Italian captain of sunk cruise ship facing charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship

[Jenna]

The judge probing Italy's Costa Concordia disaster said the captain had shirked his duties, as divers on Wednesday halted the search for survivors on the unstable wreck.

Judge Valeria Montesarchio released Captain Francesco Schettino from police custody into house arrest but noted he had made no "serious attempt" to rejoin the stricken ship to supervise the evacuation of passengers.

Schettino - described by one Italian newspaper as "the most hated man in Italy" - faces years in prison if found guilty on charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship.

The fact that other crew and officers stayed on board to try to evacuate the passengers refuted the captain's claim that he could not oversee the operation from the vessel, Italian media quoted the judge as saying after she questioned him at length on Tuesday.

She said Schettino had made no "serious attempt" to get back on board his ship, "or even close to it", after leaving during the evacuation.

She also noted that once he had left the ship, he remained for hours on the rocks with crew members watching the rescue operation.

More here: Italy ship captain shirked duties: judge

[Standard Dave]

As I understand some quotes from his defence he fell into a lifeboat and then tried to co ordinate the rescue from there while the coastguard were ordering him back aboard which he seams to have been for reasons unknown not able to do.

A disgrace to his trade and the officers who served under him and then had to do his job while he tried to book a hotel and buy socks.

[Rhino]

Yeah. It's pretty common. Remember that time that other sea captain "accidentally" fell into a lifeboat?

Yeah, me neither.

[Ducky]

April 15 of this year marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and the captains of these two ships couldn't have acted any less alike.