On open-circuit scuba, the exhaled breath is not fed back into the system but is expelled and is no longer useable. The avoidable disaster killed 32 people and seriously injured many others, and left investigators wondering: Why was the luxury cruise ship sailing so close to the shore in the first place? Jean Laborde went through many different owners and name changes (Jean Laborde, Mykinai, Ancona, Eastern Princess) in the succeeding decades. "He deeply regrets not being with his crew. In 1991, Capt. In the British and American inquiries that followed, a more complicated picture emerged. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. One of the divers, Karl van der Merwe, commented, The current was so strong that it would rip your mask off your face and your regulator out of your mouth. With holes in its walls, loose hull plates, and missing parts that control the flow of water, it looked pretty neglected. Blowing in the same direction as the current, a strong northeasterly wind would slowly increase the rate of flow beyond that conducive for diving. On 3 August 1991, the Oceanos set out from East London, South Africa and headed to Durban. Five divers, including the late Rehan Bouwer, made four attempts to reach the Oceanos, but only succeeded twice, and then only for a matter of minutes. South Korean authorities have arrested Capt. Smiths final moments arent definitively known, but reports varied widely. "Some people panic, but a short time later they collect their senses and do the right thing," Allen said. Is the Oceanos still at the bottom of the ocean? Announcing Our 2023 Cruisers' Choice Award Winners! In the middle of the 19th century, there were a number of incidents in which ships foundered and captains and their crews were either celebrated for leading the rescue or reviled for saving themselves while passengers drowned. [1] He was married to British national Davina Avrana.[3]. Even if he's not convicted, it is highly unlikely that he'll ever command a cruise or cargo ship again because of the damage to his reputation, said Prof. Craig Allen of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. The captain broadcasted a distress signal as he tried to steer the ship towards shore in order for rescuers to reach them. Captain Accused of Leaving Passengers on Sinking Ship Costa Concordia disaster | Collision, Rescue, Salvage, & Facts He wanted to see where they were taking the crew to land. The first engineer along with some of the engine room got on a boat and left. The unfitted ventilation pipe was said to have left a 10cm hole in the watertight bulkhead between the generator and the sewerage tank. Becky Little is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. THE GREATEST MARITIME RESCUE IN HISTORY OCEANOS - Africa Ports After Capt. Cowardice comes in many forms, but there's a special sense of shame reserved for captains who abandon ship. International standards for sea captains vary. Bubbles moved toward the stern and then back again to amidships. In an interview with the captain, he jokingly remarked that if the ship should sink, he would be on the first lifeboat off the ship. In addition, Pryals doctor attested that he was absolutely sane and not given to hallucinations., In fact, Pryal said he had seen Smith twice, once on a Wednesday and again the following Saturday, when he returned to the same spot to look for him. When his "death-glorious ship" sinks, Ahab mourns that he's been denied the "pride" of having gone down with her. The decision was to be his last as captain of the Oceanos. Oceanos headed into 40-knot winds and 9 m (30 ft) swells. Concern showed on everyones faces, but although an immense amount of planning, effort, and money is poured into conducting a deep-diving expedition, the safety of those involved is always the priority. Making things worse, the crew had dropped the anchor incorrectly, causing the ship to flop over even more dramatically. This day turned out much better than expected. "I'm totally embarrassed by what he did," he said of Schettino. The Oceanos lies at a depth between 92m and 97m, about 5km offshore, on the western edge of the mighty Agulhas current. Here's a link if you want to see a video of the story. For many years, seasoned technical diver, Barry Coleman, has had one consuming desire: to dive the Oceanos. Diving The Oceanos. Special Section: Italian Cruise DisasterCruise ship to port: It's just a blackoutPressure mounts on cruise ship divers. The sense that captains are beyond the law that they are the law, or at least they were, during the age of sail is why they make such great bad guys. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Captain Yiannis Avranas who left passengers to die? Nobody cared until that time if those who left on the boats were alive. Seamen have expressed almost universal outrage at Capt. "The captain called the men to attention," says William Fowler, a maritime historian at Northeastern University. That was one of several incidents that have led some historians to question whether Smith had gone into a state of shock. At sea, there's no question about who's in charge, so there's no doubt who is responsible for safety. Towards the end, passengers had to jump into . After an hour of waiting, he said he saw Smith coming, approached him, and asked him how we was. Something strong wind, something the helicopter pilot, they didnt let me down he said. Nearby vessels responded to the ships SOS and were the first to assist. On 3 August 1991, the Oceanos - initially delayed due to a bomb threat - set out from East London, South Africa and headed for Durban.Captain Yiannis Avranas (born ca. Must a captain be the last one off a sinking ship? They were taken from the hotel to the airport five minutes before the plane left, otherwise we would still be there judging us , says Nikolaou. Sailing close to shore to give passengers a nice view or salute other sailors is known as a sail-by, and its unclear how often cruise ships perform these maneuvers. that after a series of freak waves slammed against the ship, the pipe's shell plating burst open and began filling the compartment with seawater. Realizing the ships fate, the crew fled in panic, neglecting to close the lower deck portholes, which is standard policy during emergency procedures. No one knows exactly where Captain E.J. The reaction of the first engineer sabotaged the captains original plan. UK Retailer Simply Scuba Goes Into Administration For Good This Time, Dive Curaao Launches New All-In-One Vacation Platform. Although only three divers made it to the wreck, it was the role of each team member that made it possible. Hills organized the orderly evacuation of passengers by the helicopters, later reporting that Avranas was among the first to leave at this point. Captain Davina Avranas English wife aboard the ship with their daughter Faye. He would attempt to sit there. Captains accused of leaving prematurely often claim they can manage the situation better from the safety of a lifeboat, rescue vessel or on shore. They understood their roles and contributed to the success of this dive. The ship underwent several name changes, including Mykinai, Ancona, Eastern Princess, and finally, in 1976, under the . It remains so potent because of the almost mythic authority invested in ship captains, Allen suggests. ":rolleyes: I don't know what ever happened to him. 1940) had been an officer for twenty years and a seaman for thirty. As soon as we reached seven degrees, we decided to lower the boats and start evacuation. What happened to the cruise ship Oceanos? "In Anglo-American law, you would lose your license and make yourself liable.". The Oceanos lost power following a leak in the engine room's sea chest. Search and Rescue contacted the ship a few minutes after 10:00 p.m., but Schettino didnt tell them what had happened for about 20 more minutes. From mariners on ships plying the world's oceans, the answer is loud and clear: Aye. He had also left the radio operator on board, and they were talking. The ship's captain, Yiannis Avranas, had 30 years' experience at sea. On the front page was a Kostas Mitropoulos cartoon that lampooned the Captain, it read: Where to take you captain?the helicopter pilot asked him as he rescued him from the sinking ship named Ocean of failures. Others respect it as "an unwritten rule or law of the sea," said Capt. Yiannis Avranas (born ca. Abandon is for everybody. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. [2] Divers have visited her, but strong currents make the dive difficult. En route to Durban, the Oceanos cruise ship set out from the port of East London on Saturday, August 3, 1991, into 40-knot winds and nine-meter swells. Her bow hit the sand 92m below the surface, while more than 60m of her stern remained aloft; minutes later, she was gone. The ship they spotted in the distance didnt answer, but several others did. The last charge carries a potential sentence of 12 years in prison. "Ahab is a great example in the sense that he knows a captain should go down with his ship," says Wyn Kelley, a Melville scholar at MIT. But in interviews, Captain Avranas was unapologetic for leaving the ship ahead of others, saying he was better able to direct rescue efforts from shore. And the second boat was only cooks. "Shoreside rescue people can do all the shoreside coordination efforts needed," he said. [16][11][17][18] He stated that he left the ship first to arrange for a rescue effort, and then supervised the rescue from a helicopter because "the batteries on the crew's walkie-talkies had died, meaning that he had no communications with his crew or with other rescue craft". Why did the captain go down with the ship? [4] The storm worsened, and at approximately 21:30 UTC+2, while off the Wild Coast of the Transkei, a muffled explosion was heard. A wide range of diverse considerations had to be taken care of, both personally and as a team. Even before the journey started, the ship had already started to wear. Aug. 6, 1991 12 AM PT. It is this forward section of the wreck that incurred the wrath of the ocean floor as the bow slammed into the seabed. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. By the next morning rescuers found Oceanos adrift just off Coffee Bay, on the Wild Coast. The divers descended the anchor line and were able to return to it some twenty minutes later, after making their way around most of this 152 m wreck. Employer. Maritime officials who did not want to be quoted said it was . Evidence introduced in Schettinos trial suggests that the safety of his passengers and crew wasnt his number one priority as he assessed the damage to the Concordia. Four months later, on December 23, Rehan Bouwer, Steve Minne, Johan Swart, Ian Symington, and Nicko Brand returned to the Oceanos. This window period, although based on unscientific information provided by maritime vessels in the area, falls in May and December. The weather conditions became so severe that Avranas determined it best to abandon ship and hope for rescue from nearby vessels or helicopters. The crew said that likely saved their lives, because the ship's emergency beacon didn't work. Given that the officers of the vessel had all fled in . Gas exchanges with backup divers at set points during the ascent worked flawlessly, and the divers surfaced on schedule without incident. It was also discussed in an episode of Nova on 18 April 2012, entitled, "Why Ships Sink", which focused mainly on the Costa Concordia accident (whose commanding officer also fled while passengers were still aboard). But whatever relief Smith might have felt at that moment was quickly shattered. Passengers remained ignorant of the events until they witnessed the first signs of flooding on the lower decks. Updated: April 12, 2023 | Original: November 12, 2020. The sinking of Oceanos - NBC News The weather forecast was predicting a strong northeasterly wind by morning, a factor that could easily mean the end of the expedition. MTS Oceanos was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when it suffered uncontrolled flooding.MTS Oceanos. Everyone who had been put into lifeboats was rescued by passing ships and remarkably no lives were lost. The ship was left adrift. On one occasion the 200-liter drum we used as a marker buoy was pulled down to 34m by the current. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Diving The Oceanos - DeeperBlue.com MTS Oceanos was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when she suffered uncontrolled flooding. The Victorian notion that a captain should actually go down with the ship has become archaic. The rescue featured in episode 4 of Shockwave, first aired 21 December 2007. / AP. He had set sail for a sandy area at four miles, which he had found on the map. [10][failed verification], Avranas claimed that he left the ship first in order to arrange for a rescue effort,[11] and then supervised it from a helicopter. After five days of staying at the hotel, the other Greek sailors with the assistance of the Greek consular authorities also escaped. ", First published on January 19, 2012 / 3:02 PM. In last year's Star Trek Into Darkness, the bad guy taunts Captain Kirk by saying, "No ship should go down without her captain.". The Story Of The Oceanos - YouTube Captain of MTS Oceanos. Costa Concordia disaster, the capsizing of an Italian cruise ship on January 13, 2012, after it struck rocks off the coast of Giglio Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Attaining a maximum depth of 86.4m, the three divers initially made their way North to the stern, where Brett Hawton had time to pose next to the raised Greek lettering, spelling out the name OKEANOZ. No matter what time I leave. "When they go bad, they're evil," Shealy says. Without valves to close on the holding tank, the water coursed through the main drainage pipes and rose like a tide within the ship, spilling out of every shower, toilet, and waste disposal unit connected to the system. In a matter of hours, more than 1,500 passengers and crew would be dead, including Smith himself. Very well, Pryal, the man supposedly answered, but please dont detain me. In the time of need, however, the crew found that everything was useless. None of the 571 passengers drowned. Many scenarios have been done, my brother. Schettino also didnt immediately alert the Italian Search and Rescue Authority about the accident. It was an event that ended with the sinking of a family cruise shi. It was August 3, 1991 when Rosemary Roe saw the dishes slipping on the table during dinner. Lee Jun-Seok, who was one of the first to flee from the ferry as it sank on Wednesday. ISSN 1469-865X | Copyright 1996 - 2022 deeperblue.net limited. Hills was interviewed in the special, and related that some years later he had been on board when the MS Achille Lauro of Star Lauro sank. The 402 passengers and 179 crew members all survived, but Captain Yiannis Avranas and other officers left the ship while some passengers were still on board. [16] A South African Navy Diver testified that the captain had insisted on being taken ashore by the first helicopter. He said he supervised the . Smith was accused of ignoring ice warnings from other ships and failing to reduce the ships speed to fit the conditions at hand. And he did not lighten his position after the accident when he told a foreign television station: The ship's abandonment applies to . I would avoid any cruise that involves a Greek ship! The objective was to show how the application of experience and established diving technique to a near-insurmountable challenge could safely lead to success. [5][23][24], The Oceanos wreck lies at a depth of between 92m (302ft) and 97m (318ft), about 5km (3.1mi) offshore. On the morning of July 12, 1952, Forges Chantiers de la Gironde launched the last of four sister ships in Bordeaux, France, under the name of Jean Laborde. "He's given the industry a bad name, he's made us all look bad. Share; Posted May 23, 2010. The function of a rebreather is to re-circulate the unused oxygen in the exhaled breath whilst scrubbing it of all traces of carbon dioxide. It was also around 12:45 a.m. that crewmen lowered the first of the Titanics lifeboats to the ocean surface. The 402 passengers and 179 crew members all survived, but Captain Yiannis Avranas and other officers left the ship while some passengers were still on board. The sewage and water systems had their one way "check valves" removed and not replaced. Edward Smith went down with the Titanic, the notion that a captain must stay with his ship became part of folklore. The captain still had some hope of averting total disaster. The chief engineer reported to Captain Avranas that water was entering the hull and flooding the generator room. The current on the surface was running reverse, and there was no sign of the dreaded Northeaster. The cruise ship had sailed with seven beauforts. The sinking of Oceanos. But with no sign of conditions improving, the captain eventually decided to lift anchor and the Oceanos, with 581 guests and crew on board, sailed off into 40-knot winds and 9m-high (30ft) waves. To ask them to stare down death from the bridge, as the lights go out and the water rises, until everyone else has made it to safety? On August 3, 1991, Oceanos set sail for East London, South Africa and headed north for Durban, led by Captain Yiannis Avranas. He and fellow entertainer Julian Butler[8] directed the efforts of the entertainment staff - including Robin Boltman - to assist them. Rescue helicopters began arriving three hours later, and winched passengers and remaining crew to safety, with Hills continuing in charge of the orderly evacuation. Steve said, We had to hold onto the anchor line with all our strength. They accused the crew and the captain, but if there werent good moves with so much inconvenience and so much wave who would be saved? Unbelievable but true - an account of the terrifying conditions on the OCEANOS on 4 August 1991 when it became obvious that not only was the position of the ship unknown, but the whereabouts of the captain and some crew as well. A magician who had been performing on the ship took over the bridge, monitoring rescue calls, as a fellow entertainer kept passengers calm by playing Beatles songs on his guitar. The Costa Concordia was owned by Costa Crociere, a subsidiary of Carnival . Some countries, like Italy, have included it in national laws. In a matter of minutes, the occupants returned with a very favorable report on conditions. Brodersen, 60, said he never had to deal with that kind of situation, but he has sometimes thought about his own limit, when his survival instinct would trump the hope of salvaging a doomed ship. Oceanos is one of the documented tragedies ever to happen in the sea and following a probe by maritime authorities, the captain and his crew were found to . And on the boat what could he do in addition., The circumstances were tragic and my responsibility was more than great. : "Go back on board!". "[10], Captain Avranas received extensive media coverage as an example of unprofessional behaviour whilst in command. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. All 571 passengers and crew survived. At any time when you have an incident similar to Concordia, there is nevera single causal factor, says Brad Schoenwald, a senior marine inspector at the United States Coast Guard. He didnt give up though. The British inquiry essentially exonerated him, saying he did nothing other captains wouldnt have done. We meet him in Piraeus, where he lives after his retirement. A very small loss of hull integrity caused a storage tank in the lower machine spaces to fill with sea water. It's shameful. So began the worst night of Edward John Smiths otherwise charmed life. Back in the early 1990's came an incredible event, most now, don't remember or know about. After evacuating, the 105 meter long ship began to sink. The incident came two years after Francesco Schettino, the captain of the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia, was charged with manslaughter and abandoning ship charges he denies. More than 4,200 people were rescued, though 32 people died. "There must be a point at which I would think that now it is time to jump into the water so I don't die," he said. But the report noted that some passengers testified that they didnt hear the alarm to proceed to the lifeboats. "[5] Hills reportedly rescued Avranas' dog and released his canary. He had apparently confused the Titanics partially enclosed promenade deck with the totally open one of her sister ship, Olympic, which he had previously commanded. The storm worsened as the evening progressed and when the first sitting of dinner was served, the waiters could hardly carry the trays of food without dropping something. [5], Oceanos sank bow first approximately 45 minutes after the last person was airlifted from the deck. [20][21], Dateline NBC aired a documentary of the incident on 23 May 2010. What happened to the captain and crew of the Oceanos? The helicopter was used to survey conditions around the wreck that lies at a distance of 9.5km from Hole in the Wall. Sometimes we were almost horizontal going down. A South African navy diver said the captain of the sunken Greek liner Oceanos pushed past elderly pa. The ship reportedly headed into 40-knot winds and 30-foot swells, and thus the typical sail-away outdoor deck party with British entertainers Moss and Tracy Hills was moved to an indoor lounge. Best Known For: Captain Edward J. Smith played a role in one of the most famous disasters at sea in history, the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Moss and Tracy, who now live in Liverpool, continued working as cruise ship entertainers for many years. However, rough seas caused the party to be held inside in the Four Seasons lounge;[5] most passengers chose to stay in their cabins. What happened to the Italian cruise ship captain? In August 2005, a Titanic wreckage expedition found two large, extraordinarily well-preserved sections of the bottom of the ship's hull. Most have heard the story, the sinking of the OCEANOS with 571 passengers and crew on board, none of whom suffered . He remains incarcerated in a prison just outside of Rome, where he is expected to stay until he is around 80 years old. "But that would come after the ship has been evacuated," he added. Schettino reportedly said he ended up in a life raft after he tripped and fell into the water. But witnesses said he appeared on the bridge of the Titanic just moments later, asking what the storied ship, making its maiden voyage across the Atlantic, had struck. Reinforced when Capt. The nearest, RMS Carpathia, replied that it would change course and hurry to the Titanics position. 1940)[1] is a Greek former sea captain who commanded the cruise ship Oceanos when she sank off the Wild Coast of the Transkei, South Africa, on Sunday 4 August 1991. [1], Oceanos was launched in July 1952 by Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde in Bordeaux, France as Jean Laborde, the last of four sister ships built for Messageries Maritimes. From that point on, Smiths activities become more of a blur. Do you think anyone was weighing in the boats.. Those who did earned instant infamy, like the captain of the Greek luxury liner Oceanos, which sank in rough seas off South Africa in 1991. Royer, however, died after suffering a head injury when he finally left the ship. I just watched national geografic program about the Oceanos tragedy. What Was the Titanic's Captain Doing While the Ship Sank? - History The water steadily rose and flowed through the 10 cm hole in the bulkhead and into the waste disposal tank. Surviving wireless operator Harold Bride, a more reliable witness, said hed seen Smith dive from the bridge into the sea. Others said he was swept off by a wave orhaving been swept offswam back to the Titanic to meet his end. Sunk by uncontrolled flooding on 4 August 1991 off the coast of South Africa. The current, too, was very strong, and the team was worried. The MV Oceanos was a 153m passenger ship, built in 1952 and designed to carry 550 passengers and 250 crew. [2] Photographs taken in 2002 show that the bridge section has collapsed. Use of this site is governed by the User Agreement, Privacy Policy(function(w,d){var loader=function(){var s=d.createElement("script"),tag=d.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];s.src="https://cdn.iubenda.com/iubenda.js";tag.parentNode.insertBefore(s,tag);};if(w.addEventListener){w.addEventListener("load",loader,false);}else if(w.attachEvent){w.attachEvent("onload",loader);}else{w.onload=loader;}})(window,document); and Disclosure Policy. A more recent example is Robert Royer, the captain of a fishing vessel that sank off Alaska in 2010. Reports indicate that at around 21:30 off the Wild Coast of the Transkei, the Oceanus Cruise ship lost its power following an explosion in the engine room.