Survivor says Concordia captain made a 'tragic error' From Livia Borghese, for CNN February 1, 2012 -- Updated 1905 GMT (0305 HKT) Manrico Giampedroni was on Concordia's bridge when it ran aground He said he thought it was too close to shore, "but the captain drives the ship" Giampedroni was the last survivor found aboard the stricken cruise liner Grosseto, Italy (CNN) -- The captain of the Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia "committed a tragic error," but his crew did their best to evacuate the ship's 3,200 passengers, the last survivor found aboard said Wednesday. Manrico Giampedroni, the ship's cabin director, said he was on the darkened bridge with Capt. Francesco Schettino when the Concordia hit the rocks off the Mediterranean island of Giglio the night of January 13. He broke a leg as the ship rolled and was found 36 hours later in a half-flooded dining room, suffering from hypothermia. All of the members of the crew did their best. They made a good job, everybody," he told CNN before his release from the hospital. But, he said, Schettino "committed a tragic error. Maybe he was too confident in his skills, and he relied too much on his knowledge of the ship. At least 17 people died when the Concordia ran aground and settled to the sea bottom off Giglio. Another 15 remained unaccounted for more than two weeks after the accident. Giampedroni said on his way out that Schettino had invited him to the bridge to watch as he steered the ship past Giglio in what the captain called "a salute" to the island town. About a half-dozen people were on the bridge, which was darkened for night operations. Giampedroni said he thought the ship was passing too close to the island, "but the captain drives the ship. He knows very well where he should pass. In this occasion, we cannot say, 'Captain, we are too near the coast.' We cannot say that. In this case, it is best only to watch and nothing else. Schettino has said that after the impact, he ran the ship aground to keep it from sinking and limit its list. The ship now rests on its side, about half under water. The captain is under house arrest on suspicion of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship while passengers were still aboard. He denies the charges, saying his actions saved lives and dismissing prosecutors' suggestions that he was going too fast.