable rafts stored onboard [Titanic Quiz Fact or Fiction]
The Costa Concordia had sufficient lifeboat space as far as we know by the regulations she
operates under said Charles Weeks an emeritus professor of marine transportation at the Maine
Maritime Academy and a member of the Titanic International Society Unlike the Titanic which
lacked sufficient staff at lifeboat muster points the Costa Concordia seemed to have crew supervision
at the lifeboat stations he said The delay in lowering the lifeboats which occurred about 45 minutes
to an hour after the ship hit the rocks may have been the captains call he said
There may have been a perfectly valid reason why he waited so long Weeks told LiveScience You
dont want to put lifeboats in the water while the ship is still making way That can be very hazardous
Time it took to sink The Titanic went down over a period of two hours and 40 minutes The Costa
Concordia began listing about 20 minutes after it hit a rock near Giglio Island and was completely on
its side within about three hours
Depth of the wreck The Titanic lay on the seafloor 12460 feet (3798 m) below the surface The
Costa Concordia essentially ran aground and is now half-submerged mdash the ship is unable to float in
water less than 26 feet (8 m) deep
Temperature of water The passengers of the Titanic unlucky enough to end up in the water likely
perished in a few short minutes as the water temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2
degrees Celsius)
According to Accuweather the air temperature when the Costa Concordia crashed was in the mid-to-
low 40s Fahrenheit The water temperature was in the mid- to upper-50s In 50-degree
waterhypothermia sets in quickly boating guides put the time at about 60 minutes until exhaustion or
unconsciousness with death following within three hours
Loss of life Only 711 of the passengers aboard the Titanic were rescued resulting in a death toll of
1514 according to the British Wreck Commissioners Inquiry As of today (Jan 18) an estimated 11
Costa Concordia passengers were confirmed dead with 23 still missing
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Fate of the captain Edward J Smith the captain of the Titanic went down with his ship His body
was never found
The Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino allegedly left the ship with passengers still
onboard He claims he tripped and fell into a lifeboat while coordinating the evacuation and could not
get back on the ship A transcript of a phone conversation between Schettino and a coast guard
officer reveals the officer insisting Schettino return to the ship and the captain refusing Schettino is
now under house arrest and is being investigated for manslaughter
The standard of the captain being the last person to leave a crippled ship serves two purposes
Weeks said First its the captains job to take care of everyone else on the boat Second if a captain
stays with adamaged ship he can protect the ship owners interests If the captain is still on the boat
the owners can arrange a towing contract to get the vessel back to port Weeks said If the ship is
abandoned it must be salvaged which can be a more complicated and costly process for the
owners
Big evacuation foul-ups
Hundreds of Titanic passengers never had a chance at survival given the lack of lifeboat space
available Not only that but a US inquiry into the disaster found that the evacuation process was a
mess There was no system for loading the boats and many of the boats went down partially filled
(though there was space for 1176 people on the boats only about 700 made it onto one)
Additionally the loss of life would have been much worse had the weather have been rough the
panel found With the lifeboats suspended 70 feet (21 m) above the ocean rough waters would have
made lowering them without smashing them against the ship impossible
On the other hand all reports indicate very little panic during the Titanic evacuation at least not until
the very end This is likely because most passengers didnt realize the seriousness of the situation
Weeks said There are reports of passengers refusing to get on the lifeboats choosing instead to stay
in the warmth and light of the doomed ship
The same cannot be said of the Costa Concordia evacuation which survivors describe as chaotic It
was every man for himself one survivor told French News outlet France 24 Crew members
reportedly panicked and jumped aboard lifeboats before passengers
The Costa Concordia listed to one side in contrast with the Titanic which tilted forward her bow in
the water That may have made the Concordia sinking seem more dramatic than the sinking of the
Titanic at least from the perspective of those onboard
A ship that lists to one side is far more dramatic than a ship that trims down by the head Weeks
said
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
The evacuation of the Costa Concordia was delayed with passengers initially informed that the ship
was having a minor electrical problem There had been no evacuation drill onboard mdash it was
scheduled for Saturday mdash so passengers were confused Many of the crew did not speak Italian and
could not communicate with their charges Some cruise-goers reported being on lifeboats captained
by waiters and other support staff
Weeks said reports of the crews behavior still needed confirmation but said that such a situation is
not without precedent The cruise ship Oceanus for example sank off the South African Coast in
1991
The social director wound up overseeing the evacuation of the passengers Weeks said The
captain and certain members of the crew went off in the first lifeboatrdquo
Source httpwwwlivesciencecom18004-costa-concordia-titanic-comparisonhtml
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation
Revised Spring 2015
Cursed Concordia born bad ended up worse
By Megan Levy
January 16 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald
If maritime superstitions are to be believed the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched
When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow
In a video capturing the moment some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigovaacute - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces unbroken off the side
It is a sign some seafarers consider to be a harbinger of bad luck Ominously the Titanic was never christened
It was born bad and ended up worse the Italian newspaper Il Giornale pronounced in a headline about Fridays tragedy
Just two years later on November 22 2008 the Costa Concordia suffered a second stroke of bad luck
The ship was attempting to enter the post of Palermo Sicily in a storm when it hit the dock and was damaged
The latest accident occurred on Friday the 13th a day some consider unlucky
On Sunday two South Korean honeymooners and an Italian crewman were rescued from the wreckage of the cruise ship wreck in Italy as emergency services found another two bodies bringing the death toll to five
Divers found two elderly men wearing lifejackets in a cabin in the rear of the submerged part of the 17-deck Costa Concordia said the coastguard
Im afraid that we could find others Angelo Scarpa one of the divers who recovered the bodies said as one Australian diving expert suggested it was highly likely that other passengers are trapped alive in air pockets on the vessel
They had to break the glass roof over one of the ships dining rooms to get to them said Scarpa One victim was wearing a chain and the other had a wallet which would help with identification he added
The divers would now focus on the dining areas in the search for more bodies he added as many passengers were eating when the boat hit the rocks
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said the rescued South Korean honeymooners had been evacuated by helicopter and were in perfect condition
Rescuers said the search in the half-submerged ship was highly dangerous because the decks were at almost a 90-degree angle and there was a risk the ship could slip off the rocks it had struck and sink altogether
Two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member were confirmed as dead on Saturday apparently after jumping into the chilly Mediterranean waters with dozens of others in a chaotic evacuation