Captain goes down with the ship

The captain is the last to board, or the captain goes down with his ship under control and is a maritime tradition according to the sinking of the ship until the last responsible for ship, crew and passengers and a captain has to save them.

Shipping

History

The phrase was known in 1912 with the sinking of the Titanic, but existed at least eleven years earlier.

The concept is closely related to another written down in the 19th century rule: "Women and children first! " Both embody the Victorian ideal of chivalry, was consequently requested by the upper classes of honor, service and respect for the disadvantaged.

Practice

The concept literally means that the captain is the last person leaving a ship before it sinks or is completely destroyed, and that he, if he is unable to save his crew and passengers, even to the rescue must renounce his own life.

In maritime law, the presence of the captain of the utmost importance, regardless of the state of the ship, so that leaving the ship has legal consequences especially for the mountains legal stranger. Even if the captain leaves the ship in distress, its responsibility does not end it, and he is obliged to return to his ship as soon as the danger subsides.

If a military captain leaving a ship in wartime, it may as desertion or mutiny is punishable as a felony, if he does not then sunk the ship sinking or waits. In many countries, " leaving early to the ship by the ship's command " and the " leaving the needy " (§ § 303, 1097, for example, Italian Codice della Navigazione ) are considered criminal acts.

In German criminal law, the master (13 Penal Code § § 212, ) and Omitted assistance may manslaughter by omission ( § 323c StGB) constitute a criminal offense, since it has a guarantor position in relation to its passengers arising from maritime law provisions. However, it is not necessary that he be the last remains of the ship in the literal sense. It is sufficient if he does everything possible to save his passengers without putting themselves in danger.

Examples

Captain remained until the end

Captain was not until the very end

• August 4, 1991: Some of the officers of the sinking cruise ship Oceanos left this in one of the first lifeboats. 225 people had to stay behind, including the elderly and children, because the remaining lifeboats were no longer accessible. Captain Yiannis Avranas was in the later air rescue one of the first that could be pulling up by a helicopter from the deck of the past now with a 40 degree list ship.
• January 13, 2012 Francesco Schettino, the captain of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, left his ship before the end of the evacuation. He was taken by the Italian authorities in custody and charged with several offenses ( inter alia, negligent assault and homicide and failure to render assistance by leaving early the ship ). If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. On September 23, 2013, the Attorney General has objected to the possible Schettinos by lawyers in accordance with Article 444 of the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure proposal for a sentencing of 40 months imprisonment at the Court of Appeal of Florence.

Aviation

The concept was transferred explicitly in aviation on the duty pilots ( Pilot in Command ).

Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot of U.S. Airways flight 1549, was the last person who left the successful notgewasserte on the Hudson River plane, after a recent search other inmates performed.

There are known cases (eg, Korean Air Lines Flight 015), in which the captain even refused for fear of losing his honor to leave the crashed aircraft.

Railway

In the railway transport of drivers and the engineer for the safety of their passengers are responsible.

The driver André Tanguy called just before the forthcoming railway accident at the Gare de Lyon via the intercom of the train passengers repeatedly to leave the train immediately. When he saw the train coming towards him, he nevertheless remained at the microphone and repeated his warning. He saved so many passengers life. He himself did not survive the impact.