GIGLIO ISLAND, Italy — Authorities have given the go-ahead for a daring attempt Monday to pull upright the Costa Concordia cruise liner from its side in the waters off Tuscany, a make-or-break engineering feat that has never before been tried in such conditions.
The Concordia struck a reef near Giglio Island the night of Jan. 13, 2012, took on water through a 230-foot gash in its hull and capsized just outside the harbor. Thirty-two of the 4,200 passengers and crew members died.
Never before have engineers tried to right such a huge ship so close to land. If the operation succeeds, the Concordia will be towed away and broken up for scrap.
The operation to bring the ship vertical involves dozens of crank-like pulleys rotating the ship upright at a rate of about 3 yards per hour, using chains that have been looped around its hull. Tanks filled with water on the exposed side of the vessel will also help rotate it upward, using gravity to pull the exposed side down. The Associated Press
