"[10], Captain Avranas received extensive media coverage as an example of unprofessional behaviour whilst in command. Abandonment is for everybody, if some people want to stay, they can stay. He speaks five foreign languages, originally from Kasos, but was born in Egypt. Pryal was no ordinary crank, but a highly regarded local businessman who claimed to have been an officer aboard the White Star liner Majestic some 30 years before, when Smith was its captain. Francesco Schettino Sparks Outrage", "Revisiting the sinking of Oceanos part 1:Heroic Rescue Effort Saves 571", Down With The Ship NPR Snap Judgement episode #726, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MTS_Oceanos&oldid=1151622929, Sunk by uncontrolled flooding on 4 August 1991 off the coast of, This page was last edited on 25 April 2023, at 05:19. Oceanos was very poorly maintained while simultaneously operating in one of the most dangerous and rough areas of the oceans. I knew then we were soon going.. Now he was about to preside over one of the worst sea disasters of all time. Jim Staples, a captain for 20 years, who spoke Wednesday from a 1,000-foot cargo vessel he was captaining near New Orleans, said captains are duty-bound to stay with the ship until the situation is hopeless. "Abandon is for everybody. Arriving at the dive site, the team was amazed by the conditions. Captain of MTS Oceanos. I would avoid any cruise that involves a Greek ship! The Costa Concordia ran aground off the Italian coast in 2012, killing 32 people. The captain of the Oceanos was alerted to the problem after receiving reports of water entering some of the cabins on board. Becky Little is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. Those who did earned instant infamy, like the captain of the Greek luxury liner Oceanos, which sank in rough seas off South Africa in 1991. On Sunday, the day before the first dive attempt, the gusty southwesterly wind blew. The ship underwent several name changes, including Mykinai, Ancona, Eastern Princess, and finally, in 1976, under the . Stranger still are several widely publicized reports that he didnt die at all. READ MORE: Why Nobody Remembers America's Worst Maritime Disaster. "You need someone on the ship to communicate with them, to command the people who are on the ship, to help get the passengers off and to guide the rescuers.". https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yiannis_Avranas&oldid=1133434367, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 19:56. The 402 passengers and 179 crew members all survived . Attaining a maximum depth of 86.4m, the three divers initially made their way North to the stern, where Brett Hawton had time to pose next to the raised Greek lettering, spelling out the name OKEANOZ. January 19, 2012 / 3:02 PM Her captain, Yiannis Avranas, and some of the crew were convicted of negligence for fleeing the ship without helping the passengers, who were subsequently rescued thanks to the efforts of the ship's entertainers, who made a mayday transmission, launched lifeboats, and helped . The notorious master of the vessel was Captain Yiannis Avranas. Even if he's not convicted, it is highly unlikely that he'll ever command a cruise or cargo ship again because of the damage to his reputation, said Prof. Craig Allen of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. I just watched national geografic program about the Oceanos tragedy. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "[9] They were among the last to be rescued. The captain still had some hope of averting total disaster. "A lot of this is candidly still more lore than law," says Miller Shealy, a maritime law professor at the Charleston School of Law. Being one of the worlds most difficult wrecks to reach and successfully dive, the Oceanos offers great rewards for technical divers at the top of their game. "When they go bad, they're evil," Shealy says. NAVY DIVER SAYS OCEANOS CAPTAIN DEMANDED TO BE ONE OF FIRST RESCUED. An often asked question is what happened to the captain of the oceans at this stage, eyewitness accounts reveal that many of the crew, including Captain Avranias, were already packed and ready to depart, seemingly unconcerned with the safety of the passengers. And the second boat was only cooks. [4] Boltman told a newspaper: "Later in the morning, Captain Avarnasi (sic) even contacted me from shore to ask how things were going. The ship's captain, Yiannis Avranas, had 30 years' experience at sea. Does anyone know of the current whereabouts of former Captain Yiannis Avranas of the doomed Oceanos? Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/news/titanic-captain-edward-smith-final-hours-death. "He deeply regrets not being with his crew. Family members of passengers on a South Korean ferry that sank look at lists of survivors on Wednesday. The captain must first ensure the safety of his passengers, then of his crew and, finally, of the ship, though the notion that he's supposed to go down with it is more legend than fact. Both literature and real life offer plenty of examples of shipmasters who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect their passengers and crew. The weather forecast was predicting a strong northeasterly wind by morning, a factor that could easily mean the end of the expedition. The Costa Concordia, carrying more than 4,200 passengers and crew, slammed into a reef on Friday, after Schettino made an unauthorized maneuver. He and fellow entertainer Julian Butler[8] directed the efforts of the entertainment staff - including Robin Boltman - to assist them. ", First published on January 19, 2012 / 3:02 PM. While the ship could have stayed afloat with up to four flooded compartments, depending on their location, five tipped into catastrophic territory. This window period, although based on unscientific information provided by maritime vessels in the area, falls in May and December. The onsite expedition requirements included everything from personal diving gear, three imported Silent Submersion scooters, twenty staged decompression cylinders, a specialized mixed gas compressor unit, several large oxygen, and helium cylinders, three 7.3m rigid hull inflatable boats, an evacuation helicopter, and trained medical personnel. Video footage shows their progress as pale rays of sunlight filtered through the corridor windows, throwing subtle illuminations across the dark interior. "The captain called the men to attention," says William Fowler, a maritime historian at Northeastern University. WE ARE ALLOWED TO DO BUSINESS IN NEW YORK, TEXAS AND KENTUCKY ALONG WITH OTHER STATES WHERE WE ARE REGISTERED, EXEMPTED OR EXCLUDED FROM REGISTRATION. The current, too, was very strong, and the team was worried. [7][failed verification] The NPR radio show and podcast Snap Judgment featured an account of the sinking by Moss Hills. Captain Yiannis Avranas (born c. 1940) had been an officer for twenty years and a seaman for thirty. [22] The show Extreme Weather: The Survivors featured a segment on the sinking. Life seems to have been unaware that immediately after Silent Smiths death in 1915, the Lima News had identified the man as one Michael McKenna. Some countries, like Italy, have included it in national laws. In Greece the case was referred to the High Council of Maritime Accidents of the Ministry of Maritime. Best Known For: Captain Edward J. Smith played a role in one of the most famous disasters at sea in history, the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. For example, three months after the Titanic disaster, in July 1912, a Baltimore man named Peter Pryal reported seeing Smith on the streets of that city. In 1994, his English wife Davina published a book about . [20][21], Dateline NBC aired a documentary of the incident on 23 May 2010. He was 46 years old. The Costa Concordia ran aground off the Italian coast in 2012, killing 32 people. Three years later she wrote in her book entitled, The Tragedy of the Oceanos: Christos Nikolaou, an Oceanist, had a relative who was an executive at the Panhellenic Federation. Its captain was accused of manslaughter and abandoning the 4,200 passengers and crew on the night of the wreck. The MV Oceanos was a 153m passenger ship, built in 1952 and designed to carry 550 passengers and 250 crew. I am the captain. Allen dismissed that idea, saying the captain's knowledge of his ship is crucial in an emergency. I wouldnt recommend this wreck to anyone but the best technical divers who really know what theyre doing.. In more than 40 years at sea he had rarely been involved in an accident and never held accountable for one. If some people like to stay, they can stay. Fleeing in a lifeboat, they were told by the captain of a rescue ship to go back and help their passengers. At sea he had no kindness. At 12:05 a.m. Smith gave orders to uncover the lifeboats and alert the passengers. By On 3 August 1991, the Oceanos - initially delayed due to a bomb threat - set out from East London, South Africa and headed for Durban.Captain Yiannis Avranas (born ca. [9], A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. After Capt. When they bail early, everything falls apart. Although Barry, Paul, and Brett would dive to the Oceanos as a team, they were all on different equipment. [5] The final minutes of her sinking were captured on video and broadcast by ABC News. A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. This page is not available in other languages. [5] They used the radio phone to broadcast a mayday distress call until Moss received a response.[7]. Through the confusion,the captain somehow made it into a lifeboat before everyone else had made it off. Reinforced when Capt. ", the captain of the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia. Towards the end, passengers had to jump into . Among the crew, however, some tried to save themselves first. Yiannis Avranas (born ca. Then, about two years ago, South African technical divers Barry Coleman and Brett Hawton decided it was time to revisit the Oceanos. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, newspapers cast Smith as a hero, the brave captain who went down with his ship. I would avoid any cruise that involves a Greek ship! What happened to the captain and crew of the Oceanos?