- The burden of command: In the last few days, as more and more information has trickled out regarding the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy, more and more public criticism has been leveled at the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino. Schettino was captured on audio hesitant to leave a lifeboat he’d escaped to and return to his sinking ship to coordinate passenger rescues, even as a coast guard officer ordered him to do so. Now, four days into the aftermath, and Schettino has offered up a new explanation; he “tripped” into the lifeboat in the midst of a mad dash by passengers towards the escape vessels. source