None of the 571 passengers drowned. "Abandon is for everybody. That is unbelievable!! In his characteristic style, he managed to weave a comical moment into his narrative of the tumultuous events, telling reporters that he had started singing "Bye Bye Miss American Pie", when he suddenly realised that the next line was going to be "Thisll be the day that I die" - and quickly switched to another song[14][15], Hills later said that searching for Captain Avranas, he had discovered him smoking on the fantail and he said "I think he was in deep, deep shock. The weather conditions became so severe that Avranas determined it best to abandon ship and hope for rescue from nearby vessels or helicopters. He didnt give up on the mystery ship, ordering the crew of at least one lifeboat to row toward the lights, drop off passengers and return to Titanic for more. [citation needed], While trying to make up lost time, Oceanos encountered rough seas. MACHINE LEARNING INVESTING IS SPECULATIVE BY NATURE. 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. I never saw the captain among us helping, he says.. The unfitted ventilation pipe was said to have left a 10cm hole in the watertight bulkhead between the generator and the sewerage tank. "It's a matter of honor that the master is the last to leave. [2] Usually, there would have been a "sail-away" party on deck. In Greece the case was referred to the High Council of Maritime Accidents of the Ministry of Maritime. [2] Divers have visited her, but strong currents make the dive difficult. And on the boat what could he do in addition., The circumstances were tragic and my responsibility was more than great. During the ensuing trial, prosecutors came up with a tabloid-ready explanation: The married ship captain had sailed it so close to the island to impress a much younger Moldovan dancer with whom he was having an affair. The Greek government is not doing anything about the incident. The World witnessed an ugly scene back on 03 August 1991 when MTS Oceanos sunk in 1991 because of uncontrolled floods. As author Wyn Craig Wade wrote in The Titanic: End of a Dream, Captain Smith had at least five different deaths, from heroic to ignominious. Rumors of his survival also circulated. It was August 3, 1991 when Rosemary Roe saw the dishes slipping on the table during dinner. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos. 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). 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. In 1994, his English wife Davina published a book about the sinking, titled The Oceanos Tragedy. 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. The Story Of The Oceanos - YouTube The notorious master of the vessel was Captain Yiannis Avranas. Francesco Schettino, were charged with various crimes. No one knows exactly where Captain E.J. [16] A South African Navy Diver testified that the captain had insisted on being taken ashore by the first helicopter. Smiths body was never recovered, and his final moments remain a mystery, with no shortage of conflicting accountsincluding one in which he jumped off the ship holding a baby. Everyone who had been put into lifeboats was rescued by passing ships and remarkably no lives were lost. Brett and Paul penetrated the portside corridor behind the on-deck pool while Barry singularly explored the large dining hall area. Although Smith had ordered the boats uncovered some 40 minutes earlier, he didnt give the order to begin loading and lowering them until Second Officer Charles Lightoller reminded him by asking, Hadnt we better get the women and children into the boats, sir?. He said he supervised the . Several witnesses claimed to have seen him in the water. In another instance, Smith ordered that a lifeboat be lowered from the boat deck to the promenade deck, so passengers could climb in more easily. ", the captain of the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia. The remaining members of the team waited on the boat; some recalled the video footage they had seen of the previous dive made on Monday afternoon and tried to imagine themselves being down there on the wreck with them. [22] The show Extreme Weather: The Survivors featured a segment on the sinking. Through the confusion,the captain somehow made it into a lifeboat before everyone else had made it off. I just watched national geografic program about the Oceanos tragedy. Although conditions looked very good for diving, a large shore break was preventing our launch, and the skippers felt the risk to the team, and their vessels were too great. "If you are leader, you have responsibility for your people, they put their lives in your hands.". 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. 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. EAST LONDON, South Africa . The Costa Concordia ran aground off the Italian coast in 2012, killing 32 people. "He's given the industry a bad name, he's made us all look bad. The Greek government is not doing anything about the incident. As in August, throughout the two-week period of the expedition, they only managed to reach the wreck on two occasions with a maximum bottom time of eight minutes. Special Section: Italian Cruise DisasterCruise ship to port: It's just a blackoutPressure mounts on cruise ship divers. REBELLION RESEARCH ADVISORS, L.P. IS A REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISER AND NOT FOR PROFIT EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH THINK TANK. Sinking of Oceanos : Survivor's Accounts - Rebellion Research The ships were used on the Marseilles Madagascar Mauritius service. ISSN 1469-865X | Copyright 1996 - 2022 deeperblue.net limited. In the U.S., case law indicates that a ship's master must be the last person to leave and make all reasonable efforts to save everyone and everything on it. Edward J. Smith - Titanic, Facts & Death - Biography Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger crash-landed a flight in the Hudson River in 2009, he twice walked the plane to make sure no one was left onboard before leaving himself. The ship's captain, Yiannis Avranas, had 30 years' experience at sea. [15], Prior to the events of January 1991, Avranas had apparently given no interview to the media. (Schettino insisted the ship sailed close to shore to salute other mariners and give passengers a good view.) Abandon is for everybody. But whatever relief Smith might have felt at that moment was quickly shattered. Nothing less will do in this profession," said Jorgen Loren, captain of a passenger ferry operating between Sweden and Denmark and chairman of the Swedish Maritime Officer's Association. Since the year of her sinking, the Oceanos has remained in solitary confinement, guarded by the Agulhas current and the secluded landscape of the Transkei. 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. Maritime experts said the tradition of a captain standing by his ship isn't established in international maritime law. While the ship could have stayed afloat with up to four flooded compartments, depending on their location, five tipped into catastrophic territory. Havent you forgotten, sir, that all those glass windows are closed? a passenger gently reminded him. The Oceanos lost power following a leak in the engine room's sea chest. Captain Yiannis Avranas who left passengers to die? On 3 August 1991, the Oceanos set out from East London, South Africa and headed to Durban. http://www.aolvideoblog.com/2007/08/21/crew-bails-on-passengers-of-sinking-cruise-liner/. 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. Fourth Officer Joseph G. Boxhall made a quick inspection of the ship and returned to the bridge to report that he had found no damage. Passengers remained ignorant of the events until they witnessed the first signs of flooding on the lower decks. Abandonment is for everybody, if some people want to stay, they can stay. Smith, who evacuated the ship women and children first until there were no lifeboats left, and then perished with it. In addition to Schettino, Ferrarini and Rusli Bin, the other people who received convictions for their role in the disaster were Cabin Service Director Manrico Giampedroni, First Officer Ciro Ambrosio and Third Officer Silvia Coronica. Soon after the collision, he and other officers saw what they believed to be the lights of a nearby ship. 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. 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. Once complete, the team focused on preparing for the dives. 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. 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. Moving round to the port side propeller, over the hull, and back to the deck amidships, they headed off on their scooters to the bridge and bow sections to make a survey of possible penetration points for the second dive. A South African navy diver said the captain of the sunken Greek liner Oceanos pushed past elderly pa. There were 200 sailors on the ship as crew members. Bill Wright, senior vice president of Marine Operations for the Royal Caribbean International cruise line. [4] Boltman told a newspaper: "Later in the morning, Captain Avarnasi (sic) even contacted me from shore to ask how things were going. But the report noted that some passengers testified that they didnt hear the alarm to proceed to the lifeboats. A 2:20 a.m., the last portion of the Titanic disappeared between the waves. MTS Oceanos was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991. Maritime experts say such manifestations of courage at sea far outnumber incidents in which captains saved themselves and left their passengers behind. What happened to the captain and crew of the Oceanos? A little more than an hour after impact, the crew began to evacuate 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. No matter what time I leave. I saw Captain Smith getting excited; passengers would not have noticed, but I did, May Sloan, a surviving Titanic stewardess, wrote in a letter shortly after the disaster. I am the captain. Must a captain be the last one off a sinking ship? - BBC News I will certainly avoid any Greek ferriesof course truth be known, I avoid all foreign ferries since I don't trust what they think an acceptable number of passengers is. That was one of several incidents that have led some historians to question whether Smith had gone into a state of shock. January 19, 2012 / 3:02 PM [5] The final minutes of her sinking were captured on video and broadcast by ABC News. In 1991, Capt. What happened to the Italian cruise ship captain? "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 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. "I can't lift my face before the passengers and family members of those missing," Lee told reporters. UK Retailer Simply Scuba Goes Into Administration For Good This Time, Dive Curaao Launches New All-In-One Vacation Platform. Lee Jun-Seok, who was one of the first to flee from the ferry as it sank on Wednesday. The American inquiry was only slightly harsher in its judgment. 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. All considered, said Canadian-American fellow team member and cave diving world record holder Paul Heinerth, the Oceanos is probably one of the most, if not the most difficult wreck in the world to dive. The difficulties of diving on the Oceanos are extreme, but with commitment and proper planning, the dive is not impossible. "I'm kind of flummoxed that a master of a passenger ship anywhere in the world would not understand his obligation extends until that last person is safely off the ship," says Craig Allen, director of the Arctic Law & Policy Institute at the University of Washington. "When I order abandon ship, it doesn't matter what time I leave," Avranas said. The impact and water leakage caused an electrical blackout on the ship, and a recorded phone call with Costa Crocieres crisis coordinator, Roberto Ferrarini, shows he tried to downplay and cover up his actions by saying the blackout was what actually caused the accident. Why did the captain go down with the ship? 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. The captain still had some hope of averting total disaster. Francesco Schettino had handed himself in to the Rebibbia prison in Rome after the verdict, his lawyer said. It was owned by Epirotiki Lines of Greece and chartered at the time by a South African company, TFC Tours. Schettino reportedly said he ended up in a life raft after he tripped and fell into the water. What Was the Titanic's Captain Doing While the Ship Sank? - History 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. And he did not lighten his position after the accident when he told a foreign television station: The ships abandonment applies to everyone. The onsite expedition requirements included everything from personal diving gear, three imported Silent Submersion scooters, twenty staged decompression cylinders, a specialized mixed gas compressor unit, several large oxygen, and helium cylinders, three 7.3m rigid hull inflatable boats, an evacuation helicopter, and trained medical personnel. According to Boltman, "later in the morning, Captain Avarnasi [sic] even contacted me from shore to ask how things were going. 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. About 2:00 p.m., the Oceanos begins its vertical descent. She came to rest on her starboard side almost perpendicular to the coastline, with her bow facing seaward. Stranger still are several widely publicized reports that he didnt die at all. The current on the surface was running reverse, and there was no sign of the dreaded Northeaster. She headed into 40-knot (20m/s) winds and 9m (30ft) swells. [3] Entertainment manager Robin Boltman was credited with gathering the passengers in the lounge and playing music to calm them. South Korean authorities have arrested Capt. Steve said, We had to hold onto the anchor line with all our strength. In last year's Star Trek Into Darkness, the bad guy taunts Captain Kirk by saying, "No ship should go down without her captain.". 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. Avranas was charged with misconduct after it was discovered that he and numerous crew members left the ship while the passengers remained behind. He was never incarcerated and Epirotiki gave him command of a ferry until his retirement. The Costa Concordia was owned by Costa Crociere, a subsidiary of Carnival . Making things worse, the crew had dropped the anchor incorrectly, causing the ship to flop over even more dramatically. The sinking is the subject of a song called "Oceanos" by Celtic rock band Coast. Steve Minne and Johan Swart confirmed the formidable force of the current. The captain broadcasted a distress signal as he tried to steer the ship towards shore in order for rescuers to reach them. What happened to the captain and crew of the Oceanos? Creating equal decompression profiles for the two systems was a difficult task for Barry that took many hours of calculation. We strive for accuracy and fairness. A recording of his conversation with the Italian Coast Guard suggests he fled before all passengers were off, and resisted repeated orders to go back, saying the ship was tipping and it was dark. 2012 The Associated Press. But whatever the reason for getting too close, the Italian courts found the captain, four crew members and one official from the ships company, Costa Crociere (part of Carnival Corporation), to be at fault for causing the disaster and preventing a safe evacuation. Barry, Brett, and Paul disappeared below the surface. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yiannis_Avranas&oldid=1133434367, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 19:56. At sea, there's no question about who's in charge, so there's no doubt who is responsible for safety. If some people like to stay, they can stay. ", First published on January 19, 2012 / 3:02 PM. The Oceanos crew was referred to disciplinary inspection for withdrawal of diploma or grade, but they were all acquitted.. At sea he had no kindness. The open-circuit diver is therefore restricted in terms of profile and dive time due to the chosen static supply of gas content and quantity carried. Has the old idea that captains should not abandon ship itself been abandoned? Maritime law - DW - 01/19/2012 NAVY DIVER SAYS OCEANOS CAPTAIN DEMANDED TO BE ONE OF FIRST RESCUED. In 2022, Moss Hills who later became a cruise director was interviewed by Jane Garvey for BBC Radio 4's series Life Changing. At about 9:30p.m., a muffled explosion was heard and Oceanos lost power. I heard (former) Captain Avranas was stripped of his papers and sent to jailbut maybe his sentence was suspended??? Is the Oceanos still at the bottom of the ocean? The helicopter was used to survey conditions around the wreck that lies at a distance of 9.5km from Hole in the Wall. Ship Captain. 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. Smith was back in the news in 1940, when a letter in Life magazine suggested that the captain had ended his days as an elderly derelict in Lima, Ohio, known as Silent Smith. Among the evidence: The man had arrived in town three years after the Titanic disaster, would only give his name as Smith, was about Smiths age and size, and bore the sort of tattoos common among seafarers. Her bow hit the sand 92m below the surface, while more than 60m of her stern remained aloft; minutes later, she was gone. But his or her responsibility extends to executing the evacuation plan that all passenger ships are required to have and practice. Blowing in the same direction as the current, a strong northeasterly wind would slowly increase the rate of flow beyond that conducive for diving. Sinking of the Oceanos 1991 - Cruise Critic Community Heres some good live video when it happened!!! He had also left the radio operator on board, and they were talking. The day of the first dive had dawned. "In this case there was more than enough time for the moment of panic to pass. For example, three months after the Titanic disaster, in July 1912, a Baltimore man named Peter Pryal reported seeing Smith on the streets of that city. [3] He was quoted soon after the sinking as saying, "When I order abandon the ship, it doesn't matter what time I leave. I have made a mess and practically the whole ship is flooding, Schettino told Ferrarini while the ship was sinking. I would avoid any cruise that involves a Greek ship! Captains Uncourageous: Abandoning Ship Long Seen As A Crime History Post: The Journey of MTS Oceanos, the Day the Cruise Ship Went May she rest in peace and be as kind to those that follow this great accomplishment. The ship underwent several name changes, including Mykinai, Ancona, Eastern Princess, and finally, in 1976, under the ownership of Pontos Nav SA, she was registered in Piraeus, Greece, under the name of SS Oceanos. Spouse. Making the most of the break, the team took some time out from the daily diving routine to explore the remarkable area with its beautiful landscapes and majestic sea views. I am on business., Pryal said he trailed Smith to a train station. Several estimated it was no more than five miles away. In more than 40 years at sea he had rarely been involved in an accident and never held accountable for one. Physical and psychological training, descent strategies, bottom times, gas mixes, decompression profiles, equipment, and logistical planning; all these considerations had to be finalized before the team arrived on location at the Hole in the Wall hotel, where supportive technical diving and medical infrastructures do not exist. ", Report: Captain claims he "tripped" into lifeboat. A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. Being one of the worlds most difficult wrecks to reach and successfully dive, the Oceanos offers great rewards for technical divers at the top of their game. [9], A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. Nearby vessels responded to the ships SOS and were the first to assist. Here's a link if you want to see a video of the story. Nobody cared until that time if those who left on the boats were alive. In the time of need, however, the crew found that everything was useless. Top 10 Disgraced Captains Who Abandoned Ship - Listverse ), READ MORE: Titanic By the Numbers: From Construction to Disaster to Discovery. The captain of the Oceanos was alerted to the problem after receiving reports of water entering some of the cabins on board. Does anyone know of the current whereabouts of former Captain Yiannis Avranas of the doomed Oceanos? Moss and Tracy, who now live in Liverpool, continued working as cruise ship entertainers for many years. By Jean Laborde went through many different owners and name changes (Jean Laborde, Mykinai, Ancona, Eastern Princess) in the succeeding decades. The captain must first ensure the safety of his passengers, then of his crew and, finally, of the ship, though the notion that he's supposed to go down with it is more legend than fact. [2] Photographs taken in 2002 show that the bridge section has collapsed. He remains incarcerated in a prison just outside of Rome, where he is expected to stay until he is around 80 years old. 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. 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. Technical diving is an exact science, and every member of the team performed their tasks with efficiency and focus. "You need someone on the ship to communicate with them, to command the people who are on the ship, to help get the passengers off and to guide the rescuers.". In the British and American inquiries that followed, a more complicated picture emerged. Updated: April 12, 2023 | Original: November 12, 2020. 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. Employer. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/news/titanic-captain-edward-smith-final-hours-death. There were also 12 inflatable rescue media on the cruise ship. Sometimes we were almost horizontal going down. 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. Realizing the ships fate, the crew fled in panic, neglecting to close the lower deck portholes, which is standard policy during emergency procedures. 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? Then 15 minutes later, the bubbles returned, and there was a sigh of relief. What happened to the crew and captain? From that point on, Smiths activities become more of a blur. Captain Yiannis Avranas (born c. 1940) had been an officer for twenty years and a seaman for thirty. He in consultation with the international federation fled Nikolaou to Greece.