Cowardice at sea is no crime -- at least in the U.S.

[dipsydoodle]

(Reuters) - When Captain Francesco Schettino hopped a life boat after the Costa Concordia hit a rock off the Tuscany coast, he violated a sacred maritime tradition: that a captain should be the last to leave his ship.

He also is accused of violating the law. Italian maritime code criminalizes the act of abandoning ship and Schettino was placed under house arrest, accused of causing the disaster and then jumping ship before the evacuation was complete.

Countries have adopted different maritime codes over the centuries and the responsibilities of a captain can be traced to a 12th century French document called the Rolls of Oleron, which established the first known outlines of maritime law.

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In the United States, the rule that a captain should be the last to leave a distressed ship is not a criminal offense. The Westlaw online legal research service shows the phrase "abandon ship" turned up 618 decisions but none addressed a captain's decision to leave a ship before his passengers.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/20/us-italy-ship-maritimelaw-idUSTRE80J1R020120120

[Lasher]

1. It should be.

If you don't want the responsibility, then don't take the job.

[Ecumenist]

2. My God, it sure as hell should be!

[99th_Monkey]

4. It is such a great alegory

suggesting "ship of state" inferences, and such ...

[treestar]

5. I'm interested in the question of

What good would it do? If it matters, that's one thing, but if the captain is not going to personally be able to do anything that matters - I think we may be hung up on an old fashioned "point of honor" here. Maybe in this case the captain could do more getting to shore to help coordinate efforts. It would depend on the situation.