In a solemn scene in the movie Titanic, the captain stands alone in the control room, holding the wheel as water comes crashing in on him. He goes down with his sinking ship, a romantically tragic image that has spanned history and literature for centuries and reinforced the idea of this maritime tradition.
Though abandoning ship may not break a legally binding regulation, some say codes of ethics and honor render Captain Schettino’s behavior unacceptable.
“The captain certainly has a moral responsibility to be [the last on board]. In some sense, the moral responsibility takes precedence over legal responsibility,” says Palmiotti, who has worked in the maritime field for more than 30 years.
Many crew members did stay aboard the sinking Costa Concordia, and said later that it was important for their self-respect, and conscience.
"I could have saved myself and not done my duty, but I didn't. I waited and helped get at least 300 people on lifeboats," said Ciro Iosso, an electrician on the ship, reports Reuters.
The origins of maritime evacuation priorities have changed over the years, notes Robin Miskolcze, author of "Women and Children First: 19th -Century Sea Narratives and American Identity." She writes that in the late 1700s, it was widely believed that God decided who survived shipwrecks. This translated to men climbing over anyone standing between them and safety, reports Slate. As new views took hold during the Enlightenment, news reports became critical of men who survived shipwrecks in which female passengers died. For centuries to follow, "women and children first" became the standard cry. That practice was also reportedly overlooked during the recent ship evacuation off the Italian coast, reports the Daily Mail.
