The wind was still blowing, and large swells were visible on the horizon. [4] The storm worsened, and at approximately 21:30 UTC+2, while off the Wild Coast of the Transkei, a muffled explosion was heard. After five days of staying at the hotel, the other Greek sailors with the assistance of the Greek consular authorities also escaped. Fourth Officer Joseph G. Boxhall made a quick inspection of the ship and returned to the bridge to report that he had found no damage. At sea, there's no question about who's in charge, so there's no doubt who is responsible for safety. Reinforced when Capt. The Greek government is not doing anything about the incident. It is believed[by whom?] Captain Yiannis Avranas who left passengers to die? He said he supervised the . Usually, there would have been a "sail-away" party on deck with the ship's musicians and British . [6] When the ship's worsening list to starboard made it unsafe to continue, Hills and several passengers went to the bridge to look for the crew, but found it unmanned. But the weather was so bad that the helicopter crew advised against boarding". The international and some Greek media condemned the attitude of Captain Yiannis Avranas. Outwardly, Smith seems to have kept up a brave front, appearing captain-like to the last, at least to most observers. Originally built as a passenger/cargo vessel, the Oceanos underwent massive reconstruction by the time she came to operate as a cruise liner for Epirotiki Lines of Greece. It is this forward section of the wreck that incurred the wrath of the ocean floor as the bow slammed into the seabed. Midday, the sea spills over the bow of Oceanos. In a matter of minutes, the occupants returned with a very favorable report on conditions. In his characteristic style, he managed to weave a comical moment into his narrative of the tumultuous events, telling reporters that he had started singing "Bye Bye Miss American Pie", when he suddenly realised that the next line was going to be "Thisll be the day that I die" - and quickly switched to another song[14][15], Hills later said that searching for Captain Avranas, he had discovered him smoking on the fantail and he said "I think he was in deep, deep shock. Bubbles moved toward the stern and then back again to amidships. But is it realistic to expect skippers only human after all to suppress their survival instinct amid the horror of a maritime disaster? Search and Rescue contacted the ship a few minutes after 10:00 p.m., but Schettino didnt tell them what had happened for about 20 more minutes. Yonhap/EPA/Landov Video: One Guy Saved 600 Passengers When the Captain Abandoned Them It was also around 12:45 a.m. that crewmen lowered the first of the Titanics lifeboats to the ocean surface. On August 3, 1991, Oceanos set sail for East London, South Africa and headed north for Durban, led by Captain Yiannis Avranas. Her captain, Yiannis Avranas, and some of the crew were convicted of negligence for fleeing the ship without helping the passengers, who were subsequently rescued thanks to the efforts of the ship's entertainers, who made a mayday transmission, launched lifeboats, and helped South African Marines land on the ship from naval helicopters. Without valves to close on the holding tank, the water coursed through the main drainage pipes and rose like a tide within the ship, spilling out of every shower, toilet, and waste disposal unit connected to the system. After ramming into the sea floor, the Oceanos slipped silently beneath the waves. Various factors affect the flow rate of the current including pressure systems, the position of flow, coastal-trapped waves, and wind. Becky Little is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. They understood their roles and contributed to the success of this dive. All Rights Reserved. After evacuating, the 105 meter long ship began to sink. After Capt. Sunk by uncontrolled flooding on 4 August 1991 off the coast of South Africa. REBELLION RESEARCH ADVISORS, L.P. IS A REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISER AND NOT FOR PROFIT EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH THINK TANK. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Spouse. But whatever relief Smith might have felt at that moment was quickly shattered. What Was the Titanics Captain Doing While the Ship Sank. Passengers thought the captain had left the ship. We were crazy to do that dive.. Rescue helicopters began arriving three hours later, and winched passengers and remaining crew to safety, with Hills continuing in charge of the orderly evacuation. He is being held in house arrest as prosecutors prepare criminal charges. En route to Durban, the Oceanos cruise ship set out from the port of East London on Saturday, August 3, 1991, into 40-knot winds and nine-meter swells. Whilst laying the anchor line on the Oceanos that day, the boats remained almost stationary as the opposing forces of wind and current battled against each other for ascendancy. At first it appeared as if Smiths luck was going to hold. Creating equal decompression profiles for the two systems was a difficult task for Barry that took many hours of calculation. Given that the officers of the vessel had all fled in . ISSN 1469-865X | Copyright 1996 - 2022 deeperblue.net limited. I wanted to go down to the deck, where they were left lying on the floor, covered with blankets, passengers and crew members who sang to get courage. Concern showed on everyones faces, but although an immense amount of planning, effort, and money is poured into conducting a deep-diving expedition, the safety of those involved is always the priority. To ask them to stare down death from the bridge, as the lights go out and the water rises, until everyone else has made it to safety? The unethical, unprofessional prick are working as a Captain of a ferry in Greece. What happened to the Italian cruise ship captain? The Victorian notion that a captain should actually go down with the ship has become archaic. None of the 571 passengers drowned. Nobody cared until that time if those who left on the boats were alive. All 571 people on board were saved, following one of the worlds most dramatic and successful rescue operations of its kind. Captains accused of leaving prematurely often claim they can manage the situation better from the safety of a lifeboat, rescue vessel or on shore. (Reuter) | Aug 07, 1991 8:00PM EDT. In addition to Schettino, Ferrarini and Rusli Bin, the other people who received convictions for their role in the disaster were Cabin Service Director Manrico Giampedroni, First Officer Ciro Ambrosio and Third Officer Silvia Coronica. "Some people panic, but a short time later they collect their senses and do the right thing," Allen said. "[5] Hills reportedly rescued Avranas' dog and released his canary. The image of a captain staying with a sinking vessel has recurred again and again, in literature and real life. Abandon is for everybody. The captain goes down with the ship is a maritime tradition suggesting that a captain is honor-bound to stay on a sinking ship until all passengers and crew members have been safely evacuated. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/news/titanic-captain-edward-smith-final-hours-death. Moving round to the port side propeller, over the hull, and back to the deck amidships, they headed off on their scooters to the bridge and bow sections to make a survey of possible penetration points for the second dive. The crew called him a secretary. Arriving at the dive site, the team was amazed by the conditions. A very small loss of hull integrity caused a storage tank in the lower machine spaces to fill with sea water. Technical diving is an exact science, and every member of the team performed their tasks with efficiency and focus. Once the profiles were eventually worked out, all preparations were complete; it was time for the real thing. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Photographs, some taken by survivors, document the cruise ship sinking off Southern Africa's eastern coast in August 1991. All Rights Reserved. I never saw the captain among us helping, he says.. Yiannis Avranas (born ca. A 2:20 a.m., the last portion of the Titanic disappeared between the waves. There is some film on YOUTUBE showing the sinking of the Oceanos. Does anyone know of the current whereabouts of former Captain Yiannis Avranas of the doomed Oceanos? He remains incarcerated in a prison just outside of Rome, where he is expected to stay until he is around 80 years old. The ships were used on the Marseilles Madagascar Mauritius service. It was owned by Epirotiki Lines of Greece and chartered at the time by a South African company, TFC Tours. For example, three months after the Titanic disaster, in July 1912, a Baltimore man named Peter Pryal reported seeing Smith on the streets of that city. Maritime law - DW - 01/19/2012 1940)[1] is a Greek former sea captain who commanded the cruise ship Oceanos when she sank off the Wild Coast of the Transkei, South Africa, on Sunday 4 August 1991. The captain still had some hope of averting total disaster. He speaks five foreign languages, originally from Kasos, but was born in Egypt. The ship reportedly headed into 40-knot winds and 30-foot swells, and thus the typical sail-away outdoor deck party with British entertainers Moss and Tracy Hills was moved to an indoor lounge. A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. The Concordia was supposed to take passengers on a seven-day Italian cruise from Civitavecchia to Savona. With holes in its walls, loose hull plates, and missing parts that control the flow of water, it looked pretty neglected. A magician who had been performing on the ship took over the bridge, monitoring rescue calls, as a fellow entertainer kept passengers calm by playing Beatles songs on his guitar. At 12:05 a.m. Smith gave orders to uncover the lifeboats and alert the passengers. Passengers remained ignorant of the events until they witnessed the first signs of flooding on the lower decks. There were also 12 inflatable rescue media on the cruise ship. Lee Jun-Seok, who was one of the first to flee from the ferry as it sank on Wednesday. I would avoid any cruise that involves a Greek ship! Only entertainment staff, singers and waiters helped us later. Brett and Paul penetrated the portside corridor behind the on-deck pool while Barry singularly explored the large dining hall area. Pryal was no ordinary crank, but a highly regarded local businessman who claimed to have been an officer aboard the White Star liner Majestic some 30 years before, when Smith was its captain. "It is not just unseemly for a captain to leave a ship," Shealy says. Abandonment is for everybody, if some people want to stay, they can stay. [2] Photographs taken in 2002 show that the bridge section has collapsed. This page is not available in other languages. By In its investigative report on the 2012 disaster, Italys Ministry of Infrastructures and Transports found that the Concordia was sailing too close to the coastline, in a poorly lit shore areaat an unsafe distance at night time and at high speed (15.5 kts)., In his trial, Captain Schettino blamed the shipwreck on Helmsman Jacob Rusli Bin, who he claimed reacted incorrectly to his order; and argued that if the helmsman had reacted correctly and quickly, the ship wouldnt have wrecked. The team retired for the night, hoping that conditions would improve. Cruise ship MTS Oceanos sinks off the coast of South Africa, 4 - Reddit Many scenarios have been done, my brother. INFORMATION PRESENTED HERE IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT INTEND TO MAKE AN OFFER OR SOLICITATION FOR THE SALE OR PURCHASE OF ANY SPECIFIC SECURITIES PRODUCT, SERVICE OR INVESTMENT STRATEGY. Is the Oceanos still at the bottom of the ocean? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. It was abject cowardice.". Rear Adm. Richard Gurnon, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy called Schettino's actions "abhorrent" and a violation of an unwritten code. Nothing less will do in this profession," said Jorgen Loren, captain of a passenger ferry operating between Sweden and Denmark and chairman of the Swedish Maritime Officer's Association. The current on the surface was running reverse, and there was no sign of the dreaded Northeaster. Smith's body was never recovered, and his final moments remain a mysterywith no shortage of conflicting accounts.
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