schettino later insisted the reef he hit wasn't marked. trr i don't know if it was detected or not but on the nautical chart it was marked just as water at some 100 to 150 meters from the rocks. and we were about 300 meters from the shore, more or less. we shouldn't have had this contact. >> the last time -- >> locals told cnn the rocks concordia hit are clearly marked on nautical charts. >> every rock here is on the chart? >> every one, every one. that's why i think the only possibility should be only that one. >> such was the force of the collision, a huge chunk of rock the size of a car ended up embedded in the hull of the concordia. within moments, the engine room director reported the engine control room and the electrical panel were under six feet of water. but the severity of the situation was kept from passengers. >> everything is all right. please do not panic. everybody go to your room. it's okay. it's just a motor problems and the technicians are trying to fix it. a lot of people were not believing them. but there were a good ma

they just wait. >> reporter: captain schettino made a series of calls, as many as 17. what he said is a matter of bitter dispute. his lawyer insists he hid nothing. >> translator: captain schettino immediately, promptly informed the company of what had happened and kept it constantly informed. >> reporter: costa ceo claims otherwise. >> the first information that we have says absolutely the contrary. didn't sound as serious, indeed, at the end, it was. >> authorities were first notified of the incident not by the crew, but from cell phone calls from passengers at at least half an hour after the collision. a few minutes later, costa headquarters here in rome started flooding into these computer. >> but they didn't call. we called them. we called them twice. >> reporter: coast guard commander says the coast guard was forced to reach out to the rapidly sinking ship. >> so we called the ship and the ship said that there was just a blackout on board. they don't see that there was an emergency. >> reporter: costa executives acknowledge this was a major mistake. >> if i'm the

but schettino had been distracted by a phone call a little earlier. the captain had promised a salute to the island, showing off to the people ashore. it was a custom residents had come to expect. concordia safety officer pellegrini later told investigators that first officer ambrose yoe had ordered the helmsman to turn away from the island. but then -- >> schettino relieved ambrosio of his duty and taking on himself directly the navigation command ordered the helmsman to keep the route and increase speed. >> the concordia was traveling at some 15 knots, too fast so close to the shore. the operations manager -- >> sometimes we pass close to the land, of course, for me close is 1 mile, 1 1/2 miles. >> the concordia was much closer th that. samona santini, a singer on costa ships for over ten years, was in the rum bar with her musician husband alexander capelli. >> it was a normal night. the band was playing and at 9:40 p.m., we feel a movement. not a crash. a movement. >> and all of a sudden, bang. and the lights went out. and the screaming. >> everybo

in an interviewity tammian television, schettino said he was sorry that it happened.tor: i think he's completely grief-stricken over the loss of human life. his life has been destroyed in every aspect. >> i keep asking the question, why? >> the costa ceo is retiring under the shadow of the "costa concordia" disaster. >> it's the most painful thing to happen to my life after the death of my mother. >> reporter: but costa is confident in its future. four months after the disaster, it's launched a new liner. the "fascinosa." after a brief lull in bookings, a new global marketing campaign is under way. >> from a booking standpoint, the reservations we are receiving, we are very much encouraged. >> they cannot remove everything they have done, everything they have affected. >> reporter: like perez and many other passengers and crew, the ananias family is suing for negligence. after some 60 cruises, the family can't imagine taking another. >> we won't get on another cruise, any of us, until there's changes. >> nothing is too good to give up the chance of losing your life. >

captain schettino is not captain coward. >> by now, it was nearly 1:00 in the morning.nanias family and dozens of other passengers were still trying to climb a metal ladder to reach the outside of the ship but it was still a mad scramble to escape >> men pushing women aside, pushing children aside. >> i said i'm not going to watch another man push another woman and child to get up there. it isn't going to happen. >> the ananias family would be among the last to evacuate the ship. they jumped into a moving lifeboat and even then they felt they were on their own. >> they just told us to jump. that was it. >> months later, georgia and her family feel their experience is a wake-up call. >> you get in a disaster like this and you see what happens and how enprepared they are, passengers really need to be aware. >> and on that, at least rare agreement with captain schettino's lawyer. >> translator: i would be astonished if the industry said something true, which would perhaps be good to say about its own organizational systems about why maybe there could be safety problems. th

captain schettino is not captain coward. >> by now, it was nearly 1:00 in the morning. ananias family and dozens of other passengers were still trying to climb a metal ladder to reach the outside of the ship but it was still a mad scramble to escape. >> men pushing women aside, pushing children aside. >> kids. >> i put my foot down and said, this is not going to happen, i'm not going to sit here and watch one other man jump in front of this mother and child to get his way up there. it wasn't going to happen. >> the ananias family would be among the last to escape the concordia alive. jumping ten feet into a moving lifeboat, and even then feeling they were on their own. >> they did nothing. they tried to get boat as close as possible. they just told us jump. that was it. >> months later, georgia and her family believe their experience on the concordia is a wake-up call for the entire industry. >> i feel for passengers getting on board a ship. they say it's safe and the best way to go been but you get in a disaster like this and you see what happens and how unprepared the

captain schettino, at this point, he was safely away. on the phone, on the phone with the coast guard commander at that time. in tapes released today, he tells them that he and his officers are on a life boat. he mentions he thinks there are still about 100 passengers on board, the coast guard commander is stunned. he's flabbergasted. first, he tells the captain to get his man back on board the ship to take care of the remaining people. then, after a number of excuses from the captain, he goes ballistic. >> the captain schettino was not on the last life boat. his own taped conversation confirmed that. he left passengers and crew behind and knew he left them behind. and the rocks, he should have never been near them. this was the line that the con cord yeah was on. the yellow line is the line they should have taken, the pink line takes them to giglio. the rock was not indicted on his chart. we don't know precisely which rock he hit, but map that all mariners use, you can see there are many rocks in the area. the little dots surrounding th

captain schettino is ordered at least ten times to go back on board to oversee the evacuation. he resists. [ speaking foreign language ] >> schettino seems to contradict himself again by then saying he did not abandon the ship. >> what's clear is that schettino had lost control of the situation and was unaware of what was happening on board his own ship. >> that one has now grown to more than 10 dead and there are still nearly two dozen missing. schettino has never been involved in an accident before and his lawyer says his actions after the crash saved the lives of many of the passengers and crew members. so all eyes are now on the recovery of the ship's data recorders, to see if they might prove schettino was indeed a hero or a captain who abandoned its ship and its thousands of passengers. >> the italian coast guard says they've located a second black box. do we know when they're going to actually be able to retrieve that and when we may get answers on the night of what happened the night of the crash exactly? >> reporter: at the moment, they're still saying they're concentr

they want to know what conversations whether going on between schettino and the home base where he wasn the phone a dozen times between that accident and when he finally called to abandon ship. that's going to be an enlightening moment today. >> in some ways, barbie, captain schettino is blocked in in what he can say. there were a number of other "costa concordia" employees serving time after admitting their role in what happened. i mean, that in and of itself does not bode well for mr. schettino. >> no, in fact, it doesn't because five people who wok for costa cruise lines including two people who are officers at the time of the accident have admitted their guilt and their role in the accident and what happened as all public record, the court already accepted that as truth so captain schettino is either going to have to contradict that and give his version of events or he will have to take some blame himself in the culpability but, again, you know, nobody died on impact. everybody died during evacuation and this manslaughter charge stems on whether or not that evacuation should have b

what are analysts saying about the case against schettino?ll you know, this really is a booken to a national em-- bookend to a national embarrassment. most italian are anticipating a ghillie verdict on all three charges of involuntary manslaughter, 32 counts. there's causing a maritime disaster and abandoning ship. the stickiest point is going to be the manslaughter charge. primarily because there are five people who worked for the "costa" cruise line who have already pled ghillie for various aspects of the tragedy. one is the head of the crisis management in genoa who spoke to schettino the night of accident a dozen times and claimed his own culpability in telling the captain to delay the call to abandon ship. that's when the people died. that's why the people died. a lot of the legal premsaying the manslaughter is -- people are saying the manslaughter is going to be the hardest charge because others have pled guilty to the responsibility. and what they don't know is if the three-judge panel will be making the decision -- whether they see th

schettino okay, i'm doing it. the newspaper reports the captain never went back to the ship. >> now, we're not clear whether that's cell phone transmissions or radio transmissions, but that news paper is a bona fide newspaper. really just remarkable material. you can bet your bottom dollar that that is going to end up in court. we do want to get you up to speed on what's happening now. that captain who steered the ship into the rocky italian coast is about to go before a judge and be questioned today. he says he just hit rocks that weren't on his charts. cnn has been in the courtroom and she's joining us now on the line. so many questions. i think just give us the run down on the first thing that's happening in court with regard to this captain. >> that's right. the captain is in court right now. he's sitting in front of a a female judge whether that's going to make a difference or not, we don't know. but he's with his lawyer and the prosecutor who has very damning information against him right now. but his lawyer

and the captain, schettino, says, 2, 300.n mind that at that point there were 4200 people on that ship. he had no clue and he wasn't even close. then, the port authority asks, how come so few people? are you on board? and schettino says, no, i'm not on board because the ship is keeling. we've abandoned it. at which point the port authority says, what, you've abandoned the ship? schettino says, no, what abandon? i'm sheer. the port authority says, you must return on board. climb the ladder. there's a rope ladder to get back on the ship. return to the fore, the stem, and schettino does not reply to that demand. the port authority tells us, you must tell us how many people are on board. how many women, how many children. xwland commander, this is an order. now i'm in charge. you have abandoned ship and now you are going to the stem and coordinate the work. there are already dead bodies. which seems to surprise the captain. how many? the port authority says, you should be the one telling me this. what do you think to do? do you w

could face >>> schettino could face manslaughter charges and 15 years in prison.him under house arrest while they consider the charges. and the italian coast guard continues to search for survivors. the divers struggle to move through a labyrinth of debris and furniture. and we're joined by a couple who were fortunate enough to escape. they arrived in albany, new york, this morning. appreciate your taking the time. let me ask you your reaction. i know you can hear the anger and frustration of the port authority coast guard telling captain scutehettino, christ, i your job to be there, and him fighting back. what is your reaction given you were there that day? >> it is -- it's incredible to believe that the man just left the ship, and with everything that was going on, people dying, and people panicking, with no direction from anywhere, and he just up and left the ship. it is just incomprehensible. >> it is hard to maintain a chain of command when the top man leaves the boat. >> let me ask you, brian, what happened to you. you know, you were -- you got on the deck a

in addition to criminal charges, captain schettino being sued by 250 civil plaintiffs.he italian environmental ministry and parties who felt damaged by the disaster. he faces up to 20 years in prison. the court continues this week and then adjourned until october. expecting at least a year of hearings and trials before we know if he's found guilty in the charges. >> barbie nadeau in italy. thanks so much. same-sex marriage now legal in england and wales. >> we'll tell you when couples can head to the altar next. >>> same-sex marriage legal in great britain. most of great britain. today, queen elizabeth ii gave her official endorsement of the bill that cleared parliament yesterday. >> indeed. the house of lords voted the queen puts a signature on it and it's done. it's one of those royal formalities. doesn't mean same-sex couples are running to the chapel today. probably a year before the first actual wedding ceremonies take place. >> the law applies to people in england and wales. debate over gay marriage in britain similar to arguments you've heard in the united states

after the verdict, schettino's lawyer said his client has been the victim of a media persecution andothing wrong. >> translator: we are not talking about a criminal. we are speaking of someone accused of criminal negligence. the shipwreck was only an accident and, therefore, should be perceived as such by the public. >> the judges in the case say the captain waited too long to sound the alarm, but he claims more lives would have been lost if he had created panic further from shore. one of the survivors spoke out after the trial. she says nothing will ease the pain of those families who lost loved ones. >> the verdict for me is different the way you can feel it. for me it's sick month-- it's six months for each death, person. for me the family of the dead people, it's not six months or 17 years for them, it's forever. >> in addition to serving time in prison the captain cannot command another ship for at least five years. along with help from the cruise company, he must pay each survivor 30,000 euros or 3 $34,000. he'll also have to help pay millions of euros to local governments for

. >> this is captain schettino. >> listen, schettino. there are people trapped on board. now, you have to go with your life boat and go under the boat stem on the straight side. there's a ladder there. get on board the ship and tell me, you tell me how many people there are. clear? i'm recording this conversation, capital yab schettino. >> i understand. listen, there are people coming down the stem ladder. you must take that ladder in the opt sit direction. get on board the ship and you tell me how many people there are and what they have. you tell me the there are children, women, people with special needs. and you tell me how many there are in each of this category. is that clear? look, schettino, you might have been saved from the sea, but i will make sure you go through a very rough time. i will make sure you go through a lot of trouble. get on board. >> i'm going now because there is the other motor boat that has stopped now. >> you go on board. it is an order. you cannot make any other violations. you have declared abandoning ship. now i'm in charge. you get on boar

i spoke to his lawyer a short time ago and he said captain schettino is ready to defend his honor innslaughter charge. he's facing about 23 years in prison for manslaughter, multiple manslaughter and the 32 deaths from that accident and abandoning ship because he got off the ship before many of the passengers were evacuated and also facing charges for causing a maritime disaster. which happened, of course, off that pristine island of giglio in tuscany. >> and, barbie, as you stand by for all of this to begin, one thing we should note is schettino's never really admitted guilt. he's been very tight-lipped up until now and only had all these accounts, the videos that have emerged and also the statements from other staff members who admitted to some amount of guilt. surely people where you are and the reason it's in a big venue where so many people will watch, surely they expect him to admit to something here. >> reporter: well, that's right. he hasn't, though, yet. he's been very, very defiant. he blames his helmsmen who is an indonesian man who said didn't speak english or italian for

the port authority says to captain schettino, get on board, damn it, like they have to convince him that the role of the captain is to go back to the ship. as someone who has been a captain for more than 20 years, what's your reaction to that debate? >> well, exactly. the captain should have stayed with that vessel until everybody was known to be off or until the rescue operation started and there was no more that he could do. he should never have left that vessel. to get back on would have been a physical difficulty but it could have been done. he's being paid to take charge of that vessel. that's his responsibility. he should have stayed. >> i have found it so surprising to hear that and hear the audio of the debate going back and forth. >> yesterday we were saying, isn't the rule the captain goes down with the ship. and now today we're also seeing that women and children first issue. and he ignored both of these tenets of what we know as the law of the seas or what at least is proper. >> the hallmark of a bad movie is that the bad guy is i impossibly weak, impossibly cowardly. you can

listen to the coast guard ordering him to get back on the ship. [ speaking foreign language ] >>> schettinold face manslaughter charges and 15 years in prison. a judge placed him under house arrest while they consider the charges. >>> and divers struggle to move through a labyrinth of debris and furniture, and we are joined by a couple who were fortunate to escape. they arrived in albany, new york, this morning. thank you for being with us, and appreciate your time, and i want to hear your reaction, because you can hear the angry and the frustration of the port authority officer telling the captain, christ, it is your job to be there, and him fighting back. what is your reaction hearing that given that you were there that day? >> well -- >> it is -- it's incredible to believe that the man just left the ship, and with everything that was going on, people dying, and people panicking, with no direction from anywhere, and he just up and left the ship. it is just incomprehensible. >> it is hard to maintain a chain of command when the top man leaves the boat. >> let me ask you, brian, what happen

and startling new details have been emerging about what captain schettino may have been up until theevacuation. according to one witness interviewed, captain schettino was seen ordering dinner for himself and a female companion in the ship's restaurant. >> translator: the captain insisted on having a meal at around 10:30. he arrived with a woman who i didn't recognize. at that time, i was with a colleague. and we wondered what was going on. at that time, we really felt something was wrong. the stuff in the kitchen was falling off shefls and we realized how grave the situation was. i have had 12 years experience as a cook on a cruise ship. but i did wonder, though, what the captain was doing. why was he still there? anyway, we gave him his drink. after that, he was also still waiting for the desert to be served to the woman he was with. >> it's now weeks since the costa condordia capsized. in italy, news agency is reporting that divers have had to abandon their search for survivors after the ship started moving again. hopes of finding anyone alive are fading fast. passengers who did m

>> the last we had seen of captain schettino, he was at a very elegant cocktail party, while his ship that he crashed on the shores was gigli was being refloated. he has blamed the malfunctions of the ship. he's blamed the crew, the helmsmen for not understanding his orders. he's understood that it's his fault for taking the ship off course. went by the island to impress a young woman he had in the cabin with him, at the time of the accident. but in the course of this trial, which is still ongoing and we should expect a verdict sometime this fall, but he's been very defiant, saying it's the ship's fault, the rocks weren't on the map, all these sorts of things. he even went so far last week as to accuse of people of giglio of being opportunistic to watch the ship. all of these things don't put him in good standing in the eyes of the public. this is an italian captain who crashed an italian ship on an italian shore. there are very few other people to blame but him. >> and i'm sure the people of the small area there are glad to have this eyesore and this remembrance of this tragedy off t

she did not believe that captain schettino was a risk flight. or repeat the crime over charges that he's facing at least. so she thought that the house arrest here with his family was the most appropriate way of detaining him. that may change, however. because there is such outrage across many other parts of the world as well that this guy is just under house arrest. this appeal may be lodged and if successful he could be back behind bars within days. >> matthews, is there something that we're missing in this story? we certainly don't want to condemn someone before they are found guilty. but how is he explaining his own behavior, especially in light of the audiotapes that we heard, which really made him sound like he was just thinking about himself, that he had abandoned people and had missed his dessert or something. >> reporter: well, of course it's important to remember he's not even been charged with manslaughter or abandoning his ship or causing a ship wreck. those are the charges he faces should the investigation determine that there's eno

. >> there are already bodies, schettino. >> how many dead bodies are there? >> i don't know.w of one. i've heard of one. you are the one to tell me how many there. christ! >> so, obviously, a very frustrated coast guard there, talking to a captain who appeared a little detached and who had clearly, you know, at this point, appeared to kind of failed his passengers. later on in the transcripts that we've read and the recordings we've listened to, the captain says that he didn't sort of get off the ship, abandon it on purpose. he says that as the ship listed over to one side, he was catapulted off the bridge. so that may have been one explanation. it will be for the prosecutors, the investigators now looking at this to determine what actually happened, michael. >> and matthew, there has already been a court hearing and a ruling. tell us about that. and as we know, the italian judicial system is not known for its speed. >> no. and this could take many months before the full outcome of this investigation is known. but captain schettino, who commanded the "costa concordia," has be

schettino admitted making a navigational error. 11 people are confirmed dead and nearly two dozen still remain missing. >>> rescue efforts have just begun again on board the costa concordia after being suspended because of safety fears. the italian coast guard says heavy weather is moving into night and could force the stop of the rescue effort again. time is running out to find more survivors. >> reporter: once again, the unstable nature of the wreck has halted the search and rescue operation. around first light wednesday, the ship shifted 30 centimeters, about a foot, forcing divers to pull out. before they did, they took this video as they navigated through the flooded ship, strewn full of floating obstacles, dark, claustrophobic and extremely dangerous. as a precaution, more floating booms are being placed to protect the coast. it contains 300 tons of diesel and fuel as well. that won't be pumped out until the search for the missing is complete. they may have to wait until the end of the week. for kevin, it's excruciating. his brother russell was a waiter on board and was last seen

schettino is also expected to testify. >> erin, thank you so much. >>> let's head to germany where officials are starting to reveal some of the art that's been found decades after being stolen and stashed away by the nazis. diana magnay has that. >> another spectacular art find in germany, this time works by y picaso and renoir. police say the two collections are connected. this time, though, the owner willingly handed his over because he says he was worried about security. kate? >> all right, diana, thank you very much for that. >>> in london, a shocking new development in the news of the world phone hacking scandal. new testimony reveals another royal who was on the phone hacker's target list. atika shubert has that. >> reporter: a british court revealed for the first time that the duchess of cambridge kate middleton was on a list of targets for phone hacking by a british tabloid. prosecutors revealed she was number 14 on a handwritten list of targets. she was then at the time the girlfriend of prince william. she's now

given an interview, a filipino cook, claiming that rather than leading from the front, the captain schettinoo wait for his meal to be served with a female companion. here is what he said. >> translator: the captain insisted having a meal around 10:30. he arrived with a woman i didn't recognize. at that time i was with a colleague, another cook. we wondered what was going on. at that time, we really felt something was wrong. the stuff in the kitchen was falling off shelves. we realized how grave the situation was. you would not believe it. i've had 12 years of experience as a cook on a ship. i've even witnessed fires so i wasn't that scared. but i did wonder, though, what the captain was doing, why was he still there. anyway we gave him his drink. after that he was also still waiting for the dessert to be served to the woman he was with. >> reporter: absolutely extraordinary testimony, wolf, if it turns out to be true. but the ship hit the rock at about 9:41 p.m. and as that cook said, 10:30 the captain was still waiting there for his dessert rather than being up on the bridge and leading fro

where was the captain schettino after it hit the rock. he was allegedly with a woman ordering dinner. >> the captain insisted on having a meal at 10:30. he arrived with a woman who i didn't recognize. we wondered what was going on. at that time, we really felt something was wrong. the stuff in the kitchen was falling off shelves and we realized how grave it was. i had 12 years of experience as a cook on a cruise ship, i even witnessed fire so i wasn't that scared, but i wondered what the captain was doing, why was he still there. way gave him his drink. after that, he was waiting for the dessert to be served to the woman he was with. >> waiting for dessert, he was waiting for dessert while his ship was sinking. he would later desert the ship. his latest excuse was he tripped and fell into the life boat. first he denied it. then he told the coast guard he could better coordinate the rescue from there. the commander went ballistic, ordered him to get back on board. he never did. he said he tripped, fell, stumbled, and fell into a lifeboat a

where was the captain schettino after it hit the rock. he was allegedly with a woman ordering dinner. >> the captain insisted on having a meal at 10:30. he arrived with a woman who i didn't recognize. we wondered what was going on. at that time, we really felt something was wrong. the stuff in the kitchen was falling off shelves and we realized how grave it was. i had 12 years of experience as a cook on a cruise ship, i even witnessed fire so i wasn't that scared, but i wondered what the captain was doing, why was he still there. way gave him his drink. after that, he was waiting for the dessert to be served to the woman he was with. >> waiting for dessert, he was waiting for dessert while his ship was sinking. he would later desert the ship. his latest excuse was he tripped and fell into the life boat. first he denied it. then he told the coast guard he could better coordinate the rescue from there. the commander went bolelubis ba ordered him to get back on board. he never did. he said he tripped, fell, stumbled, and fell into a lifeboat

she defends her husband, francesco schettino, and she says he's a maestro that knows how to do his job, that he's being made into a scapegoat. >>> by the way, a 16th body has been recovered from the cruise ship. 17 are still missing. >>> a very emotional morning there on capitol hill today. congresswoman gabrielle giffords formally resigned from congress. she gave up her seat to focus on her recovery after being shot in her head at a rally in tucson just last year. her good friend and colleague, debbie wasserman schultz read her letter on the house floor. >> always i fought for what i thought was right, but never did i question the character of those with whom i disagreed. never did a pass up an opportunity to join hands with someone just because he or she held different ideals. >> also today a private funeral this afternoon for ledgendary penn state coach joe paterno. thousands stood in line yesterday just to file past his casket. a public service will be held tomorrow in a 16,000-seat arena on campus. the 85-year-old died two months after being accused of being involved in the scanda

schettino was essentially in a life boat. who knows if it was possible to get back on board. listen, if anything is clear at this point, prosecutors are livid with the notion that he is on house arrest right now. they've already announced that they're going to appeal this and suggest that he be jailed instead awaiting the charges. >> is there a law in italy that a captain has to stay on that ship until he or she knows that every passenger is safe? >> that's an awesome question because we all sort of harken back to titanic where we saw the captain valiantly going down with the ship. it's a thing of legend. while there is that charge of abandoning ship, there is no law that you have to go down with the ship. to your point, and you make a good one, you can't just leave when all those other people were in need. so that's something they're going to have to really assess. he certainly did say multiple times on that tape with port authority that he had abandoned ship. but then, kyra, he also called it catapulted. if you saw the angle of the ship like i did, i could easily see people

captain schettino is actually under house arrest tonight. italian authorities are considering charges of manslaughter as well as abandoning ships. he comes from a family of sailors, the question is, will he be the only one held accountable. paul cowen is a new york city prosecutor. what do you think is going to happen here? he's admitted he made a navigational error. he says he did not abandon ship and that audiotape did not play fairly. what real grounds are there here to hold him personally accountable? >> i think there is strong grounds to support a manslaughter case, a ship wreck case. an abandoned ship case. you have a black box on the ship which would demonstrate severe navigational errors and you know, navigating by sight so close to land in a ship of this size is just on its face a reckless, reckless act. it sounds like the italians have a relatively strong case against the captain. >> now, you mentioned going this close to land. just to play a video for you that shocked us. and everybody. take a look at this. this is today. you can

recordings the moment the ship ran aground araising fresh questions about the ship's captain francesco schettinoe port authority captain you're hearing there has become something of a hero in italy with that line "get on board dammit," talking to the captain of the costa concordia. on the website, the cruise company costa cruises describes the concordia as a temple of floating fun. >> reporter: the costa concordia is owned by carnival, the world's largest passenger ship company. taking a cruise can be an affordable way to visit multiple countries, but attorney james walker, who has been involved in litigation against the cruise line industry, says there have been an increasing number of accidents and mishaps. >> if you go back over the past -- just over the past two or three years, you'll see about 15 major groundings, collisions, and fires. there have been a number of cruise ship fires in the fleet. perhaps the most spectacular was the fire on the star princess. >> reporter: the star princess in 2006 operated by carnival and carrying 2,600 passengers caught fire. one passenger died and more tha

also, today, we got our first look at an interview that the concordia captain, schettino, did a day after the grounding. in it, he maintains that the rock he hit was not on the map. >> i don't know if it was detected or not, but on the nautical chart it was marked just as waiter at some 100 to 150 meters from the rocks, and we were about 300 meters from the shore more or less. we should not have had this contact. there were more than 4,000 people and you were able to rescue everyone. the captain is usually the last one to abandon ship. what happened, captain? >> we were the last to leave the ship. >> last night, we showed you why that simply is not so. his own phone calls to the coast guard from the life boat during the evacuations is truth enough. his story has changed since the interview. he's saying, you might want to sit down for this. he said he somehow tripped and fell into a life boat. not kidding. tripped and fell into a life boat, got stuck in the life boat along with the rest of his senior officers. as for the rock he hit, we got the first up close look at it, and it, too, is br

there was the captain, francisco schettino? he was allegedly with a woman ordering dinner.slator: the captain insisted on having a meal around 10:30. he arrived with a woman i didn't recognize. at that time i was with a colleague, another cook jason velasco and we wondered what was going on. we felt something was wrong. the stuff in the kitchen was falling off shelves and we realized how grave the situation was. you would not believe it. i have had 12 years of experience on a cruise ship. i have witnessed fires so i wasn't that scared but i wondered what the captain was doing. why was he still there. we gave him his drink. after that he was still waiting for dessert to be served for the woman he was with. >> waiting for dessert. so the cook claims the captain was waiting for dessert while his ship was sinking. he later abandoned the ship with crew and passengers aboard. his last explanation was he tripped and fell into the lifeboat. first he denied it. then told a coast guard commander talking to him from the lifeboat he could better coordinate from there. that's what his a

it will stay in the united states because carnival owns the ship, is that number one, francesco schettinoe captain, on one hand says, well, i've fallen down and i can't get up and he fell right into a life boat, which is not very credible. secondly, they got him on tape saying i upped and left. and secondly, and i think more compelling, is that under maritime law, you're supposed to contact the coast guard immediately. costa which owns the boat, owns the ship and the captain admit that no one contacted the coast guard for 73 minutes. that's extremely compelling and it may be effective in getting around the kind of fine print that richard is talking about. >> avery, let me ask you, why file in state court in florida and not federal court, if the case eventually does come to the united states? what's the benefit to doing it in state court? >> mostly because it's easier. i frankly would have chosen a federal forum, but i understand that by trying to convince a state court judge to keep the case, based on this florida-based company, many of the procedures that are required in the federal cour