# Any chance they can get the grounded Italian ship back upright? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 14, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541 "2012-01-14T23:02:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/1 "2012-01-14T23:02:00Z")
Based on the photos, can they ever get this ship back upright? Maybe lots of tugboats? Its grounded on a sandbar and can’t sink. What would be the procedure for recovering the ship? I’m assuming they won’t wait a 100 years for it to rust away. > [@](#): > > “We can confirm that the ship has a breach on the hull of about 90 meters, and that the right side of it is completely under water.” > **[Two survivors rescued from grounded cruise ship | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2012/01/14/world/europe/italy-cruise-deaths/index.html?hpt=hp_t1)** > > Rescuers reached two trapped survivors in the interior of a cruise ship more than 24 hours after it ran aground off a picturesque Italian island. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/2 "2012-01-15T01:42:27Z")
Maybe that aircraft carrier in Kansas can tow it away. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/3 "2012-01-15T02:02:57Z")
The question isn’t whether they can do it – they can – but whether the cost of doing it is justified. Consider the battleships at Pearl Harbor. Every single one was damaged or sunk by bombs and torpedoes, and all but the _Arizona_ were eventually afloat again. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/4 "2012-01-15T02:03:59Z")
The cargo ship MS Rocknes [overturned completely](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3412079.stm), had a hole cut in the bottom and sank, and ended up being repaired and put back in to service. From a machine translated page, it looks like it was towed upside-down to a dock, where it was righted. I imagine the damage on a passenger ship is of a substantially different type, but I wouldn’t rule it out yet. ---
**Author:** ![robinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/848f3c/32.png) [@robinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinson)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/5 "2012-01-15T02:10:27Z")
If you can find a drydock big enough and close enough. gross displacement 112000 tons per [http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=247158500](http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=247158500). The hole is exposed, so it is conceivable to patch it enough to get it to the builders shipyard in Genoa. Have to schedule the space. Once the hull is watertight, buoyancy bags and pumps should float it. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/6 "2012-01-15T02:14:27Z")
That link says the ship was built in 2006. Not quite six years old. It should be worth fixing. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/7 "2012-01-15T02:23:10Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > That link says the ship was built in 2006. Not quite six years old. It should be worth fixing. I wonder. It got that way by hitting a _sand bar_? Jeez, maybe its a total piece of shit. Maybe it went aground so hard they can’t pull it loose without chopping it up. And then there’s the imponderables. Would people want to book cruises on a ship that already sank once? Be interesting if there’s any history on that. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/8 "2012-01-15T03:07:23Z")
Earlier today I asked a retired U. S. Navy Captain this question. His response was a follows: “First step will be to patch the holes in the bottom then ballast/balance it so it can be towed to deep enough water to be slooooooooowly righted by a combo of removing high weight and ballasting. Or, the insurer may decide it’s not worth repairing so my salvage and scrap it!” ---
**Author:** ![robinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/848f3c/32.png) [@robinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinson)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/9 "2012-01-15T04:22:32Z")
1. It had a rock the size of a house wedged in the hole. Not a sand bar. 2. They will change the name. ---
**Author:** ![robinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/848f3c/32.png) [@robinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinson)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/10 "2012-01-15T04:26:37Z")
Even if scrap, they have to move it soon. Its too near a harbor entrance. Compare BBC News pix and Google Earth. It is clear that the ship did a 180 degree turn coming in, which explains the change from a port list to a starboard list. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/11 "2012-01-15T05:13:12Z")
Aside: I saw one of its sister ships in Croatia last September, the Costa Favolosa. It was freaking _enormous_. Aside #2: Jesus H. Christ. Google translate turns “meters” into “feet”. My translation of the La Reppublica article says the hole is “70 feet” long. Who the hell thought that was a good idea?! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/12 "2012-01-15T05:44:17Z")
Pics of the Costa Favolosa:[ul][_][Costa Favolosa at anchor](http://crowaptok.com/images/costa/favolosa1.JPG)[_][Costa Favolosa with our hotel in the foreground](http://crowaptok.com/images/costa/favolosa2.JPG)[_][Passengers being ferried to and from Dubrovnik](http://crowaptok.com/images/costa/favolosa3.JPG)[_][Costa Favolosa heading out to sea](http://crowaptok.com/images/costa/favolosa4.JPG)[\*][Bonus picture of Dubrovnik](http://crowaptok.com/images/costa/Dubrovnik.jpg)[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/13 "2012-01-15T06:15:17Z")
If I understood my old-salt WWII and life-long sailor grandfather correctly, sailors consider it to be very, very bad luck to re-christen a ship. The only acceptable circumstance is if it has been sunk and then raised and put back into service. I do wonder what they will do with it, if it’s deemed repairable. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/14 "2012-01-15T06:22:35Z")
I must say, I don’t think the ship is particularly classy-looking. It looks like an apartment building with a bow stuck on it. Of course, that doesn’t justify crashing it into rocks. What’s the story on why exactly it crashed? Was the captain drunk? Was he incompetent? Or was it a sheer accident? Since the man was arrested for manslaughter, I’m assuming he has to be at least partially at fault. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/15 "2012-01-15T06:36:37Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > What’s the story on why exactly it crashed? Was the captain drunk? Was he incompetent? Or was it a sheer accident? Since the man was arrested for manslaughter, I’m assuming he has to be at least partially at fault. From what I can glean from La Reppublica, it hit a shoal that the captain said wasn’t on any chart. This is being greeted with skepticism by other experts who say that the ship was “on autopilot” and also that it was [human error](http://video.repubblica.it/cronaca/errore-umano-la-nave-era-troppo-vicina-alla-costa/85740/84129): For the CEO of SNAV [a rival cruise firm], Commander Raphael Aniello, “Ships with volumes as large as ten buildings can not navigate to within three hundred metres of the coast. And it is unlikely that the shoal was not indicated in nautical maps - as argued by the commander of the Costa Concordia - the maps are very up to date.” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/16 "2012-01-15T06:43:42Z")
Wouldn’t speed be a factor for such a huge hole? The reports sounds like that rock opened the hull like a can opener. It’s not that unusual for ships to run aground without this kind of damage. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/17 "2012-01-15T13:32:14Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > I must say, I don’t think the ship is particularly classy-looking. It looks like an apartment building with a bow stuck on it. I agree, all of these new mega cruise ships are the ugliest things ever to sail on the seas. It’s like taking a barge and putting a 1960s Holiday Inn on top and call it a ship. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/18 "2012-01-15T13:57:45Z")
Based on what I have read, this was pretty clearly human error. The deployment of the lifeboats was disorganized with officers and crew giving conflicting orders to the passengers. Also, they did that ‘women and children first’ thing which tears up families. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/19 "2012-01-15T14:13:50Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Based on what I have read, this was pretty clearly human error. The jury’s still out [according to the Beeb](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16563732). It was off course “by 3-4 nautical miles”, but the primary fault may still be mechanical, although the situation is unforgivable in terms of commanding the vessel. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541/20 "2012-01-15T14:40:57Z")
There seem to be conflicting versions, although they generally seem to agree in that someone was not following standard protocols for such an event. > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > And then there’s the imponderables. Would people want to book cruises on a ship that already sank once? Be interesting if there’s any history on that. One thing’s for sure. No Celine Dion in the music library or playlists of the refurbushed vessel.😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-they-can-get-the-grounded-italian-ship-back-upright/609541.md?page=2)