Cruise disaster: word by angry word

Francesco Verusio, the prosecutor who is leading the investigation, has called
the captain’s behaviour “inexcusable”.

Capt Schettino’s lawyer Bruno Leporatti said his client’s actions had saved
“hundreds if not thousands of lives” and insisted he had not abandoned his
ship.

The audio recording of his increasingly frantic exchange with Capt De Falco
however, appeared to show Capt Schettino had fled the listing vessel while
hundreds of passengers were trapped on board.

The tape revealed Capt De Falco’s mounting anger and frustration as he
struggled to get the captain back on board his sinking ship. The exchange
came at around 1.46am on Saturday, around four hours after the initial
collision between the Costa Concordia and an underwater rock formation just
a few hundred yards off the coast of Giglio.

The collision caused Capt Schettino to attempt to steer the ship back into the
island’s port, but it capsized on to a rocky shelf as it reached shallow
water. The evacuation of the vessel eventually began at around 11.50pm and
would not be complete until about 4.45am, but at the time of the recording
Capt Schettino had apparently already left the cruise ship and was in a
lifeboat heading for safety.

Coastguard official, Captain Gregorio De Falco (CG): “Hello. This is De Falco
from Livorno, am I speaking with the captain?”

Captain Francesco Schettino (FS): “Yes, good evening Captain De Falco.”

CG: “Am I speaking with the captain? Please tell me your name.”

FS: “This is captain Schettino.”

CG: “Schettino? Listen Schettino, there are people trapped on board. Now you
need to go on your lifeboat, under the bow of the ship on the side. There is
a ladder. You need to climb up the ladder and board the ship. Get on board
and report to me how many people there are. Is that clear? I am recording
this conversation, captain Schettino.”

FS: “Captain, let me tell you one thing…”

CG: “Speak up!”

FS: “The ship, at this moment…”

CG: “Captain, speak up! Shield the microphone with your hand and speak louder,
clear?”

FS: “At this moment the ship is tilted.”

CG: “I understand. Listen, there are people who are coming down the ladder on
the bow. Go back in the opposite direction, get back on the ship, and tell
me how many people there are and what they have on board. Clear? Tell me if
there are children, women and what kind of help they need. And you tell me
the number of each of these categories. Is that clear? Look, Schettino,
perhaps you have saved yourself from the sea but I will make you look very
bad. I will make you pay for this. Dammit!”

FS: “Captain, please…”

CG: “There is no ‘please’ about it. Go back on board. Assure me you are going
back on board!”

FS: “I am in the lifeboat, under the ship, I haven’t gone anywhere, I’m here.”

CG: “What are you doing?”

FS: “I am coordinating…”

CG: “What are you coordinating there? Get on board the ship and coordinate the
rescue on board. Are you refusing?”

FS: “No, no I am not refusing.”

CG: “Are you refusing to go on board? Tell me the reason why you are not
going.”

FS: “I am not going because there is another lifeboat that has stopped.”

CG: “You get on board. This is an order. You need to continue the rescue. You
called the evacuation, now I am in charge. You need to go on board the ship,
is that clear?”

FS: “Captain.”

CG: “Can you hear me?”

FS: “I am going.”

CG: “Go. Call me when you are on board. My air rescue team is there. He is at

the bow. Get going. There are already corpses Schettino. Move!”

FS: “How many dead are there?”

CG: “I don’t know. One I am aware of. One I’ve heard of. You need to be
telling me this. Christ!”

FS: “But you are aware it is dark and we can’t see anything?”

CG: “And what do you want? To go back home, Schettino? It’s dark and you want
to go back home? Get on the bow of the ship and tell me what can be done,
how many people there are and what do they need. Now!”

FS: “I am here with the second commander.”

CG: “Excuse me?”

FS: “I am here with the second commander his name is…”

CG: “So both of you, get on board, both of you. What is the name of the
second?”

FS: “Dimitry.”

CG: “Dimitry who?”

FS: “Dimitry… “ (Unclear)

CG: “You and your second commander, go and get on board now. Is that clear?”

FS: “I want to get on board the ship but the other lifeboat has stopped its
engine and it is drifting and I called other rescuers.”

CG: “It’s already one hour you are telling me this. Now, get on board. Get on
board! And you tell me how many people there are.”

FS: “OK, Captain.”

CG: “Go, right now!”

After a short break and with rescue workers struggling to evacuate the
remaining passengers and crew from the ship, the exchange between Capt De
Falco and Capt Schettino continues:

CG: “Captain, I am De Falco from Livorno.”

FS: “I have called the company and they told me there are hundreds of people
on board the ship. I think.”

CG: “Captain can you not give me an exact number?”

FS: “It seems like it’s 100. Captain, I am not able to give you the exact
number. Earlier we were carrying out the evacuation of all the passengers
and now all of us officers are here.”

CG: “Where are you? You and your officers are all on the lifeboat?”

FS: “Yes, me and the second commander…”

CG: “Excuse me but earlier it was just you and your sailor and now you are
telling me that you are there with the officers. So you could have continued
the evacuation? Why don’t you go back on board and see what is happening and
then tell us?

FS: “At the moment…”

CG: “Get back on board! Send someone back on board to coordinate.”

FS: “I am coordinating at the moment.”

CG: “I am giving you an order captain. You must send someone on board.”

FS: “We are going on board to coordinate.”

CG: “Exactly, you have to go back on board to coordinate the evacuation. Is
that clear?”

FS: “But we can’t go back on board now.”

CG: “Why did you get them off Captain?

FS: “They abandoned the ship.”

CG: “One hundred people still on board and you abandoned the ship?

FS: “I didn’t abandon any ship because the ship turned on its side quickly and
we were catapulted into the water.”

CG: “We will see later what happened. OK. But from now you let me know
everything that is happening. You stay on the life boat and don’t you go
away. Is that clear?”

FS: “We are here, we are here.”

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