![]() ![]() Lee’s decision to leave his 447 passengers “a disgrace,” and likened it to the desertion of the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship off the Italian coast in 2012. Doherty, who has commanded Navy and merchant ships and managed safety operations at a major cruise line. Padgett III, a retired United States Navy rear admiral and former submarine captain. “That guy’s an embarrassment to anybody who’s ever had command at sea,” said John B. Maritime experts called the abandonment shocking - violating a proud international (and South Korean) tradition of stewardship based at least as much on accepted codes of behavior as by law. ![]() The behavior has earned the captain, Lee Jun-seok, 69, the nickname the “evil of the Sewol” among bloggers in South Korea. One thing that’s getting a lot of attention both here and Korea, though, is the fact that the ship’s captain acted in a manner that most of us would consider cowardly:Įver since the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage, carrying its captain and many of the passengers with it, the notion that the captain goes down with his ship has been ingrained in popular culture.īut now, for the second time in just over two years, a sea captain - first in Italy and now in South Korea - has been among the first to flee a sinking vessel, placing his own life ahead of those of his terrified passengers.Ī much-publicized photo from the latest accident shows the Korean captain being helped off his own ship, the Sewol, stepping off the deck to safety even as scores of his ferry passengers remained below where survivors believe they became trapped by rushing water and debris. Just two days ago, a ferry carrying hundreds of South Korean school children capsized on its way to an island known as “the Hawaii of Korea.” So far, there are about three dozen people confirmed dead, but hundreds of children remain missing, either trapped aboard ship in an air pocket that isn’t likely to last much longer, or already dead. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |