Shipwrecked: What Really Happened To The Costa Concordia

The Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia was carrying over 4,000 people on January 13, 2012, when disaster hit. The vessel struck rocks in the Mediterranean and was left with a 230-foot gash in its hull. The evacuation took over six hours, as nearly everyone on board was safely rescued. Three years later, the ship's captain was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison. Read on to take a look inside the abandoned ship, and then learn the story about what really happened that fateful night!

A Trip Inside A Ghost Ship

entering the costa concordia
Delve Site/YouTube
Delve Site/YouTube

In 2014, Delve Site took a trip inside the abandoned Costa Concordia cruise ship. Using GoPro cameras, the YouTube user was able to capture six hours of incredible interior footage. While the pictures aren't always the best quality, they do provide a stunning insight into what the ship looks like now.

In 2017, Delve Site uploaded a condensed version of the video to YouTube. This first image captures him entering the ship and beginning his ghastly journey.

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Taking In The Views

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Delve Site/YouTube
Delve Site/YouTube
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When the Costa Concordia was afloat with passengers, the walkway around the exterior was likely packed. Here it's empty, rotting away and rusting. You can see the sunlight breaking through and can imagine how majestic it once seemed.

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This picture reminds how quickly things can change. In the blink of an eye, life on the Costa Concordia went from lavish to languish, leaving chaos in its wake. The scary event 4,000 plus people experienced in 2012 is one that history will never forget.

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Was This A Dining Area?

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Delve Site/YouTube
Delve Site/YouTube
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In this photo, Delve Site appears to have captured what looks to be the former dining area of the Costa Concordia. The large open space and circular tables hint that it was either that or a gaming area where passengers gathered to gamble.

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It's incredible to think how devastated this area became in just two years time. In 2012, the Costa Concordia crashed into a rocky outcrop near the shore of Genoa, and two years later this was the relic left behind.

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The Empty Bar

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Delve Site/YouTube
Delve Site/YouTube
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A once crowded bar for the Costa Concordia stood empty in 2014, a ghost of what it once was. Formerly a lively scene with passengers talking, maybe even meeting each other for the first time, is now a broken canvas.

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Images like this remind how precious our moments together can be. Sitting at a bar can be a great way to make connections that last a lifetime. Even today, some of the connections made from this once lively area are surely must still be in touch with each other.

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Passengers' Quarters

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Delve Site/You Tube
Delve Site/You Tube
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As Delve Site continued his exploration of the Costa Concordia he came across this room. While the video provides no audio track with him explaining where he might be, it looks to us like it was a passenger's room.

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You can see a dilapidated vanity against the wall where someone could have gotten ready for an evening. Next to the vanity, you can also see what's left standing from a dresser. Most of the ship's beds, at this point, had been removed by salvage crews.

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A Tiny Space

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Delve Site/YouTube
Delve Site/YouTube
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In this photo, you can see at least one bed was left behind. By our best guess, this looks to be one of the smaller rooms for passengers. While it could also be a tiny storage space, the painting on the wall and the suitcase on top of the mattress indicate otherwise.

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On a cruise like this, with the amount of time passengers spend outside of their quarters, size is not the most important feature.

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Another View

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Delve Site/YouTube
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Here's one last view of a possible passenger's quarters. It can be hard to identify everything in the room, showing just how much damage was caused by the wreck.

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When the Costa Concordia hit rocks, it began to list, upending everything about that wasn't nailed down. Later, when salvage crews worked to upright the ship so it could be towed, more debris was thrown around. We wonder what this now destroyed room once looked like.

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The Gym Remains Intact

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Delve Site/YouTube
Delve Site/YouTube
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Of all the area you wouldn't expect to still be standing in nearly pristine condition is the gym. Of course, every piece of equipment would have to secured to the floor for passenger safety, but this room looks barely touched.

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If you told us this was an abandoned gym we wouldn't believe it. The treadmills look like they could still be used today and the paint on the walls is still in incredible condition.

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Taking In The Sun

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Delve Site/YouTube
Delve Site/YouTube
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One of the most relaxing parts of any cruise is heading up to the tanning deck to take in the sun while you're on vacation. Here you have the remains of the Costa Concordia's tanning deck.

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Amazingly, many of the structures from this deck have stayed in place, indicating it was on the side of the ship that was not exposed to water as it listed. Unlike the gym, you can also see this room has taken plenty of damage.

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Navigation Room?

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Delve Site/YouTube
Delve Site/YouTube
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As we've said before, Delve Site didn't offer commentary during his tour about where he was, so a lot of what we're guessing is from our best judgment. Could this have been the navigation deck of the Costa Concordia?

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The two seats front and center in the room appear to give a great view out the window for the captain. Just to the left of the seat is what appears to be the remains of a control panel.

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Comparisons To The Titanic

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Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
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When the Titanic set sail in 1912, it was the largest passenger ship ever built. It carried a little over 2,000 passengers and crew and took nearly three hours to sink in deep water.

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One hundred years later, it's impossible not to compare the Costa Concordia to the Titanic. The new ship had twice the passenger capacity of the Titanic and better technology but found itself stranded in shallow water, with an estimated sinking time of two hours.

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Shallow Waters

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MIKE SOUTER/AFP via Getty Images
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If the Costa Concordia had been in deep water when it sank, it would have been enveloped by the ocean in two hours. Instead, it crashed into the rocks in shallow water, leaving the large ship teetering on its side.

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Being shipwrecked this way made it possible for evacuation efforts to save all but 32 people aboard. The harrowing mission took over six hours, leading into an investigation about what should have happened, and putting the actions of Captain Francesco Schettino in the spotlight.

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The Course Was Set, But Not Followed

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When the Costa Concordia left dock in Italy, it set sail on what was supposed to be a seven-day long Mediterranean cruise. Prior to taking off, a course was set that should have seen the ship sail safely for the entire voyage.

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Captain Schettino later decided to veer off course to perform a "sail by salute," a maneuver where ships sail close to the shore for the mainlanders and others to witness.

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Schettino May Have Been Trying To Impress His Mistress

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Giorgio Fanciulli/Giglionews/AFP via Getty Images
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After the story of the Costa Concordia was made public, rumors began to swirl about why the ship's captain had re-plotted the cruise dangerously off-course. The most prevalent rumor was that he wanted to impress his mistress, who was on-board with him.

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When the rumors died down, the truth came out. "Sail by salutes," while dangerous, were common and unofficially sanctioned by the cruise line industry. The daring move was seen as a way to impress potential passengers onshore to increase business opportunities.

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This Wasn't Schettino's First "Sail By Salute"

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Under the command of Captain Schettino, it was reported the Costa Concordia had previously performed one other "sail by salute." While performing this had become common among cruises, they were still dangerous, as proved by Schettino's second attempt.

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As the ship approached Giglio Island for the salute there was a navigation error that led it too close to shore and into a rocky outcrop. The ship was struck and damaged at 9:42 p.m. with the slash coming beneath the waterline, allowing the ocean water to flow freely inside.

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"My Heart Will Go On"

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At the time the Costa Concordia hit the rocks, one of the ship's restaurants was playing "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic. The song was recorded by Celine Dion and won the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 1998 Academy Awards.

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While that fateful song was being played on the Costa Concordia, the ship's engine was breached and flooded with seawater. The ship was designed to stay afloat as long as only two watertight compartments were flooded, not three.

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Passengers Weren't Prepared In Time

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ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images
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Within the first 24 hours of boarding a cruise ship, passengers are supposed to go through a muster drill. This would show them what to do and where to go in case of an emergency.

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Two hours prior to the accident, passengers from Rome had boarded the ship and had not yet undergone the drill. This led to chaos while damage was assessed. The captain's crew was now tasked with keeping the passengers calm.

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Captain Schettino Didn't Notify The Coast Guard That Anything Was Wrong

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Luca Milano/AFP via Getty Images
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As it became clear to passengers that something was wrong, many took it upon themselves to take action. They not only started putting on life vests, but they also notified the Coast Guard.

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At 10:14 p.m., the Coast Guard called the ship to see what was going on and was told there was a power failure, but no other issues. Then, at 10:55 p.m, more than one hour after the ship struck rocks, the captain ordered an evacuation.

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The Captain Always Goes Down With The Ship

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As we wrote earlier, because the Costa Concordia disaster and the Titanic tragedy happened almost exactly 100 years apart, it's impossible not to compare the two. In 1912, the Titanic was captained by Edward John Smith.

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After the Titanic sinking was investigated, it was found that Edward Smith went down with the ship and made no efforts to save himself. In regards to Captain Francesco Schettino, the same thing cannot be said.

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Schettino Claims He "Tripped And Fell" Into A Lifeboat

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Unlike John Edward Smith, Francesco Schettino was found safe and sound on a lifeboat after the Costa Concordia was evacuated. At the time, the beleaguered captain claimed he tripped and fell into the lifeboat, accidentally saving his own life.

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After making this highly unlikely claim, video footage surfaced of Schettino getting onto a lifeboat and abandoning his ship under his own power. When a Coast Guard official caught Schettino, he ordered him to go back to the ship, but did the captain listen?

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Schettino Refused To Go Back To The Ship

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TIZIANA FABI,TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images
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It was Gregorio De Falco who found Schettino on a lifeboat moving away from the Costa Concordia that night. He commanded the captain to return to his ship and finish leading the evacuation effort, but Schettino refused.

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The captain told De Falco it was too dark to return, there were other boats blocking the way, and the ship was listing. As far as records state, Schettino and his crew made no efforts to return, despite the Coast Guard's orders.

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One Unofficial Crewman Stayed Aboard

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STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images
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While it seemed like everyone who should have been aboard the Costa Concordia to lead evacuation efforts had abandoned ship, one unofficial crewmember stayed aboard. Captain Roberto Bosio, who was in charge of a sister ship, was on the Costa Concordia in an unofficial capacity.

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When the evacuation efforts began, he stayed aboard to help lead the effort. In a statement made after the evacuation was complete, Bosio said that he had made the evacuation order and decried Schettino's actions.

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Not Every Lifeboat Was Used

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According to strict safety regulations, all cruise ships must have enough life boats to accommodate 125 percent of passengers and crew on board. Despite following these regulations, the Costa Concordia failed to use all the lifeboats it needed.

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When the ship began to list on its starboard side, a certain number of boats became unavailable for use. Had Captain Schettino ordered the evacuation on time, this likely would not have been the case.

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Several Passengers Had To Swim To Shore

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Because there was a lack of space on lifeboats, passengers remaining on the listing ship were given two options -- swim to shore or wait for a rescue helicopter from the Coast Guard.

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In the chaos surrounding the moment, not every passenger was able to find a life vest to put on. One French couple could only find one jacket. The husband, a strong swimmer, told his wife to wear it. She made it safely to shore while he was lost to the sea.

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Schettino Faced Criminal Charges

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For his reported failures to act, Captain Schettino, as well as several members of his crew, went on to face criminal charges. In court, his defense attorneys claimed that his ability to steer the ship into shallow water had saved countless lives.

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The prosecution argued that it was the wind and tides that forced the ship with no power into shallow water. Had the ship been even a few meters further out to sea, it could have easily been swept into deeper waters.

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The Final Verdict

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Based on his actions, the court determined that Captain Francesco Schettino was guilty of abandoning his ship, causing a maritime accident, and manslaughter. He was sentenced to 16 years and one month in prison.

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Schettino later claimed he was being used as a scapegoat for the systemic failures of Costa Cruises. The cruise line avoided any charges and only paid a one million dollar fine. Schettino's case went through the appeals process for two years, and in 2017, he was finally put behind bars.

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The Salvage Mission Was One Of The Largest Ever

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Salvaging the Costa Concordia was a massive mission. A total of 114,000 tons made it one of the largest, and most dangerous, salvage missions in history. If any part of the still-listing ship was shifted, it could have floated into deeper water.

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To successfully perform the salvage, huge metal platforms were constructed around the ship to upright it. Water was then pumped out of the vessel so it could be towed to a new resting destination. The total cost of the salvage was estimated at $1 billion.

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Items From The Ship Washed Ashore

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Uprighting the Costa Concordia used a process known as parbuckling. During that process, items left on the ship fell out and eventually washed to shore. Here is a collection of personal care products that were found on a nearby beach.

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A lifeguard found the items on September 19, 2013, more than a year after the Costa Concordia crashed into the rocks near Giglio Island. Other items small items recovered on the shore included headphones and ropes.

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The Towed Wreckage Became A Local Interest

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This photo shows a local Italian man taking a photo of the Costa Concordia as it was towed to its final resting spot near Genoa. The towed wreckage proved highly interesting to those on the Italian coast.

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Once the wreckage arrived, the process of dismantling it to sell what was salvageable could begin. Photos like these become incredible time capsules, for future generations who were not directly impacted by the events to see.

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All Hands On Deck

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Here's another angle of the Costa Concordia being towed to Genoa. You can see the lead tow is being helped by at least three other boats to make sure nothing bad can happen.

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Overall, the salvage process took two and a half years. Crews worked tirelessly to recover passenger items from the boat, upright it, drain it of ocean water, and then drain it of fuel. This picture was taken on July 27, 2014.

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A Close-Up Of The Damage

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The day after the Costa Concordia crashed, this pictured of the ship's damaged side was taken. There's a piece of a rock that appeared lodged in the hull, and you can clearly see inside a lower portion of the ship.

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Had the original plot of the Costa Concordia not been changed, this moment in history could have been avoided. Instead, it serves a reminder of the importance of following proper safety protocol.

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Assessing The Damage

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The next day, with the evacuation complete and the sun up, the Coast Guard was able to get a better look at the damaged Costa Concordia. Here they are getting a close-up of the ship-wreck. This is a great shot to show how much the ship had listed on its side overnight.

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Of course, this was only the start of what would become the two and half year salvage mission to move the Costa Concordia to Genoa and scrap it for parts.

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The View From Shore

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During the voyage, there were likely not many times this recreation area was completely empty. This picture was taken from the shore two days after the crash, showing the abandoned recreation area laying on its side.

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During this time, survivors were still being found on the ship, with at least three discovered in the first two days of the rescue mission. Over the course of the next several days, more would be found.

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The Wreckage Emerges

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Taken on January 17, 2012, this underwater image captures sunken wreckage from the Costa Concordia. This part of the hull was ripped off when the ship got too close to shore and brushed up against rocks.

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The 230-foot long gash allowed too much water to flow into the Costa Concordia, causing it to shipwreck just offshore of Giglio Island. Stories from survivors started coming in when this piece of the ship was found. Those interviewed spoke about the chaos onboard the ship on the night of January 12.

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Large Debris Washed Ashore

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A week after the Costa Concordia shipwrecked, this piece of debris washed ashore. It looks like a chair, possibly from a church onboard the ship. It is easily identifiable by the Costa Concordia branding on the backrest.

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This picture was taken on the same day the search for survivors was suspended. The ship shifted on the rocks, creating dangerous conditions for rescue workers. In February, Italian authorities created a secure border around the ship so the salvage mission could begin.

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Titanic Facts That Will Alter Your Perception Of The Tragic Event

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The 46 328 Tons Rms Titanic Of The White Star Line Which Sank At 2 20 Am Monday Morning April 15 After Hitting Iceberg In North Atlantic 1912
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The sinking of the Titanic is one of the greatest tragedies in history. Nicknamed the "Unsinkable Ship", the Titanic was the largest passenger ship ever built at the time it entered service. Then on April 15, 1912, just four days into its maiden voyage from the United Kingdom to the United States, the mighty ship collided with an iceberg in the Northern Atlantic Ocean.

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Several films and documentaries were made about the disaster, but there are still a number of amazing and lesser-known facts about the once glorious ship and that fateful day.

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Milton Hershey's Last Minute Cancellation

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Milton Hershey's Last Minute Cancellation
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In December 1911, Milton S. Hershey, founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company, put down a deposit for a VIP stateroom aboard the Titanic. The deposit cost $300, equivalent to an estimated $7,281 today. Hershey decided to take his wife on a trip to Nice, France and bought the VIP tickets for the Titanic for their return trip home.

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Not long before the Titanic set sail, Hershey canceled his ticket and boarded an earlier ship back to the U.S. The reason for the cancelation is still unknown. The check for the deposit, made out to White Star Lines, is in the Hershey Community Archives.

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A Rescue Ship Ignored the Distress Signals

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A Rescue Ship Ignored the Distress Signals
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While the Carpathia eventually came to rescue the survivors of the Titanic, there was, in fact, another ship closer to the wreck, the S.S. California, that did absolutely nothing. The ship's captain, Stanley Lord, apparently became aware of the Titanic sinking after officers on the ship saw the flare signals. Yet he did not order his vessel to assist the sinking ship.

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The captain and crew were investigated after the fact, and many of their accounts were confusing and inconsistent. The backlogs of that night managed to disappear. Captain Lord was fired and forever disgraced.

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Immortalized Words

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Just a few hours before the Titanic hit an iceberg, a passenger named Esther Hart wrote a letter to her mother in England. The letter was penned in the Titanic's library on the ship's signature stationery. It talked about the wonderful journey she, her husband, and her seven-year-old daughter, Eva, were having aboard the ship. Her husband, unfortunately, passed, while Eva and Esther survived.

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The letter has weathered the past 100 years, kept in the family as a memento. In 2016 it went up for auction in England and sold to an American bidder for $18,000.

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Victims Lost At Sea

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Out of the 1,503 lives that were lost when the Titanic sank, only 340 bodies were recovered, found floating in their life jackets in the days after the shipwreck. But what happened to the remaining 1,163 victims is still a mystery to this day. No remains have been found at the wreckage site.

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There are a few theories circulating about these missing remains. Some experts say that a storm spread the floating victims out in a 50-mile-wide area, and their bodies are most likely scattered along the ocean floor. Others believe that bodies were trapped inside and thus heavily decomposed and attacked by sea scavengers.

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Only Three Smoke Stacks Were Functioning

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Only Three Smoke Stacks Were Functioning
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Photos of Titanic depict four giant smokestacks towering on top of the ship. Three drew smoke and heat from the furnaces of the 29 boilers. The fourth wasn't connected to the furnace; it was a dummy stack to make the ship look more impressive

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During the 1900s, the number of funnels a liner had was considered a symbol of speed and safety, and the Titanic was meant to be the best of the best. Also, if there were only three, they'd have been placed towards the front of the ship. By having four, they could be spread out equally, making it appear more balanced.

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A Psychic Predicted The Tragedy

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Twenty-four-year-old Alice Elizabeth Fortune, her parents, sisters, and brother were first-class passengers aboard Titanic. They were returning back home in Canada after a European vacation. During their visit to Cairo, Egypt, two months prior, Alice went to see a fortune teller.

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The psychic told her that every time she traveled by sea, she would be in danger and that she could actually see Alice adrift in the open water. She was told she'd lose everything but her life. Alice, her mother and sisters were rescued from the Titanic, but her brother and father died in the wreck.

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Alcohol May Have Saved One Man's Life

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As the Titanic sank into the sea, Charles Joughin, the chief baker on the ship, nonchalantly stepped off the stern into the freezing waters and began paddling around until dawn, when he was rescued by a lifeboat. While others froze to death, Charles survived.

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The reason he was able to withstand the ice cold temperatures for so long was attributed to the generous amount of alcohol he had drunk, which kept his organs fortified until he was rescued. Before he got too drunk, he managed to ensure that all of the lifeboats were filled with bread and biscuits.

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Animals On Board

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Animals On Board
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There were a number of animals aboard the Titanic, including dogs, cats, chickens, birds, and rats. There was even an "official" Titanic cat named Jerry, who helped keep the rats at bay. She and her kittens lived in the galley.

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The only animals to survive the wreck were three of the twelve dogs brought on board because they were lucky enough to make it on a lifeboat. Two of the dogs were Pomeranians and one was a Pekinese, and no one seemed to mind squeezing them on the boats. One of the dogs belonged to Henry Harper, heir to Harper & Row publishing.

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The First Victim Never Set Sail

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The First Victim Never Set Sail
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Samuel Joseph Scott was one of 15,000 workers who built the Titanic and her sister ship, Olympic, in Ireland. He was only 15 years old and earned between $5 to $10 a week. On April 20, 1910, while working on the ship, Samuel slipped off of a ladder into the open hull. He fractured his skull and died.

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In 2011, Samuel was finally given a headstone, which was unveiled during a ceremony that was attended by the niece and the nephew of the Titanic's designer. His epitaph includes the following words: "Remembering his soul and all those who perished in the sinking of the Titanic."

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The Iceberg Was From 1000 BC

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The Iceberg Was From 1000 BC
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The iceberg that sunk the Titanic began its voyage to the North Atlantic over three thousand years ago, around 1000 BC. It is speculated that it all began with snowfall on the western coast of Greenland, which compacted over the span of a few months. In the proceeding decades, it became more compact from the weight of more falling snow, forming into dense ice.

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Frozen waters pushed it westward, and chunks were broken off, or calved, and pushed south. Most icebergs only last a few years after they are calved, so experts believe it floated away from Greenland around 1910.

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The Second Ocean Liner to Ever Have a Pool

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The Second Ocean Liner to Ever Have a Pool
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At the time it was built, the Titanic was considered the most luxurious ship ever made. It was the second liner ever to have a swimming pool on board. The first was its sister ship, Olympic, which set sail the year prior. But the Titanic's pool was larger, measuring at 30 by 14 feet, and was also heated, while the Olympic's was not.

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The pool, then called a swimming bath, was for first-class passengers only. It was filled with sea water, but of course was a lot warmer than the 28-degree temperatures in the ocean.

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The Captain Crashed A Ship The Year Before

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The Captain Crashed A Ship The Year Before
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There are mixed feeling regarding the Titanic's Captain, Edward John Smith. Some think his negligence led to one of the worst disasters in history, while others believe he was a hero for courageously going down with his ship. Coincidentally, the Titanic was not his first mishap as a captain.

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The year prior, Smith had been the Captain of the Olympicwhen it collided with a British warship. Despite major damage, the ship made it safely back to shore but suffered extremely costly damage. The Royal Navy blamed the Olympic for the accident, claiming that its massive size caused a suction that pulled the warship into it.

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Putting On The Ritz

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Putting On The Ritz
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The interior of the Titanic was extremely lavish, complete with dining rooms with ornate ceilings and plush carpets. It was designed to resemble the Ritz Hotel in London. The first-class cabins were also very similar to some of the high-end suites at the Ritz.

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There was even a restaurant on B deck called The Ritz Restaurant. The restaurant was for first-class passengers only and was considered an "Optional Extra", with extremely high prices. The tables were always fully booked up by the rich and famous.

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It Cost What?!

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It Cost What
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The Titanic cost $7.2 million to build, equivalent to $180 million today. So it's no surprise that first-class tickets came with a hefty price tag, which is why it was filled with millionaires. Charlotte Drake Cardeza, a 58-year-old daughter of a wealthy textile-mill owner, may not have been the wealthiest person onboard, but she purchased the most expensive ticket.

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Cardeza’s first-class parlor ticket cost $4,350 which is equivalent to $69,600 today. Her room had two bedrooms, a sitting room, two wardrobe rooms and a bath. She was traveling with her 36-year-old son, her maid, his valet and 14 trunks, four suitcases, and three crates.

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See It With Your Own Eyes

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See It With Your Own Eyes
Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Universal Images Group/Getty Images
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Expeditions to the site ceased in 2012, but as of May 2018, tourists will again be able to visit the wreck. A London-based travel company called Blue Marble Private will provide guided eight-day tours, which will begin in Newfoundland, Canada. Voyagers will board a submersible that'll take them to the Titanic two miles below the surface. The experience will cost $105,129 per person, and the first trip is already completely booked.

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The time to visit the Titanic may be limited, as a study conducted in 2016 claimed that "extremophile bacteria" may very well eat away what’s left of the wreck within the next 15-20 years.

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A Drill Was Canceled The Day It Sunk

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A Drill Was Canceled The Day It Sunk
Photo by SSPL/Getty Images
Photo by SSPL/Getty Images
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During the 1900s, lifeboat drills were regularly conducted on ocean liners in order to prep the crew and passengers on what to do in the case of an emergency. In fact, there was a drill scheduled aboard the Titanic on the morning of April 14th, but Captain Edward John Smith canceled it for some unknown reason. Later that day, the Titanic struck an iceberg.

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Hysteria ensued, and without the experience of running the drill, there was lots of confusion on how to properly utilize the lifeboats. A large number of them set off only half full, leading to a greater loss of life than was necessary.

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Third Class Life

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Third Class Life
Photo by SSPL/Getty Images
Photo by SSPL/Getty Images
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Third- class accommodations on the Titanic, known as steerage, were designed to hold two to six passengers. They were grouped by family or gender and were primarily immigrants moving to the United States and Canada. When adjusted to today's standard, tickets cost approximately $700 for adults and $300 for children.

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Before stepping on the ship, all steerage passengers were given a health inspection to check for disease, lice, and other infections. They slept in bunk beds that had mattresses, pillows, and blankets, but no sheets or pillowcases. There were over 700 people in steerage, and they all had to share two bathtubs. Luckily, they had flushing toilets.

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And The Band Played On

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band played
Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images
Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images
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Panic set in aboard the Titanic as it began to sink. The ship's eight-member band gathered in the first-class lounge and began to play in an effort to keep everyone calm. As the ship sank further, the band, led by Wallace Hartley, played on, with no consideration of saving their own lives.

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There's been much debate on what was the final song that they played. One survivor claimed that "Nearer, My God, to Thee" was the last song, but she apparently left on a lifeboat 20 minutes before it completely sank. A wireless operator reported that he had heard the song “Autumn” being played as the ship submerged.

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Daily News

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Daily News
Photo by SSPL/Getty Images
Photo by SSPL/Getty Images
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Each night during the First Watch, a Marconi operator would copy down the Marconi news service broadcast, and then type it all out. He'd also include some other information, like daily menus, society gossip (which included such "news" as what first-class passengers wore to dinner the previous night), add in some advertisements, then print it all through a mini printing press that was located in the Chief Pursers Office.

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These write-ups became a daily newspaper for the Titanic, called the Atlantic Daily Bulletin. The bulletin was then posted each night in the first-class smoking room.