Costa Concordia Captain Walks Wreck For 1st Time

Two years after the disaster that killed 32 people, captain Francesco Schettino today returned to the Costa Concordia wreckage in the course of his manslaughter trial. Schettino went aboard in order to help court-appointed experts inspect generators, which the captain claims were partly to blame for the incident, the AP reports. Judge Giovanni Puliatti was careful to qualify that Schettino was on board the ship "as a defendant, not a consultant," reports the BBC.

"They want to show that I am weak, just like two years ago. It's not true. I want to show I'm a gentleman, not a coward," Schettino told Italian media. Standout detail from the BBC: It was quite the safe morning for Schettino, who participated in a health-and-safety briefing before donning a life vest and heading to the ship. (The tragedy actually claimed a 33rd victim this month.)