the italian coast guard shows other passengers and crew escaping down the side of the doomed vessel. once safe onshore, the sabas see hundreds of discarded life jackets and as a body is taken away, the gravity of the situation becomes clear. we did not realize people were dying until we were on the ferry and we saw some of the people being carried away all covered up. but i still did not realize it. i think it was probably the adrenaline trying to keep me from panicking. daylight reveals the huge rocks had torn a 160-foot gash in the $500 million cruise liner. divers begin their search for survivors. the sabas and the rest of the world learns that the boat s captain left the boat while many others were still onboard. the captain says he slipped off the ship s deck and fell into a life boat. he said he tried to make his way back but couldn t. listen as a coast guard official demands that the captain return
his 9-year-old daughter, ruby. my daughter and i were taking a daughter/daddy trip and part of the trip brought us through philadelphia. they decide to take a ride on the duck boat. it was a novel experience for both of us. are you having a good time, gang? this commercial for ride the ducks shows everyone onboard enjoying the tour from the streets to the river on what is typically a care-free and exciting experience. but on july 7th, 2010, at about 2:30 in the afternoon, this footage shows the duck boat sitting in the delaware river in the middle of an active shipping channel after problems with the boat s engine. the smell i was smelling when we first got in the river was kind of getting stronger. the engine overheats and the captain drops anchor at about 55 feet.
don t move, please. take it easy. don t make any rapid movement. my chest in the water. you re okay. you guys need to distribute yourselves. some of the weight. there s room in the bow. there s room in the bow. then, a sign of hope. they spot a fishing boat in the distance. i think we need to shoot a flare. what do you think, john? try to shoot the gun. straight up, john? yep. not straight up. away from us. exactly, away from us. oh, great. the flare disappears unnoticed in the overcast sky. they re meant for night, i believe. we got one orange flare. want to save it for when we need it. rescue now depends on john s 911 call that he made from his cellphone just minutes before their boat sank and no one knows how much information got through to authorities.
raft are lifted to safety. bob is second to last. the whole side of that raft was completely deflated by the time i got off. so, our timing couldn t have been better and then looking over at the captain as that boat continued to sink, he was getting to his last rail. the helicopter has reached its weight limit, and they have to call a second helicopter to rescue captain john ferule. he s forced to wait another ten long minutes clinging to that last rung above water until he dropped the basket right on top of the boat and john got in, and i ll never forget as the helicopter went by, you could clearly see the silhouette of the boat underwater and then as it just continued to sink into the abyss. so, the timing really turned out, i mean, absolutely perfect in a way. not a moment to spare. the entire fishing party is brought to shore for medical attention and released soon after.
sink on tv. we saw the whole thing. a father and his daughter from france are reported missing and are never found. people were tired, emotions were running high. and it was a long night. a long night and a long couple of days ahead since almost all of their personal belongings, including their passports, are at the bottom of the sea. we realized we had absolutely no clothes, and we couldn t find any place to buy clothes because it was easter weekend. eventually, the cruise line reimburses passengers for their lost items and gives them a voucher for a free cruise that jan has never used. we bought our boat a few months before we went on this cruise ship and the first thing my husband asked me when we got home was, does this mean i have to sell the boat?