# Costa Concordia Salvage Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 18, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-concordia-salvage-question/669117 "2013-09-18T02:17:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-concordia-salvage-question/669117/41 "2013-09-27T19:20:46Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Actually the start time on my link somehow got corrupted; [this one should be a little better](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8wCecMTbRQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=284) (should start at 4:44), just a little bit of prelude with the actual grounding starting at 6:30. > > Plenty of other good examples out there. See YouTube and search for “beaching a ship”. It does not start at 4:44 for me. It starts at zero, and it’s a 20:42 video. I do not have an account on youtube. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2019, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-concordia-salvage-question/669117/42 "2019-04-23T21:07:01Z")
Bumped. PBS’s _Nova_ will rebroadcast a documentary about the salvage operation on May 1- check local listings: [https://www.pbs.org/video/nova-sunken-ship-rescue-preview/](https://www.pbs.org/video/nova-sunken-ship-rescue-preview/) ---
**Author:** ![zuer-coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ba9def/32.png) [@zuer-coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuer-coli)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-concordia-salvage-question/669117/43 "2019-04-24T02:16:27Z")
> [@j\_sum1](#): > > Ok. I stand corrected. I should have thought of that. > > Still, I think there might be occasions where flotation as opposed to lifting may be suitable for some salvage operations. If you can find a copy of “On The Bottom” by Commander and later Rear Admiral Edward Ellsberg. You will find a true story of the salvage of the U.S. Navy Submarine S-51. Short version: Over a period that lasted about two years there were two major diving seasons during which Hard Hat divers closed up interior compartments and filled various holes. Holes that ranged from sheared rivets to major hatchways. A large part of the second diving season the divers rigged pontoons and prepared to float the Sub. Very interesting reading. Note however the major differences in circumstances and available technology. Respectfully yours, Zuer-coli ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-concordia-salvage-question/669117/44 "2019-04-24T05:09:19Z")
A bit late, but in response to others in aggregate… Uprighting a ship is extremely dangerous, the [wiki site](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Concordia) says it has 114,147 gross tonnage, that’s nothing like a canoe or a shipping container on a truck. So, probably lotsa calculations as to how to right the ship safely and not cause any more damage. But, looking at the wiki, man, someone made a bad navigation decision. I’ve never piloted a ship, and I’ve never been a captain, but I can’t imagine the risk of cutting the route that much shorter would save that much more money to make it worth it. Just an IMO. Also, for those that have never been, the below decks part of a ship is like a honeycomb, mainly to contain a situation like this. However, the six hour evacuation time is well past the required 30 minutes. This is like the 737 MAX were industry had a lot more day in the regulations compared to public safety. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-concordia-salvage-question/669117/45 "2019-04-24T11:50:09Z")
> [@electronbee](#): > > But, looking at the wiki, man, someone made a bad navigation decision. I’ve never piloted a ship, and I’ve never been a captain, but I can’t imagine the risk of cutting the route that much shorter would save that much more money to make it worth it. Just an IMO. It wasn’t about saving money - it was a [“sail-past salute.”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sail-by_salute) From the [Costa Concordia disaster Wikipedia page:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Concordia_disaster#Situation_on_the_bridge) > [@Wikipedia](#): > > The captain said that Costa Cruises managers told him to perform a sail-past salute on 13 January 2012.[44] Previously, on 14 August 2011, the ship took a similar sail-past route, but not as close to Le Scole.[45] 14 August 2011 sail-past was approved by Costa Cruises and was done in daylight during an island festival.[38] The normal shipping route passes about 8 km (5 mi) offshore. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-concordia-salvage-question/669117/46 "2019-04-24T17:45:07Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > “Sailed in” does’t quite cover it. Standard procedure (at least at third-world shipbreaking sites) is to sail the ship onto the beack at full steam, [like this.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8wCecMTbRQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=361) Once it’s run aground, they tie it down (just to make sure it doesn’t float away again) and start cutting it up. I just got done reading a history of the Seabees published in November, 1944 and the author mentioned that is how the LSTs would beach themselves, only they’d drop an anchor a hundred or so yards out so they could winch themselves off of the beach again. He said specifically how the skippers would have to suppress their life-long “don’t touch the bottom” instincts to do a proper job. The Seabees would get involved because, especially in the South Pacific, reefs could prevent the ship from reaching the beach proper and the Seabees would link together 5x5x7 navy [lighterage boxes](https://books.google.com/books?id=2yADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA91&lpg=PA91&dq=Navy+Lighterage+pontoons+%22Popular+Science%22&source=bl&ots=vr4VNSb0aj&sig=TaBq1w96Z-QkTHfMtV6ZTSiFuBM&hl=en&ei=wDjmTPGhKdnhnQehyMT2DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=true) to make a floating quay to reach out from the beach to the LST. He mentioned how they would lie in parallel several yards apart and when a ship was emptied the quay would be angled over to its neighbor while it backed off for another to take its place. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costa-concordia-salvage-question/669117.md?page=2)