They boarded the luxurious cruise ship with dreams of a romantic Mediterranean holiday filled with sunshine, cocktails and exotic destinations.
But on January 13, 2012 at about 9:45pm in calm seas and overcast weather, the Costa Concordia, under command of Captain Francesco Schettino, struck a rock just off the eastern shore of Isola del Giglio on the western coast of Italy and tore a 50 meter gash on the port side of her hull, which soon flooded parts of the ship’s engine room and she eventually sank.
Of the 3,229 passengers and 1,023 crew known to have been aboard, 32 died.
Now, almost two-and-a-half years since the doomed vessel met her fate, Italian police divers have entered the 950-foot vessel and captured startling footage of her final watery resting place.
The footage provides an eerie fisheye view of the wreck of the Concordia which appears remarkably intact despite the 18 months she has spent under the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Through the clear turquoise blue water, the divers reveal the twisted metal of pipes of the wreck as fish swim by.
Elaborate staircases that would have taken the guests from their staterooms to the dining room remain intact and the divers float silently down the empty corridors where the guests would have strolled to the pool decks and bars.
There are also poignant reminders of the passengers and crew who met their fate on the crippled ship — a magazine on the pool deck, an unmanned reception desk complete with a vase of flowers and a computer screen, and empty deckchairs where guests would have sipped their pina coladas and watch the world sail by.
As the video ends, the diver from Italy’s Carabinieri police emerges from the murky water to find himself inside the huge central atrium of the ship, which sits above the waterline.
Following installation of the last sponson, we can start the countdown to refloating and final departure of the wreck.
- Michael Thamm, Costa Cruises Chief Executive
The divers entered the vessel after it was righted in September 2013 onto a specially built undersea platform and captured the footage.
Captain Schettino also went back on board the cruiseliner on February 27 for the first time since the ship sank, accompanied by experts investigating the incident.
Now, salvage crews plan to refloat the ship and return it to its home base of Genoa where the crippled vessel will be dismantled for scrap.
The last of 30 stabilizing devices or “sponsons” was attached to the wreck yesterday and technicians will now start to test all the systems for the final refloating, the Concordia Wreck Removal Project said in a statement.
“Following installation of the last sponson, we can start the countdown to refloating and final departure of the wreck,” Michael Thamm, chief executive of Costa Cruises, a unit of the liner’s owner Carnival Corp, said in the statement.
The hulking wreck will be raised on July 14, initially by just two meters to check that the punctured hull does not shatter and spew tonnes of mattresses, rotten food and chemicals into the surrounding pristine waters.
If all goes well, the ship will be floated off the platform into deeper water to allow chains to be fastened under the ship to make it sturdier.
Next, the Costa Concordia will be slowly raised a total of 12 meters using 30 giant metal flotation tanks which have been fixed to the side of the ship and can be pumped full of air.
As it is slowly raised, deck by deck, workers will clear out debris emerging above the water line. Next, nets will be fixed around the ship to stop any further debris falling out as the ship is towed off, around July 20.
The ship will then make its final journey to the port of Genoa, where it will be scrapped.