An new concern about hitting underwater rocks

[ron_hudson]

I had always thought that if I was going forward and hit something underwater then the damage would be to the front of the boat, but looking at the damage to the hull of the Costa Concordia it looks as if rocks have a new found ability to bight you from behind.

[jackdale]

The damage is on on the bow.

[ron_hudson]

In the picture the bow is facing us and the damage is behind the fin at the stern. I didn't show another picture but that has a rock embedded at the back of the gash. That's how I see it

[ChuckA]

She must have been turning hard to starboard.




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My impression is the bow is facing toward the camera in the OP's image. I think that image is looking straight at the bridge.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by ron_hudson

In the picture the bow is facing us and the damage is behind the fin at the stern. I didn't show another picture but that has a rock embedded at the back of the gash. That's how I see it

Right you are.

[ChuckA]

Here she what she looked like on a better day, confirming Ron's original statement.

[ron_hudson]

Chuck,
You must be right he was turning hard to starboard, but that begs the question why would you have turned into the danger. Presumably, he would have had his echo sounder on and that would have shown the danger on his starboard side.

[ChuckA]

I'm guessing they traveled a fair distance from where they first struck to where she came to rest. Looking at how close to shore (off the starboard side) they stopped. I agree they shouldn't have been turning starboard where the ship came to rest. (Although the captain might have attempted to ground her before she sank if he realized she was fatally damaged.)

I haven't followed the detailed reports and don't know how long it was from when they first struck until the ship rolled and settled on the bottom. At cruise liner speed, they could easily have traveled several miles from the original contact point.

[ChuckA]

Here is a preliminary timeline from the National Post news site:

It was at least 20 min after the initial impact until the ship listed badly, and 40 minutes until the abandon ship signal was given.

- 7:00 pm (1800 GMT): The ship sets sail from the port of Civitavecchia, near Rome, with 4,229 people aboard including some 3,000 tourists and a crew of more than 1,000, hailing from 60 countries, most of them Italians, French, Germans and Spaniards. The first port-of-call was to be Savona, in northwest Italy, on a seven-day cruise with stops including Marseille and Barcelona.

- 8:30 pm: Many passengers are having dinner or drinks in one of the ship’s five restaurants or 13 bars, while others are in their cabins.

- 8:35 pm: The mammoth cruise liner nears the picturesque Tuscan island of Giglio, part of a maritime nature reserve.

- 9:30 pm: The ship strikes an outcropping some 300 metres (1,000 feet) from Giglio Island, according to experts.

- 9:35 pm: The electricity goes off. Many passengers begin to panic.

- 9:45 pm: A first alarm is sounded: two long whistles and one short, informing the crew of a problem.

- 9:50 pm: The ship begins to list. In the restaurants, dinnerware falls off the tables. Some passengers rush to their cabins for their life vests.

- 10:00 pm: Some passengers begin gathering on the fourth deck where the lifeboats are located, as the captain tries to manoeuvre the vessel closer to shore.

- 10:10 pm: The “abandon ship” signal is given: seven short whistles and one long. Lifeboats begin their deployment.

- 10:20 pm: The coastguard launches rescue operations with the help of speedboats and helicopters.

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by ChuckA

She must have been turning hard to starboard.




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My impression is the bow is facing toward the camera in the OP's image. I think that image is looking straight at the bridge.

YOWZA - that rock is the size of my first HOUSE.