Super yacht sinking - did the crew bravely survive or did they abandon their the passengers

[mids2019]

So....most of the crew survived this tragedy but the passengers died. Do you think it will emerge the crew should have e done more to alrt the passengers and indeed put their lives in danger to attempt a rescue? Maybe it was all just too fast?

I just think there seems silence from the crew at moment despite being survivors of a sinking vessel who have a story to tell. Are lawyers advising they stay quiet on this?

Also consider that when it started lolling or tipped over furniture like mattresses and chairs could have moved in the cabins pinning people down or blocking them in.

I think this kind if power imbalance probably hampers a lot of decision-making in all sorts of situations.

I’m sure everyone can recall a situation where unnecessary scenarios were left to play out because no one wanted to be the one to challenge the boss. (And they weren’t empowered by their role or workplace to do so, or it simply wasn’t worth their job.)

That’s not to blame anyone, but I imagine if you are relying on extremely powerful individuals for your livelihood, the inhibiting effect of that enormous power imbalance is very difficult to avoid – unless there are very carefully thought-out systems in place.

That’s pretty normal to leave them open unless you are in a storm.
In summer the temperatures inside the boat would have been extremely high otherwise.

Perhaps he was saying that the crew should have lifted the anchor and headed the yacht into the wind during a storm. Instead of having it essentially tethered. With the wind and waves hitting it from any angle, rather than head on).

I don't know.

(You'd imagine the sails would have been down anyway).

It does seem like a sailing yacht (sounds like this was a gigantic sailing yacht) would need different actions in general - including during a severe storm, than a motor yacht.

The sailing crew should have been aware of the procedures for that yacht during a storm. The designers/builders are probably going to say they didn't follow them.

Yes. Can you imagine being a cleaner or deck hand and having to sacrifice yourself for no other reason than you’re an employee (and probably on minimum wage).

My post was more aimed at the post title rather than the post itself.

The captain of the Costa Concordia received a jail sentence if I remember correctly and rightly so as he was the root cause.

Op if people couldn't get out of a cabin why do you think staff could get in and then out of that cabin to save them?

Can you imagine the reality of how fast, dangerous and chaotic it was?

This story has made me cry. So, so sad.

I think the seabed is 150m down - I assume it'll be recovered.

The "service" staff on the yacht had no responsibility, but the crew (the sailing crew) did have responsibility for following correct procedures for safety as soon as they knew about a storm (which they should have known about ASAP, it's part of their remit).

If they didn't, they are probably going to be held responsible. What that will result in, I don't know.

(The fact that they owned/hired a sailing yacht suggests the owners were sailors; i don't know if one of them was acting as the de factor captain, or they had an employed/professional "captain"/lead. Whoever was in charge of the yacht will probably be held liable).

Because if certain safety features weren’t followed such as the hatches being left open in the first place, maybe it’s because the crew were instructed to do that by someone way more powerful than them.

It’s all speculation at this stage, we’re all speculating what happened as none of us know before the investigation.

I’m wondering how many of crew was “housekeeping & food serving” and/or perhaps a masseuse - they are not specially trained maritime crew. Appears to me the service crew I see on these ships are young and look good in the uniform.

Captain is named and experienced, would be interesting to know how long he’s been with that ship, and his first mate and other experienced maritime crew.
This time of year, the med is flooded with super yachts - wondering if there were indeed enough experienced crew available or if cut corners due to lack of available experienced and trained staff.
Insurance investigators will lift the ship and make a determination. Ship builder will be sued, and do investigation, It will be endless lawsuits.

Yeah, I think this is insightful. I think it’s a terrible tragedy that happened 😕

And the survivors probably have awful survivors' guilt. This event has really made me think about money and riches and ultimately, how important are they?

You’re right, if the boat was at anchor the sails wouldn’t have been up. And there would have been no time to do anything but prepare to abandon - seemingly not even that.

Sky reported the wreckage was 50m down. Somebody here said 150m but I don't think that's correct. I imagine it will be recovered.

Absolutely he was. He was showing off to a dancer on the ship who was in the Bridge... taking the ship off course to a nearby island to wave and salute people he knew. He had planned this fateful manouvre for days beforehand. It was a rocky hazardous route and not part of the ship's itinerary.
He then abandoned ship even though he was directed forcefully by the Harbour Master to return to the ship and co-ordinate rescue efforts. He was rightly jailed.

This tragedy is extremely recent. We don't have, nor are we really entitled to, all the facts. Spreading rumours and making assumptions based on our own, limited, experiences is pointless and could cause further distress to people linked with this tragedy or other similar experiences. Starting this thread in this way seems in poor taste.

Maybe instead we could extend our sympathies to the people involved.

Quite!

On holiday, celebrating his acquittal and safe in the knowledge the ship was unsinkable.

Accidents can happen extremely quickly and this was in a v violent storm, so communication would have been almost impossible.

This boat is 56m long, a football pitch is 70m wide.

Once they were in the storm, their fate was sealed, as one expert said "a boat of this nature, with so many inexperienced people on board should have been tied up in port, the storm was widely forecast"

hindsight is a wonderful thing.

If a boat is anchored in normal conditions it sits head to wind anyway. But these weren't normal conditions

@mids2019 too early to tell. Of course there is crew obligation to muster the guests, but it not a ‘legal requirement’, more a moral one.

i could write an essay on the procedure, but this isn’t the time or the place. The official investigation will be better at determining the sequence of events than speculation.

there are many strange aspects, but no one in the industry has mentioned that the crew are at fault. At all. They will also be extremely traumatized by what occurred

I totally agree. It reminds me of the submersible going to the Titanic... that was a rich man's toy, and all onboard died.
The very very wealthy are always looking for the next thrill maybe.

An absolute tragedy for all these people on this yacht to have lost their lives.

And it seems as though the yacht was so massive and ostentatious it couldn't even fit in shelter.

Going on a gigantic yacht that shouldn't sink is hardly thrill seeking (!)

People also generally don't take their babies "thrill seeking".