Italians enthralled by ship’s tale of two captains

THE coastguard officer who ordered the captain of the capsized Italian cruise ship to go back aboard has unwittingly become an instant hero, credited with saving the national honour on one of its darkest nights.

Italy has become enthralled with the tale of two captains.

One is coastguard captain Gregorio De Falco, who furiously ordered the skipper of the Costa Concordia to return to his ship and oversee the rescue operations.