BBC Learning English Words in the News Costa Concordia captain speaks out 9 July 2012

The Italian captain of the Costa Concordia the cruise ship that hit rocks and sank - has released a letter defending his actions. In this first detailed public explanation since the catastrophe, Captain Francesco Schettino says he took a series of steps that averted an even greater disaster. The BBCs Alan Johnston reports on the captain's account: As the man in command of the Costa Concordia on the night she sank, Captain Schettino became a hate figure in the Italian media. Blame has been heaped on him for sailing his vessel recklessly close to a reef off the island of Giglo. But now, for the first time, he's tried to explain his actions publicly.

In a letter released by his lawyers, the captain seems to suggest that he should have been told by one of his crew that he was too close to the shore. But he says that he realised that he was too near shallow water when he saw breaking waves off to his left. He then immediately swung the vessel away to the right. That meant, he says, that a very serious head-on collision with the reef was avoided.

Instead there was a less damaging, glancing blow that enabled the ship to limp on rather than sink immediately with huge loss of life. Captain Schettino even suggests that what he calls "a divine hand" might have been guiding him as he made the crucial decision to turn. He says that after the collision he put into operation an emergency plan that involved shutting watertight doors and sailing his stricken ship into shallower water. This made it possible, he says, to abandon the vessel more safely. And again, he argues, this action saved lives.

Vocabulary and definitions

Words in the News bbclearningenglish.com

British Broadcasting Corporation 2012 Page 1 of 2

hate figure recklessly publicly

someone who is disliked by the public or blamed for something carelessly openly rather than privately

shallow head-on collision glancing blow limp on watertight stricken abandon

not deep direct hit smaller, less direct or damaging collision move slowly after suffering injury or damage sealed so that water cannot get through damaged leave, desert

Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/07/120709_costa_concordia_captain.shtml

Read more on this story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18728810

Words in the News bbclearningenglish.com

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