A captain's private hell in sea disaster

Rescue workers carry the body of a passenger from the sunken South Korean ferry Sewol on Monday, April 21, in Jindo, South Korea. Dozens of people have died and hundreds are missing after the ferry sank on Wednesday, April 16, as it was headed to the resort island of Jeju from the port of Incheon.

Divers jump into the water on April 21 to search for passengers near the buoys which mark the site of the sunken ferry.

A relative of a passenger looks at the lists of the dead in Jindo on April 21.

Search operations continue as flares illuminate the scene near Jindo on Sunday, April 20.

Relatives of missing passengers from the Sewol ferry grieve on April 20 in Jindo.

Relatives of passengers look out at the sea from Jindo on April 20.

A relative of a missing passenger struggles with a policeman as he tries to march toward the presidential house in Jindo on April 20 to protest the government's rescue operation.

Police officers stand guard Saturday, April 19, at the port in Jindo to prevent relatives of the ferry's missing passengers from jumping in the water. Some relatives have said they will swim to the shipwreck site and find their missing family members by themselves.

Family members of missing passengers hug as they await news of their missing relatives at Jindo Gymnasium in the southwestern province of South Jeolla, South Korea, on April 19.

South Korean Navy Ship Salvage Unit members prepare to salvage the sunken ferry and search for missing people on April 19.

Oil from the sunken ferry appears near the wreckage site on April 19.

Lee Joon Suk, the captain of the sunken ferry Sewol, is escorted to the court that issued his arrest warrant Friday, April 18, in Mokpo, South Korea. It is not yet known what caused Wednesday's deadly accident.

Offshore cranes wait near buoys that mark the location of the sunken ferry near Jindo, South Korea, on April 18.

A U.S. helicopter takes off from the flight deck of the USS Bonhomme Richard during search-and-rescue operations on April 18.

A woman cries as she waits for news on missing passengers April 18 in Jindo.

A searchlight illuminates the capsized ferry on Thursday, April 17.

The ship's captain, Lee Joon Suk, arrives at the Mokpo Police Station in Mokpo on April 17. His head and face covered, he broke down in tears when reporters asked whether he had anything to say.

A woman cries during a candlelight vigil at Danwon High School in Ansan, South Korea, on April 17. Most of the people on board the ferry were high school students on their way to the resort island of Jeju.

Rescue personnel dive April 17 during search operations.

Family members of passengers aboard the sunken ferry gather at a gymnasium in Jindo on April 17.

The body of a victim is moved at a hospital in Mokpo on April 17.

Relatives of a passenger cry at a port in Jindo on April 17 as they wait for news on the rescue operation.

South Korean coast guard members and rescue teams search for passengers at the site of the sunken ferry on April 17.

A relative of a passenger cries as she waits for news on Wednesday, April 16.

Rescue teams and fishing boats try to rescue passengers on April 16.

Relatives check a list of survivors April 16 in Jindo.

Relatives of missing ferry passengers wait for news at a gym in Jindo.

Rescue crews attempt to save passengers from the ferry on April 16.

A South Korean coast guard helicopter lifts passengers off the vessel on April 16.

Police and rescue teams carry a passenger at the port in Jindo on April 16.

A relative waits for a missing loved one at the port in Jindo.

Parents at Danwon High School search for names of their children among the list of survivors. Ansan is a suburb of Seoul, the South Korean capital.

Helicopters hover over the ferry as rescue operations continue April 16.

A man in Seoul watches a news broadcast about the sinking vessel.

Officials escort rescued passengers April 16 in Jindo.

A passenger is helped onto a rescue boat on April 16.

A passenger is rescued from the sinking ship on April 16.

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• Retired Coast Guard officer James Loy says ferry tragedy awaits facts on cause


• He says disturbing early reports from survivors suggest captain, crew mishandled


• He says a ship captain bears huge responsibility; must be competent, hold trust


• Loy: Preparation mandatory; Titanic captain a model, went down with ship

Editor's note: James Loy is a retired admiral and former commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. He served as deputy secretary of homeland security from 2003 to 2005 and is currently a senior counselor at The Cohen Group, an international business advisory firm.

(CNN) -- I've watched with a mix of solemnity and growing anger the press reports of the gathered family members and officials attending to their respective duties in Jindo, South Korea. Last week a ferry filled with high school students and teachers sank in the frigid waters off the southwest coast there; at this writing, nearly 90 people are confirmed dead and more than 200 are still missing.

The family members reflect the extraordinary pain of losing loved ones as the hopes for additional survivors dim to nil, the tragedy somehow multiplied by the promise of lives just begun snuffed out at such early ages.

As a retired Coast Guard officer with four tours as a commanding officer at sea, I am riveted by such stories as the loss of the ferry Sewol. Ongoing and certainly subsequent investigations will reveal the facts about the series of decisions that resulted in the sinking and its aftermath.

At this point, news reports about the behavior and competence of the captain, Lee Joon-seok, and the crew are disturbing, to say the least. Survivor accounts suggest -- among other things -- mixed orders, a serious lack of safety drills and training, and a captain who may have abandoned ship before his responsibility to those entrusted to his care was met.

Lee is facing criminal charges, including abandoning his ship, negligence, causing bodily injury and not seeking rescue from other ships.

The responsibility of a ship's captain at sea is inescapable. He or she is entrusted with the safe navigation and the safe passage of the ship and its crew, passengers and cargo. It is absolute and irrevocable. The job mandates the preparation necessary to cope with any eventuality encountered during that passage. It's about competence, training and ensured trust and leadership -- especially when circumstances unfold that jeopardize the well-being of those in your hands.

See timeline for sunken ferry

Four more ferry crew members arrested

Children's bodies recovered from ferry

Such incidents recall Capt. Edward John Smith. The Titanic's captain had a sterling history of command at sea behind him before he sailed from Southampton on April 10, 1912. He had gained a reputation for quiet competence before he became the commodore of the White Star fleet and had commanded many other ships on their maiden voyages.

All that preparation was dashed two days later in the ice floes of the North Atlantic when he had to give the order to abandon ship, but appeared to make no attempt to save himself. He went down with the ship.

South Korean President: Actions of captain 'akin to murder'

A collision or grounding or fire at sea is the immediate private hell on earth for a ship's captain and crew. Their actions must be based on their preparation. Questions will be properly asked regarding the training regimen and the individual professionalism of all the members of the crew, from the captain to the newest sailor on board.

Hopefully lessons will be shared with the seagoing community to help make sure such a tragedy does not happen again.

There is an old aphorism that says "A crisis is not the time to exchange business cards!" This terrible incident reminds us all that preparation and attention to detail will always serve us well, but that they are both absolutely mandatory when men and women go down to the sea in ships.

Safe navigation. Safe passage. The extraordinary independence of a ship's captain at sea brings ultimate responsibility for both.

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