Reckless Abandon: The Costa Concordia Disaster

by Edward Jones

On Friday the 13th of January 2012, an admittedly bad omen in terms of dates, the modern cruise liner Costa Concordia began sinking off the Italian port town of Isola del Giglio, Tuscany after striking a reef off the Italian coast. The reef ripped a massive gash in the ship’s hull, flooded, and capsized the cruise ship in a matter of hours. For over four thousand individuals, what began as the holiday of a lifetime quickly turned into a night of sheer panic and terror, and sadly for some, the final night of their lives. (Updated June 2012 with more first person accounts and optimized for a better reading experience on non-color as well as color Kindles.)Many have asked how, given the state-of-the-art navigation systems present on modern cruise liners, such an accident could possibly take place. In this engrossing Kindle e-book, best-selling technology author Edward C. jones gives you a detailed look at the first-hand accounts, the chaotic confusion that followed the collision, the mixed signals from the captain and crew, the navigational blunders, the accusations of ineptitude and cowardice, and the tales of heroism that together encompassed this major maritime disaster of the 21st century. Included in this gripping tale is a copy of the now infamous transcript between Capt. Schettino and the Italian Coast Guard Commander DeFalco; riveting statements by members of the dining staff who were asked to serve the captain and a guest as the ship was taking on water; and first-person accounts from passengers who thought that the night would be their last.

84 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 31, 2012