Captain’s Last Supper on Board Costa Concordia

Cruise disaster: Captain ordered dinner as ship sank

One of the cooks aboard the stricken cruise ship which capsized off the coast of Giglio, Italy says the captain ordered him to make his dinner after the ship had crashed into rocks.

 A Filipino crew member from the stricken cruise liner said the captain seemed unconcerned about the crash which happened around nine thirty on Friday night.

Rogelio Barista, a cook on board the Costa Concordia said: "The captain wanted us to cook for him around ten or ten thirty, and I saw him with a woman we did not recognize. I asked the other cook, Jason Velasco, what the captain was thinking. That time, everything was falling apart, including our cooking.

"I couldn't believe what was happening. I've had plenty of experiences in my years as a cook with catastrophes like fires inside the ship, even inside Costa Concordia, and I willed myself not to get scared. I peered outside to see the captain and saw him still waiting for his drink.

"I asked myself why he was still there waiting for his companion's dessert with what was happening.”

The captain, Francesco Schettino, was arrested and accused of manslaughter and abandoning his ship before all those on board were evacuated. Prosecutors say he also refused to go back on board when requested by the coastguard.



Read More