In two months it will be a year since the Costa Concordia sank off the coast of the Tuscan island, Giglio. The cruise ship disaster claimed 32 lives, and the captain of the ship, Francesco Schettino, has received a tumult of blame and criticism for both how he handled the situation and how he may also be to blame for causing it.
In a recent interview, Schettino has announced that he is writing a book that will reveal the truth behind the Costa Concordia disaster in effort to vindicate himself and deflect some of the blame that has been heaped upon him.
In the interview, the former captain of the Concordia said he will be revealing things that people do not want to come to light. “All I read about me are indecent falsehoods,” he said, according to ABC News, and “I will not be massacred by defaming lies.” There is evidence, he claimed, that tells a completely different story.
Not only has Schettino lost his job over the Concordia tragedy, but he is also facing charges of possible manslaughter.
Schettino’s book is supposed to give his account of what happened aboard the sinking cruise vessel and will explain his actions. The captain claims there are witnesses for all of his claims in the book as well.
During the interview Schettino claimed he left the cruise ship because he was afraid for his life.
“I found myself standing on a deck which was tilted at a 90 degree angle. We could no longer walk, we had no grip, and people less agile than me ended up falling overboard. But notwithstanding the water that was flooding into the bridge, I still continued to help passengers get on board the lifeboats that were shuttling to and from the shore.”
“At that point I could have chosen to die by being crushed by the ship 20 meters from the shore,” Schettino continued, “or take command of the lifeboat and attempt to get dozens of people to safety. I chose the second option. There are dozens of witnesses who will confirm this.”
Schettino explains in the interview that he was more or less “forced into the lifeboat” and that he does not know if he slipped or fell.
Appearing to duck responsibility, Schettino says that he was not in command when the ship struck the reef but the ship was in the hands of an officer. But after evidence has surfaced showing the captain was in command at least 6 minutes before the ship struck the reef, the captain explains that he was on the phone and was distracted.
So is this book deal all about the money for Schettino? We were wondering the same thing and found that the group that is leading a class action suit against the owners of the Concordia is vowing to make sure all of the money that Schettino earns off the book goes to the survivors of the wreck and to the families who have lost loved ones. But to be sure, Schettino will make a pretty penny off the sales of this book as well.
