It was alleged that the captain of the Costa Concordia intentionally destroyed the ship to impress his girlfriend.
Although many guys have gone to great lengths to win a lady, most men would never jeopardize the lives of more than 4,000 people merely to boast.
Francesco Schettino may have disregarded the warning, as evidenced by the tragic deaths of 33 passengers and crew members as a result of his choice.
After being convicted of manslaughter for causing the Costa Concordia to collapse and abandoning his passengers, the former Italian shipmaster is still in prison.
He began serving his 16-year sentence in 2017 after all appeals were exhausted, and he is currently more than halfway through it.
Schettino claimed that his only objective on that fatal January 2012 day was to impress tourists, despite being referred to as a “Captain Coward” for abandoning the sinking ship.
The 64-year-old was in charge of the seven-day Mediterranean getaway, which began at Civitavecchia, near Lazio on the Italian coast.
A few hours after leaving the dock, the luxury liner arrived at the popular island of Giglio on January 13, 2012, and Schettino decided to offer his passengers a tour.
However, this “sail by,” which was followed by a nautical salute in which the ship’s horn was blared to the inhabitants, caused the Costa Concordia to veer off its intended route.
As a result, many passengers were unaware that the ship was approaching a rock outcrop, and it was too late when Schettino eventually called for the crew to change course.
During the accident, a massive 35-meter hole in the Costa Concordia’s side exploded, tilting the ship and allowing gallons of water to enter the engine room.
It partially sank after landing unevenly on an underwater ledge, but instead of waiting to inspect the damage, Schettino left the scene aboard a lifeboat he later claimed he “fell” into.
It’s reasonable to suppose that he made a number of serious errors while serving as captain of the Costa Concordia.
Schettino asserts that being distracted by a young Moldovan dancer was not one of the causes of the disaster, despite assertions to the contrary.
Domnica Cemortan, who was 24 at the time, admitted to having an affair with the captain in court.
The BBC reports that authorities claim he drove too near the island to boast to Cemortan.
The dancer said that she was unable to distract Schettino during the collision due of her distance from him, according to the Daily Mail.
However, Schettino stated in court that he wanted to entertain his guests and that the sail-by was done for “business reasons.”
The captain stated, “I had three objectives: to entertain my guests, to pay tribute to a retired captain who resided on Giglio, and to satisfy the ship’s head waiter, who was from the island.”
Schettino asserted, “I wanted to accomplish several things at once,” and that since the deviation was considered “an approach” rather than a “touristic route,” he did not believe it was necessary to inform the ship’s owners, Costa Crociere.
The Ministry of Infrastructures and Transports in Italy came to the conclusion that the ship was approaching the coast too closely after investigating the incident.
The report also discovered that the Costa Concordia’s “poorly illuminated beach area” and “unsafe distance at night and fast speed (15.5 kts)” contributed to the deadly collision.
The catastrophe ultimately claimed the lives of 33 people, and it wasn’t until November 2014, two years later, that the body of the last victim was found.
Schettino and his staff faced several charges, including homicide, following the Costa Concordia accident.
It is estimated that the ship sinking cost about $2 billion (£1.56 billion) in total.
