Dude, it's 2012. How do you . . . .

[7 Iron]

sink a cruise liner?

 

[WithoutAClue]

talent?

 

[texas_ex2000]

I'm pretty sure they're a few Navy vets that post here with several of those being SWOs (Surface Warfare Officers) who can speak to this.

Driving a 70,000 ton floating hotel that takes about a half mile to stop and turn ain't exactly easy. In fact, during nighttime with poor visibility it's pretty freaking hard.

That said, he most likely shouldn't have been that close to the shore in the first place.

 

[TNLonghorn]

Latest news reports this morning on TV said the captain deviated off course to show the ship off to tourists on nearby island.

 

[TheGallopinGoose]

It's been 100 years since the Titanic. You'd think we'd have figured out how to keep those things afloat by now.

 

[Dionysus]

Mistakes were made.

 

[Burnt Orangeman]

Missions were accomplished!

 

[Third Coast]

Not know where the rocks are?

 

[hooklahoma]

I dont know, but thats one of the greatest photos I've ever seen.

 

[TigerPride]

The captain was busy posting on Facebook

 

[biganakhanhda]

He was texting while shipping.

 

[MarylandHorn]

Having been a captain of a ship and a chart surveyor, I can tell you it's pretty easy to do what he did if you get cocky and think you are invincible. I'll be interested to see what finally comes of his claim that the rocks he hit weren't on the chart he was using. But even so, from what I've heard he was way too close to shallow water to allow for random error on a vessel that large with that much money and people's lives at stake.

Not all charts are perfect, especially if it's been a long time since the area was surveyed. New technology can cover 100% of the bottom and catch every rock pinnacle coming up off of the bottom, but until recent years all of the charts were made by running lines along the bottom at specific intervals. If the rock stuck up between the survey lines and was missed, it is possible it wasn't on the chart. This is why a prudent mariner leaves a large margin for error.

As ships get larger and the amount of traffic on the water increases, the margins for error keep getting smaller. This is why we are still re-charting areas that have already been charted for 100s of years.

 

[Longhorny630]

Obviously this blue part here is the land

 

[freyguy]

One would think those waters in particular would be one of the most charted and known paths in the world. Man has been sailing boats in that region for thousands of years.

 

[accuratehorn]

He was playing Angry Birds, give him a break.

 

[Rayug]

That has to be or going to be one hell of a recovery operation.

 

[Knoxville-Horn]

Longhorny630:

Beautiful Arrested Development reference.

 

[Statalyzer]

I don't really know what I'm talking about, but I'd think they'd have enough searchlights so that even on the darkest night they'd be able to see any object large enough to seriously damage the ship at a distance greater than the "we're screwed and can't avoid hitting this" distance.

 

[pasotex]

My car and phone have gps. Apparently, they have not gotten to Italy.