Costa Concordia: How The Disaster Unfolded

Stripped of his maritime licence and dubbed 'Captain Coward' by the Italian media, Francesco Schettino was held responsible for causing the Costa Concordia shipwreck which killed 32 people.

Investigators concluded that his poor decision making was "the root cause" of the disaster, sparking a salvage operation that cost an estimated £1.1bn.

Here is the timeline of events following the doomed liner's departure from the port of Civitavecchia on 13 January, 2012.

:: 8.45pm - The ship is set to sail through an eight-mile stretch of sea between Giglio island and the Italian mainland. Travelling at a speed of 16 knots, Schettino orders the ship to sail closer to Giglio as a "salute".

:: 9.45pm - Costa Concordia collides with rocks, causing a 50m gash which sends gallons of seawater flooding into the ship. Police say such a collision would have been inevitable. Passengers are warned about an electricity blackout, but maritime experts claim this "precious hour" should have been spent evacuating the ship.

:: 10.54pm - The evacuation process finally begins, but the liner has started to tilt, affecting access to lifeboats. At 11.37pm, Schettino reports that 300 people are still aboard.

:: 1.46am - After "tripping" into a lifeboat, Schettino makes his final call to a senior coastguard, who has repeatedly told him to return to the stricken ship. "You have saved yourself but I will make sure that you will be in serious trouble," Commander Di Falco warns. Another phrase - "Get back on board, damn it!" - later goes viral and is printed on T-shirts in Italy.

:: 4am - Although the evacuation appears complete, rescue officials warn that there are as many as 50 people on board and unaccounted for. Days later, Schettino is placed under house arrest.

:: 31 January, 2012 - Divers end their first search for bodies on board the ship, amid concerns that the conditions are too treacherous.

:: May 2012 - A top appeals court rules that Schettino was unfit to command the ship and showed "little resilience in performing command functions or in handling responsibility for the safety of persons under his care".

:: June 2012 - Preparation work begins to re-float the half-submerged liner.

:: October 2012 - Now facing charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship, Schettino is fired by Costa Cruises – the company which owned Costa Concordia. He announces plans to sue for wrongful dismissal, and apologises to victims as a preliminary hearing opens. The disgraced captain's lawyer claims he averted a worse disaster by managing to steer into shallow water.

:: April 2013 - Costa Cruises is fined £850,000 over the accident.

:: May 2013 - Schettino offers to serve three years and four months in prison for his role in the shipwreck, but prosecutors reject the deal. Five other officers who had a "marginal" role in the accident have their plea bargains accepted, and are sentenced to between 18 and 34 months. The captain insists he should not be the only one blamed.

:: September 2013 - Costa Concordia is successfully pulled upright and raised off the rocks of Giglio island after a "parbuckling" operation. More human remains are found in the wreckage.

:: February 2014 - A Spanish diver dies during the salvage operation. Schettino returns to the cruise liner for the first time in two years to assist experts with their investigation.

:: April 2014 - Schettino's trial hears how the captain tried to convince a crisis coordinator that the ship crashed because of an electrical blackout. In a recorded phone conversation, Schettino is heard saying: "I have made a mess and practically the whole ship is flooding."

:: July 2014 - Costa Concordia is re-floated and makes its final journey to the Italian port of Genoa, where it is broken up for scrap.

:: January 2015 - Prosecutors ask the court to sentence Schettino to more than 26 years in jail, adding that he should be imprisoned immediately because he is a flight risk.

:: February 2015 - Schettino is jailed for 16 years.