The Captain Being Called A Coward and the Mediterranean Cruise Ship Disaster

INSIDE EDITION has the latest on the cruise ship sinking in the Mediterranean and the Captain who may be at fault.

They're calling him "Captain Coward," the skipper of that luxury cruise ship that sank off the coast of Italy. He snuck off the doomed ship while his terrified passengers scrambled for their lives.

A cellphone video captured the chaos on board. Survivors describe it as a scene right out of Titanic.

Back then it was women and children first, but in this modern day disaster at sea there were grown men right at the front of the line.

Passengers say the Captain and other senior crew members were among the first in the lifeboats. They made it safely onshore while others, like a newlywed couple from Boston were left to fend for themselves.

Rescuers are still searching for survivors today. Pictures were taken inside the ship, now on it's side in 50 feet of water.

Among the passengers still missing, Barbara and Jerry Heil, a retired couple from Minnesota who were on the trip of a lifetime. So what went wrong? Officials say it was the Captain's fault. He steered the ship too close to the mainland. Some reports claim he was "showing off" to a friend.

INSIDE EDITION got exclusive access to the bridge of a cruise ship just like the Concordia. The bridge gives the Captain and his officers an unobstructed 360 degree view of the sea.

A lookout keeps a constant watch on the horizon for potential hazzards and two officers man a bank of computers that monitor the ships course using the latest technology.

Every inch of the route is mapped and approved.
 
Carnival Cruise Lines, which owns the Concordia, say the Captain made an "unapproved, unauthorized maneuver" right into jagged rocks that tore open the side of the ship, dooming the vessel.

Instead of a voyage to remember, the 3,000 passengers on board got a night from hell.