Abandoned Ship: An intimate account of the Costa Concordia shipwreck

On January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia -- a thousand foot long luxury cruise ship, twice the size of the Titanic -- ventured into shallow water and smashed into the rocks of a tiny island off the coast of Italy, throwing the four thousand passengers and crew members into a state of chaos. The captain and officers all abandoned ship, leaving the few remaining castaways to fend for themselves as the boat toppled onto its side and water flooded into the passenger decks.

In the wee hours of…