Titanic Month

To honor the Titanic centennial, the Captain's Table will be dedicating the whole month of April to the infamous disaster.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Captain Francesco Schettino

Since his ship, the Costa Concordia, capsized off the Italian island of Giglio on January 13, I think it's safe to say that Captain Francesco Schettino has become one of the most reviled men on planet Earth.

"Captain Coward" (as the press likes to call him) is accused of abandoning ship before all passengers were safely off. He also faces manslaughter charges for 17 fatalities (not to mention that 15 people are still missing and presumed dead).

Even if he is cleared of all charges, Captain Schettino's sea career is ruined.

Born in the town of Castellammare di Stabia, he comes from a long line of Italian seafarers. Captain Schettino and his brother decided to follow family tradition and went to sea. He attended the Nautical Institute in Piano di Sorrento and later found work with a ferry company. Operating between Sicily and Sardinia, he proved himself as a very capable officer. One fellow captain said that Schettino was, "The best of all of us."

He later found work with the Agip petroleum company before joining Costa Crociere in 2002. Schettino worked his way up to captain in 2006 and took command of some of the fleet's grandest ships. Some people have noted that he could seem arrogant at times, as well as overconfident of his own abilities.

In December 2010, he told the Czech paper Dnes, "I wouldn’t want to be the captain of the Titanic, forced to navigate between icebergs. But I think with the right preparation any situation can be overcome and any problem prevented." Captain Schettino went on to say, "I enjoy moments when something unpredictable happens, when you can diverge a bit from standard procedures."



References: Helen Weathers and Rebecca Evans, "Captain Coward had his eye on English dancer: After claims he was distracted by a woman on the bridge, passengers and crew reveal Casanova antics of crash skipper," Mail Online, January 31, 2012, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2089680/Costa-Concordia-Captain-Coward-Francesco-Schettino-eye-dancer-Domnica-Cemortan.html (accessed February 4, 2012).

The Lusitania: 96 Years Later

It was 96 years ago today that the Cunarder Lusitania was torpedoed by Imperial Germany's U-20. World War I raged in Europe, but America remained blissfully neutral. The grand ship set sail from New York for the last time on May 1, 1915. Travelers were warned by the Imperial German Embassy, who reminded them that a state of war existed between Germany and Britain. Many passengers paid this no mind.

One torpedo was fired as the ship made her way along the Irish coast, which struck just behind the wheelhouse on the starboard side. A second explosion rocked the Lusitania just seconds later, which many experts now believe was triggered by the ignition of coal dust in the near-empty bunkers.

The Lusitania - one of the Cunard's proudest and safest ships - went down in just 18 minutes. Her passengers and crew struggled for survival in that short period, but only 761 of the nearly 2,000 people aboard lived.

The reason for the attack has always been an issue. Germany maintained that the Lusitania was carrying arms and munitions (which indeed she was) and was therefore a legitimate target of war.

Just 305 feet below the waves rests the wreck of a once-noble liner. The sea has terribly ravaged her remains, yet it is unmistakably the Lusitania. Her bow looks as it did when she sailed from New York for the last time, and her name is still visible.

But may she act as a reminder for the cruel indifference that war brings. Many of those lost on May 7, 1915 were innocent and had little - if anything - to do with the Allied war effort. So may they and this grand ship rest forever in peace.