Costa Concordia Cruise Disaster: Husband Sacrifices Life Jacket For Wife, Disappears Into Water

He did what any husband would have done for his wife.

As the Costa Concordia cruise ship went down off the west coast of Italy Jan. 13, Nicole Servel's husband, Francis, gave her the only life jacket they had, Emirates247.com reports.

That was the last she saw of him.

"I owe my life to my husband," Servel, 61, told the news outlet, explaining she doesn't know how to swim.

Just hours after it departed, the cruise ship hit rocks, forcing passengers to evacuate. According to CNN, direction from the ship's crew was unclear, so many passengers took matters into their own hands, rushing to secure life vests for themselves. The news source describes people frantically jumping into the water and lifeboats, which became loaded with passengers and stuck atop the icy water.

Nicole Servel blames the loss of her husband on the ship's crew, some of whom saved themselves without helping any passengers, Emirates 24/7 reports.

Conversely, BBC reports that Captain Francesco Schettino claims he didn't leave the ship until it was evacuated.

The Costa Concordia CEO is placing fault on the captain for the disaster, the Associated Press reports.

Following the crash, there are six confirmed deaths, 17 people still unaccounted for, and several injuries to the 4,200 guests on board, according to the AP.

SLIDESHOW:

Comments

[DECKER GARY]

03:25 PM on 01/20/2012

Today with the modern woman, would've been the right thing being equal and all, that maybe she should heave-ho'd??

[matilda81]

03:42 PM on 02/01/2012

She didn't know how to swim. Her husband loved her so much that he sacrificed his life. This is a story of love. It isn't your place to say what she should or shouldn't have done.

[DECKER GARY]

06:08 PM on 02/02/2012

It was a touchy story, but denying his life for hers was a wash.

[Chronicle]

03:11 PM on 01/20/2012

There were 4,200 passengers on the liner. Out of all those passengers, there are only 6 confirmed dead and 17 missing. In this tragedy, many media stories consist of finger pointing and blame gaming. And yet, as this story suggests, there were "heroes" ... many of whom went unsung.

With 4,177 confirmed living survivors out of 4,200, it seems to me like a lot of things went "right" during this tragedy. And it would be nice to hear those stories, too - especially ones that involve unsung heroes like Francis Servel.

[Claudia L]

11:46 AM on 01/22/2012

The boat didn't sink because it was in the shallows. If it had been further out at sea, it would have and many, if not all, would have died.

[boston123456]

02:53 PM on 01/20/2012

She was planning on going to probate court and take his jacket, money, house and children anyway - besides claiming physical abuse requiring immediate imprisonment, for not buttoning up the jacket on her 'faster'! :)

[matilda81]

03:44 PM on 02/01/2012

Sounds like someone just went through a rough divorce.

[TMariner]

11:58 AM on 01/20/2012

Would I have done that for my wife? In a heartbeat -- wouldn't be much fun without her. And for my kids and grandkids.

[travelnomad]

06:44 PM on 01/19/2012

This man was a loving husband. For those of you on this post who say, who would go on a ship without knowing how to swim, that is out of line. I don't know how to pilot a plane, but I take them all the time. I don't know how to drive a bus, but I take a bus to work every day.

In this case, they had no idea how deep the water was, how far the shore was, where they even were, given misinformation by the ships crew, "electrical malfunction", were not even told to abandon ship for over one hour, by then lights were out water pouring in, ship tilting to one side, most lifeboats inoperable, told to stay in line and wait for help to come. And the person in charge, the Captain, left the ship.

So, don't blame this woman because she could not swim and her husband gave her the only life jacket. People could NOT even get back to their cabins to get their life jackets in many cases, the ship was listing so badly and taking on water fast. Even with the normal life boat drill and assigned muster stations, none of that would have worked in this tragic situation.

[Valerie Valentine]

05:18 PM on 01/19/2012

If the Captain is found guilty think of the Lawsuits that he has to look forward to. Even the Company can sue him let alone all the families that have missing relatives.

[oliverpee]

01:13 AM on 01/20/2012

You try to get blood out of a turnip. The captain has nothing to sue for. Thats funny you think the company Carnival Cruselines a listed company with shareholders and hundreds of millions in insurance would sue him. Lets say he even has a million dollars to his name..Do you really think that it will still be in his name at the time of a law suit and not in the name of a long lost aunt in a bank in the Caymans?

[dawnyf1966]

04:51 PM on 01/19/2012

They should take that captain and put him in that ship and make him help look for bodies!!!

[msull84846]

10:50 AM on 01/19/2012

i wonder if the man was in anyway related to the Captain.....wait......of course not

[larned]

01:31 PM on 01/20/2012

Does making useless, cruel remarks about people you don't know make you feel better about yourself? My father died this week so I have little tolerance right now for people who get their kicks making glib, snarking comments about death and dying. Grow the hell up.

[edko426]

09:39 AM on 01/19/2012

I've been on two cruises. Why do people who cant swin go on cruises? This is NOT the Titanic. Look at the pucture, that water is onyl about 50 feet deep and its about 40 -50 feet tothe rocks. Anyone who cant swin that far should nt be going on a cruise. Folks, my point is that in this awful world today we've all got to be able to protect ourselves. Noone's gonna carry you off the ship.

[vobox3343]

10:58 AM on 01/19/2012

So when you board a plane you know how to fly?

[sswood3414]

11:21 AM on 01/19/2012

No I put on feathered underware

[thelatescottbaio]

05:50 AM on 01/20/2012

totally stupid response. you should know how to swim if you're on any vessel. you should know where the pfds are located on any vessel. you should know how to don a pfd on any vessel. you should know the help, and huddle position on any vessel. you should know the rating of a pfd. the required pfd on a vessel like this would be a type I, being that the buoyancy of a type i pfd is 22lbs and the average person only requires 7-12 lbs to keep their head above water using the huddle position both could have been saved.

[matilda81]

03:52 PM on 02/01/2012

You are speaking as if these people simply capsized in a canoe. When a CRUISE SHIP that is several stories talll and filled with thousands of people wrecks, you are left with an entirely different situation. Even the strongest of swimmers could drown in this scenario.

[cgttn]

09:31 AM on 01/19/2012

I don't understand why he jumped into the water. He should have waited on the ship. It did not totally sink. The coast guard was there. He should have waited for the rescue. People went crazy getting off. He sounds like he could not swim that well either.

[edko426]

09:39 AM on 01/19/2012

Exactly

[vobox3343]

11:10 AM on 01/19/2012

Yeah, a lot of people lost their lives in the towers because they were told to go back and wait. You don't always get the best advice. I can totally understand the panic, especially when you've already been told a lie (electrical problem?).

[country girl15]

09:08 AM on 01/19/2012

What a Wonderful Husband and Man,
I know his wife must be completely lost and sick at heart,body and soul for the loss of her husband who gave his life because of his great love for her.My Sincerest and Deepest Sympathies go out to her as well as the other Passengers and their families. May God Bless You All in your great time of sorrow.Please know that there are thousands of people who are praying for you and your families.

[opinionsrlikeholes]

08:45 AM on 01/19/2012

This is so sad and sweet! However, I would be DEVASTATED if my husband did that and I survived. I can't even think about it because it makes me ill that these cowards were trusted to run a ship! Leave it up to the media to want to soften the story with a headline like this. This is the prime example of what I like to talk about in my private circle...PEOPLE NOT TAKING THEIR JOBS SERIOUSLY!! Especially jobs like this! You are in charge of thousands of lives!! ACT LIKE IT!! If it's not people taking for granted the actual dangers of large moving mechanical items like CARS, PLANES, TRAINS, SHIPS!!! People travel in these daily, & with proper precautionary measures and RESPONSIBILITY, things like this should NEVER happen. I know that's an obvious statement, but the obvious is that the old school values of respecting life and taking pride in your career, are gone. Everybody just has a "job" that provides "just a paycheck" SSDD

[msull84846]

10:52 AM on 01/19/2012

now if the wife gave her husband the life jacket and he took it...he would have been labeled a cad.....

[opinionsrlikeholes]

02:14 PM on 02/01/2012

So true. I would just perish with him :)

[vobox3343]

11:13 AM on 01/19/2012

Makes you appreciate the crew on our airlines that some choose to disrespect.

[jferengi]

12:36 AM on 01/19/2012

I haven't checked it out but I heard that the ship made a detour from its usual path in order to let a crew member wave to relatives.
Sounds not credible to me but the Andrea Doria disaster was not a pretty story either.

[darksideofthespoon]

09:02 AM on 01/19/2012

Yup, the captain wanted to salute a fellow co-worker who was on shore. He admitted this over the weekend, I believe.

[livingbettertherapy]

08:02 PM on 01/18/2012

Modern naval technology will never be a substitute for character. Second Officer Charles Lightoller of the Titanic refused to abandon his ship in 1912, saving as many people as he could, finally going down with the ship. Lightoller miraculously survived. In 1940, a 66 year old civilian sailor took his private yacht, The Sundowner, from the coast of England to Dunkirk, France to rescue British soldiers fleeing from Hitler's onslaught. His yacht was designed to carry a maximum of 21 passengers. The British navy attempted to comandeer his vessel but its strong willed owner convinced them that his familiarity with his vessel and experience would allow him to utilize his ship better than anyone else. This proved true later on when he returned to England, 130 rescued soldiers disembarked from the elderly man's yacht. The elderly man was later revealed to be Charles Lightoller, hero of the Titanic tragedy. Courage doesn't require an absence of fear; it only requires action despite fear.

[matilda81]

04:00 PM on 02/01/2012

Great story, but is it true? It sounds exactly like the kind of story a life coach would tell. I would love to read more about this. Are there any books you would recommend?

[livingbettertherapy]

04:30 PM on 02/01/2012

It is true. We life coaches are notorious for finding historical accounts of ordinary people living extraordinary lives by conquering fear.

Hard to find but the book by the man himself: Titanic and Other Ships
Lightoller, Commander (Charles Herbert)
Bookseller: J. W. Mah

A great resource that links you to many books: http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/charles-herbert-lightoller.html
(Burnaby, BC, Canada)