They say a picture is worth a thousand words… A shot of Captain Arma being the last person to leave the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess in Yokohama, Japan has captured the hearts and minds of thousands.
The poignant shot of Italian Captain Gennaro Arma walking off the ship went live on Princess Cruises Facebook page on Sunday night and instantly received thousands of kind comments from people all over the world.
The Diamond Princess had been held at Yokohama port since the beginning of February and according to Newsweek, had the highest number of coronavirus cases outside of mainland China. At least 705 people on the vessel contracted the virus and six people died.
On Sunday, the last of the crew members left the vessel and Captain Arma, who had vowed to stay on board until everyone else had left, was the final person to disembark, the newspaper Corriere della Sera reported.
Throughout the harrowing month onboard, Arma sent regular updates and messages of support to his passengers, such as, “I am confident that remaining united as a family, we will successfully complete this journey together,” Singapore newspaper Today reported. “The world is watching us. This is an additional reason for all of us to show our strength,” he said.
According to NDTV in Japan, Captain Gennaro Arma was renowned for cracking jokes and delivering critical health information in his lilting Italian accent, soothing nerves and winning plaudits for his leadership.
The positive comments flowed in the post from passengers, crew and well-wishers with Terri Sutro saying “Bravo to Princess for addressing this terrible situation with care and concern for your passengers and crew. The captains deserve our thanks and great respect. We’ll see you for the Mediterranean cruise next year.”
Captain Gennaro Arma
While Lucilo Tapalla said “Actually he is one of the best Masters of Princess’ Fleet. Even in just ordinary days on every cruise, he makes sure that all passengers and crew alike are well-taken care of. He will go around the whole ship to greet meet and see to it that everything is in the right place for all the guest and his crew. What a humble captain. Being one of your crew I admire for your humility and humbleness. I salute you, Captain Arma.”
Gennaro Arma started his career with Princess Cruises in 1998 as a lowly cadet and rose through the ranks, taking the helm of the Diamond Princess in 2018.
In what was a hideous, extraordinary time for all concerned, it’s clear that Captain Arma’s leadership and stoic attitude played a major part in keeping spirits up and ensuring the well-being of everyone on board remained the number one priority throughout.
Bravo Captain Arma.
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