When his "death-glorious ship" sinks, Ahab mourns that he's been denied the "pride" of having gone down with her. [5], No alarm or announcement had been given that the ship was in trouble; with other entertainers working on the cruise, Moss Hills a musician from Zimbabwe and former member of Four Jacks and a Jill who had been performing with his wife Tracy in the lounge, explored below decks, discovered that Oceanos appeared to be sinking, and were informed by the cruise director, Lorraine Betts, that the captain had given the order to abandon ship and some crew had already left in a lifeboat. Tonight on Dateline(NBC) they are doing a special about the sinking of the Greek cruise ship, Oceanos, and the survivors from 8-4-91. This is an amazing story -- if they're doing a new story maybe something new has happened -- like maybe the captain will finally be . August 3, 1991: An explosion shakes the engine room of the Greek cruise ship, Oceanos, as it sails off the South African coast. The objective was to show how the application of experience and established diving technique to a near-insurmountable challenge could safely lead to success. Rescue helicopters began arriving three hours later, and winched passengers and remaining crew to safety, with Hills continuing in charge of the orderly evacuation. Those who did earned instant infamy, like the captain of the Greek luxury liner Oceanos, which sank in rough seas off South Africa in 1991. The ship's captain, Yiannis Avranas, had 30 years' experience at sea. Francesco Schettino had handed himself in to the Rebibbia prison in Rome after the verdict, his lawyer said. The World witnessed an ugly scene back on 03 August 1991 when MTS Oceanos sunk in 1991 because of uncontrolled floods. The 402 passengers and 179 crew members all survived, but Captain Yiannis Avranas and other officers left the ship while some passengers were still on board. He speaks five foreign languages, originally from Kasos, but was born in Egypt. Oceanos was very poorly maintained while simultaneously operating in one of the most dangerous and rough areas of the oceans. In last year's Star Trek Into Darkness, the bad guy taunts Captain Kirk by saying, "No ship should go down without her captain.". MTS Oceanos was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when she suffered uncontrolled flooding. No alarm was raised. ", the captain of the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia. "But that would come after the ship has been evacuated," he added. And he did not lighten his position after the accident when he told a foreign television station: The ship's abandonment applies to . Captain of MTS Oceanos. Unbelievable but true - an account of the terrifying conditions on the OCEANOS on 4 August 1991 when it became obvious that not only was the position of the ship unknown, but the whereabouts of the captain and some crew as well. An iceberg, sir, First Officer William Murdoch replied. "I'm kind of flummoxed that a master of a passenger ship anywhere in the world would not understand his obligation extends until that last person is safely off the ship," says Craig Allen, director of the Arctic Law & Policy Institute at the University of Washington. Share; Posted May 23, 2010. The South African Navy and Air Force launched a massive seven-hour mission in which 16 helicopters were used to airlift the remainder of the passengers and crew to the nearby settlements of The Haven and Hole in the Wall, about 10km south of Coffee Bay. He wanted to see where they were taking the crew to land. He immediately ordered an evacuation of all passengers and crew. He made the wrong choice. Captain Yiannis Avranas (born c. 1940) had been an officer for twenty years and a seaman for thirty. The incident came two years after Francesco Schettino, the captain of the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia, was charged with manslaughter and abandoning ship charges he denies. On schedule, the shallow-water backup team left the boat and descended toward the decompressing divers. Her captain, Yiannis Avranas, and some of the crew were convicted of negligence for fleeing the ship without helping the passengers, who were subsequently rescued thanks to the efforts of the ship's entertainers, who made a mayday transmission, launched lifeboats, and helped South African Marines land on the ship from naval helicopters. Both literature and real life offer plenty of examples of shipmasters who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect their passengers and crew. "When I order abandon ship, it doesn't matter what time I leave," Avranas said. The ship they spotted in the distance didnt answer, but several others did. The ships engineer reported to Captain Yiannis Avranias that water was entering the hull and flooding the generator room. Rear Adm. Richard Gurnon, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy called Schettino's actions "abhorrent" and a violation of an unwritten code. An In Memoriam vintage postcard featuring the Titanic which sank after hitting an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April 14, 1912 and commemorating her captain, Edward Smith and brave bandsmen, published in Redruth, c. May 1912. TRY ASKING HOST DOUGhe usually knows those things. The most famous, perhaps, is the captain of the Titanic, E.J. Special Event: Q&A with Rudi Schreiner, President, Co-Founder & Co-Owner - AmaWaterways River Cruises, Q&A with Avoya Travel: Learn How to Turn Your Passion into Success by Becoming an Independent Travel Advisor. Meanwhile, he told the ships two wireless operators to get ready to transmit distress signals. What happened to the crew and captain? Smith was back in the news in 1940, when a letter in Life magazine suggested that the captain had ended his days as an elderly derelict in Lima, Ohio, known as Silent Smith. Among the evidence: The man had arrived in town three years after the Titanic disaster, would only give his name as Smith, was about Smiths age and size, and bore the sort of tattoos common among seafarers. dontpanik, July 2, 2007 in What Ever Happened To..??? He said he supervised the . Making the most of the break, the team took some time out from the daily diving routine to explore the remarkable area with its beautiful landscapes and majestic sea views. The notorious Master of the vessel was Captain Yiannis Avranas. The 402 passengers and 179 crew members all survived, but Captain Yiannis Avranas and other officers left the ship while some passengers were still on board. [5] The final minutes of her sinking were captured on video and broadcast by ABC News. EAST LONDON, South Africa . The sense that captains are beyond the law that they are the law, or at least they were, during the age of sail is why they make such great bad guys. [5] The generators were shut down because the rising water would have short circuited them. In August 1991 I was a junior partner in the maritime . Avranas was charged with misconduct after it was discovered that he and numerous crew members left the ship while the passengers remained behind. Bubbles moved toward the stern and then back again to amidships. No matter what time I leave. On the morning of July 12, 1952, Forges Chantiers de la Gironde launched the last of four sister ships in Bordeaux, France, under the name of Jean Laborde. Very well, Pryal, the man supposedly answered, but please dont detain me. Once complete, the team focused on preparing for the dives. Smiths body was never recovered, and his final moments remain a mystery, with no shortage of conflicting accountsincluding one in which he jumped off the ship holding a baby. The current, too, was very strong, and the team was worried. As author Wyn Craig Wade wrote in The Titanic: End of a Dream, Captain Smith had at least five different deaths, from heroic to ignominious. Rumors of his survival also circulated. [1] He was married to British national Davina Avrana.[3]. It is this forward section of the wreck that incurred the wrath of the ocean floor as the bow slammed into the seabed. Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features. From Times Wire Services. All considered, said Canadian-American fellow team member and cave diving world record holder Paul Heinerth, the Oceanos is probably one of the most, if not the most difficult wreck in the world to dive. The difficulties of diving on the Oceanos are extreme, but with commitment and proper planning, the dive is not impossible. Receive the latest AI investment news, offers, and updates from Rebellion Research. "If the master is simply looking out for himself or herself, you've breached your duty both legally and morally, to your ship, your crew and your passengers," says Allen, the University of Washington law professor. The Oceanos lies at a depth between 92m and 97m, about 5km offshore, on the western edge of the mighty Agulhas current. The team retired for the night, hoping that conditions would improve. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Since the year of her sinking, the Oceanos has remained in solitary confinement, guarded by the Agulhas current and the secluded landscape of the Transkei. Attaining a maximum depth of 86.4m, the three divers initially made their way North to the stern, where Brett Hawton had time to pose next to the raised Greek lettering, spelling out the name OKEANOZ. Sunk by uncontrolled flooding on 4 August 1991 off the coast of South Africa. Fourth Officer Joseph G. Boxhall made a quick inspection of the ship and returned to the bridge to report that he had found no damage. Others respect it as "an unwritten rule or law of the sea," said Capt. In between, however, the first engineer was terrified. "[12][13], Captain Alevizos Klaudatos, head of Epirotiki Line, was quoted in The Star as saying: "Of course the crew members assigned to the boats have to enter first in order to assist the embarkation of the passengers", "as regards the captain abandoning the vessel, this is untrue and he has maintained his position throughout in assisting the rescue in the most effective way". [2] Divers have visited her, but strong currents make the dive difficult. BE SURE TO FIRST CONSULT WITH A QUALIFIED FINANCIAL ADVISER, TAX PROFESSIONAL, OR ATTORNEY BEFORE IMPLEMENTING ANY STRATEGY OR RECOMMENDATION DISCUSSED HEREIN. They had returned them as they had sent them., Two babies, one 22 days old and the other one year old I put them down with a bucket (bucket) on the boat, he says. The captain must first ensure the safety of his passengers, then of his crew and, finally, of the ship, though the notion that he's supposed to go down with it is more legend than fact. [8] They were assisted by the lifeboats of the Dutch cargo ship Nedlloyd Mauritius, which had responded to the distress call. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Captain Yiannis Avranas who left passengers to die? The decision was to be his last as captain of the Oceanos. All three divers were ecstatic and eager to make the most of the prevailing conditions; the second dive was scheduled for the following day. The divers had penetrated 70m into the wreck with the aid of the scooters. ":rolleyes: I don't know what ever happened to him. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}320715S 290713E / 32.12083S 29.12028E / -32.12083; 29.12028 (Oceanos wreck). Should oxygen levels drop below those required by the diver, O2 can be computationally or manually injected into the system from an onboard cylinder to replenish the supply. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. I would avoid any cruise that involves a Greek ship! Reports indicate that at around 21:30 off the Wild Coast of the Transkei, the Oceanus Cruise ship lost its power following an explosion in the engine room. In its investigative report on the 2012 disaster, Italys Ministry of Infrastructures and Transports found that the Concordia was sailing too close to the coastline, in a poorly lit shore areaat an unsafe distance at night time and at high speed (15.5 kts)., In his trial, Captain Schettino blamed the shipwreck on Helmsman Jacob Rusli Bin, who he claimed reacted incorrectly to his order; and argued that if the helmsman had reacted correctly and quickly, the ship wouldnt have wrecked. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger crash-landed a flight in the Hudson River in 2009, he twice walked the plane to make sure no one was left onboard before leaving himself. It was owned by Epirotiki Lines of Greece and chartered at the time by a South African company, TFC Tours. Its captain was accused of manslaughter and abandoning the 4,200 passengers and crew on the night of the wreck. that after a series of freak waves slammed against the ship, the pipe's shell plating burst open and began filling the compartment with seawater. We were crazy to do that dive.. Spouse. En route to Durban, the Oceanos cruise ship set out from the port of East London on Saturday, August 3, 1991, into 40-knot winds and nine-meter swells. "I can't lift my face before the passengers and family members . Becky Little is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. This page is not available in other languages. South Korean authorities have arrested Capt. The open-circuit diver is therefore restricted in terms of profile and dive time due to the chosen static supply of gas content and quantity carried. Italys highest court has upheld the 16-year jail sentence given to the captain of the Costa Concordia, which capsized in 2012 killing 32 people. Still hoping to get the attention of the mysterious ship nearby, the captain ordered the firing of distress rockets at 12:45 a.m. At the same time, Boxhall tried to contact it with a signal lamp, flashing a plea for help in Morse code. Four months later, on December 23, Rehan Bouwer, Steve Minne, Johan Swart, Ian Symington, and Nicko Brand returned to the Oceanos. [25], "Oceanos" redirects here. From that point on, Smiths activities become more of a blur. What happened to the cruise ship Oceanos? From mariners on ships plying the world's oceans, the answer is loud and clear: Aye. Yiannis Avranas (born ca. None of the 571 passengers drowned. MTS Oceanos was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when it suffered uncontrolled flooding.MTS Oceanos. Everyone who had been put into lifeboats was rescued by passing ships and remarkably no lives were lost. They accused the crew and the captain, but if there werent good moves with so much inconvenience and so much wave who would be saved? The remaining members of the team waited on the boat; some recalled the video footage they had seen of the previous dive made on Monday afternoon and tried to imagine themselves being down there on the wreck with them. Epirotiki Line. Schettino reportedly said he ended up in a life raft after he tripped and fell into the water. This day turned out much better than expected. Abandonment is for everybody, if some people want to stay, they can stay. The teams arrival at Hole in the Wall on Saturday, May 3, was scheduled to coincide with a window period in which there is a reduction in the force of the Agulhas current. Outwardly, Smith seems to have kept up a brave front, appearing captain-like to the last, at least to most observers. Francesco Schettino Sparks Outrage", "Revisiting the sinking of Oceanos part 1:Heroic Rescue Effort Saves 571", Down With The Ship NPR Snap Judgement episode #726, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MTS_Oceanos&oldid=1151622929, Sunk by uncontrolled flooding on 4 August 1991 off the coast of, This page was last edited on 25 April 2023, at 05:19. Two small ships in the vicinity were first on the scene, and provided the ship's coordinates to the South African authorities. Physical and psychological training, descent strategies, bottom times, gas mixes, decompression profiles, equipment, and logistical planning; all these considerations had to be finalized before the team arrived on location at the Hole in the Wall hotel, where supportive technical diving and medical infrastructures do not exist. Usually, there would have been a "sail-away" party on deck with the ship's musicians and British . He remains incarcerated in a prison just outside of Rome, where he is expected to stay until he is around 80 years old. Lee Jun-Seok, who was one of the first to flee from the ferry as it sank on Wednesday. After five days of staying at the hotel, the other Greek sailors with the assistance of the Greek consular authorities also escaped. What happened to the captain of the Oceanos ship? The weather forecast was predicting a strong northeasterly wind by morning, a factor that could easily mean the end of the expedition. [3] Entertainment manager Robin Boltman was credited with gathering the passengers in the lounge and playing music to calm them. This statement has placed the 51-year-old . How did the Oceanos go into the sea? MACHINE LEARNING INVESTING IS SPECULATIVE BY NATURE. The ships were used on the Marseilles Madagascar Mauritius service. Many scenarios have been done, my brother. She came to rest on her starboard side almost perpendicular to the coastline, with her bow facing seaward. If some people like to stay, they can stay. The notorious master of the vessel was Captain Yiannis Avranas. STOCKHOLM - Seafaring tradition holds that the captain should be last to leave a sinking ship. But in interviews, Captain Avranas was unapologetic for leaving the ship ahead of others, saying he was better able to direct rescue efforts from shore. "His duty as the highest authority available short of God himself was to make sure his crew was safe before he left the ship," says Craig Symonds, a retired Naval Academy historian. Steve said, We had to hold onto the anchor line with all our strength. It was abject cowardice.". "It is my responsibility. Several estimated it was no more than five miles away. Then 15 minutes later, the bubbles returned, and there was a sigh of relief. . Evidence introduced in Schettinos trial suggests that the safety of his passengers and crew wasnt his number one priority as he assessed the damage to the Concordia. Several witnesses claimed to have seen him in the water. What happened to the Italian cruise ship captain? Maritime experts said the tradition of a captain standing by his ship isn't established in international maritime law. Special Section: Italian Cruise DisasterCruise ship to port: It's just a blackoutPressure mounts on cruise ship divers. Although only three divers made it to the wreck, it was the role of each team member that made it possible. "The captain called the men to attention," says William Fowler, a maritime historian at Northeastern University. This window period, although based on unscientific information provided by maritime vessels in the area, falls in May and December. None of the 571 passengers drowned. [4] Boltman told a newspaper: "Later in the morning, Captain Avarnasi (sic) even contacted me from shore to ask how things were going. Back in the early 1990's came an incredible event, most now, don't remember or know about. May she rest in peace and be as kind to those that follow this great accomplishment. On open-circuit scuba, the exhaled breath is not fed back into the system but is expelled and is no longer useable. What Was the Titanics Captain Doing While the Ship Sank. In 1994, his English wife Davina published a book about the sinking, titled The Oceanos Tragedy. The ship started taking on water, rapidly flooding the engine room. The crew said that likely saved their lives, because the ship's emergency beacon didn't work. Allen dismissed that idea, saying the captain's knowledge of his ship is crucial in an emergency. In 1991, Yiannis Avranas, the captain of a Greek cruise liner, was also strongly criticised after leaving the ship as it started to sink off the South African coast. "[9] They were among the last to be rescued. Captains accused of leaving prematurely often claim they can manage the situation better from the safety of a lifeboat, rescue vessel or on shore. Pryal was no ordinary crank, but a highly regarded local businessman who claimed to have been an officer aboard the White Star liner Majestic some 30 years before, when Smith was its captain. They understood their roles and contributed to the success of this dive. After Capt. A very small loss of hull integrity caused a storage tank in the lower machine spaces to fill with sea water. What is glucosamine and fish oil good for? The avoidable disaster killed 32 people and seriously injured many others, and left investigators wondering: Why was the luxury cruise ship sailing so close to the shore in the first place? I knew then we were soon going.. [10][failed verification], Avranas claimed that he left the ship first in order to arrange for a rescue effort,[11] and then supervised it from a helicopter. Towards the end, passengers had to jump into . Diesel, emanating from the wreck for nearly 12 years, was visible around the marker buoy an indication that the entire water column lay still. I wanted to go down to the deck, where they were left lying on the floor, covered with blankets, passengers and crew members who sang to get courage. Even before the journey started, the ship had already started to wear. [5][23][24], The Oceanos wreck lies at a depth of between 92m (302ft) and 97m (318ft), about 5km (3.1mi) offshore. Gas exchanges with backup divers at set points during the ascent worked flawlessly, and the divers surfaced on schedule without incident. By That is unbelievable!! ", "Costa Concordia Tragedy: Capt. Known for. The ship ran aground off the Italian coast in 2012, killing 32 people. [7][failed verification] The NPR radio show and podcast Snap Judgment featured an account of the sinking by Moss Hills. In 1976, she was acquired by Epirotiki Lines of Greece and registered under the name of Oceanos.[2]. The last charge carries a potential sentence of 12 years in prison. The international and some Greek media condemned the attitude of Captain Yiannis Avranas. In 1965, the captain and several other crew members were among the first to abandon ship after the Yarmouth Castle caught fire and started sinking off the Bahamas, killing 90. [5], Oceanos sank bow first approximately 45 minutes after the last person was airlifted from the deck. Under charter by TFC Tours,[1] Oceanos initially delayed by a bomb threat set out from East London, South Africa on 3 August 1991, and headed for Durban. Jean Laborde went through many different owners and name changes (Jean Laborde, Mykinai, Ancona, Eastern Princess) in the succeeding decades. Three years later she wrote in her book entitled, The Tragedy of the Oceanos: Christos Nikolaou, an Oceanist, had a relative who was an executive at the Panhellenic Federation. When the team arrived at the wreck marker buoys, it was evident that the current was almost non-existent and the wind and swell had all but disappeared. 1940) had been an officer for twenty years and a seaman for thirty. Maritime experts say such manifestations of courage at sea far outnumber incidents in which captains saved themselves and left their passengers behind. Originally built as a passenger/cargo vessel, the Oceanos underwent massive reconstruction by the time she came to operate as a cruise liner for Epirotiki Lines of Greece. One of the most famous involved the HMS Birkenhead, which wrecked off the coast of South Africa in 1852 while transporting British troops to war. Captain Yiannis Avranas told reporters in Durban that he did not desert the ship but left to coordinate rescue efforts from shore. ), READ MORE: Titanic By the Numbers: From Construction to Disaster to Discovery. Nobody cared until that time if those who left on the boats were alive. Does anyone know of the current whereabouts of former Captain Yiannis Avranas of the doomed Oceanos? The first engineer along with some of the engine room got on a boat and left. "Ahab is a great example in the sense that he knows a captain should go down with his ship," says Wyn Kelley, a Melville scholar at MIT. The international and some Greek media condemned the attitude of Captain Yiannis Avranas. Nothing less will do in this profession," said Jorgen Loren, captain of a passenger ferry operating between Sweden and Denmark and chairman of the Swedish Maritime Officer's Association. A little more than an hour after impact, the crew began to evacuate the ship. The day of the first dive had dawned. Cowardice comes in many forms, but there's a special sense of shame reserved for captains who abandon ship. It is generally a sequence of events, things that line up in a bad way that ultimately create that incident., READ MORE: 5 Maritime Disasters You Might Not Know About. The current on the surface was running reverse, and there was no sign of the dreaded Northeaster. MTS Oceanos was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when she suffered uncontrolled flooding. Brett and Paul penetrated the portside corridor behind the on-deck pool while Barry singularly explored the large dining hall area. hide caption. The impact damaged the ship, allowing water to seep in and putting the 4,229 people on board in danger.
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