Soon after sailing, most of the 3,200 passengers headed for dinner in the restaurants below deck. It is the evening of January 13, 2012. The “Costa Concordia” steers from Civitavecchia, the small port town near Rome, out into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The ship is the pride of its shipping company Costa Crociere: Designed by an American designer, the decks are in the colors of the European countries after which they are named. In its belly is the largest wellness area that has ever existed on a cruise ship. At around 9.45 p.m., the travelers suddenly felt a strong bump. The dining rooms get dark and chaos breaks out. Loudspeaker announcements calm the people on board in five languages:
“We are currently in a blackout due to technical problems. There is no need to panic. Please stay calm. Our technicians are working to resolve the problem.”
The captain wants to offer a beautiful picture against an island backdrop
The “Costa Concordia” has just passed the small island of Giglio – in, as eyewitnesses will later testify, frightening proximity to the coast. In court, experts will suspect that this was done with full intent and for purposes, in order to create a particularly beautiful picture of the ship in front of the island backdrop. This practice has its own name in Italy, the “bowing”. For the captain, 51-year-old Francesco Schettino, it is actually routine. Today, however, he rammed a rock that tore open the ship over a length of 70 meters. Instead of letting the passengers, some of whom are already wearing life jackets, get into the lifeboats immediately, he appeases them – and sends them back to their cabins. One of them is Gerd Hammer from Königswinter:
“Well, what I found really disastrous, that the captain let it through for a long time, in five languages: We have a technical problem. But we have everything under control. “
Engine noises and screams
The “Costa Concordia” is now moving towards the island. According to Schettino’s version, deliberately in order to be able to evacuate better. Experts oppose this: the wind and the current, unable to navigate, would have driven it towards the island. Fabio Bernardini, resident of Giglio Island, observed the disaster there. As he later reported, he heard the engine noises – “and the screams, and there was also a power failure. Only the emergency lighting worked.”
Ship is getting more and more listing
That night, Bernardini took in 30 castaways and entertained them in his kitchen. Shortly after 10 p.m., the port captain in Livorno learns of the accident and wants to get an idea by radio: The Costa Concordia only reports a power failure. In reality, shortly thereafter, the ship is lying on the island’s coastal pedestal and is becoming more and more listed. The horn signal does not sound until around 10.30 p.m.: The evacuation is finally taking place under the most difficult of conditions, explains Gerd Hammer:
“You had to walk on the side wall. I had the floor as a wall on the right. The roof of the deck on the left as a wall. And over it the grating.”
It took two hours to get enough helicopters and helping boats on site. About 200 passengers had jumped off board while the ship was still floating and swam towards the island. Around 150 more were later rescued from the sea by helpers. Gregorio de Falco, a naval officer in the port of Livorno, was in charge of the operation. He was shocked to learn that there had already been deaths – but that the captain had long since disembarked. He appeals to Schettino via radio – who claimed that he wanted to coordinate the rescue operation from the island.
De Falco: “Listen, Schettino, get on the lifeboat and get back on board! There are children, get on board, damn it.”
Schettino: “Comandante, please.”
De Falco: “You refuse? Go back, that’s an order, you left the boat. “
