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Baltimore Bridge collapse (with Video)

NorthernRedneck

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
Anyone else watching this? Unreal. Looks like a ship lost power last night and collided with the bridge causing it to collapse. There were vehicles on the bridge. Sad.

Live updates: Baltimore Key bridge collapses after ship collision

Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday after it was struck by a large ship, according to video obtained by CNN. Follow live updates here.
www.cnn.com
 
Best video I can find.

Clearly shows 2 power losses on the container ship DALI, also shows smoke starting to billow out of the stack, appears to show a sudden change in the ship's direction, all moments before the impact.


 
The Gateway Pundit (a right of center sometimes credible website) is running a Lara Logan story that says the accident is actually not an accident but a planned infrastructure attack to cripple the economy. The story cites "intelligence officials" as the source. The bridge is the only realistic way to transport propane and other hazards around Baltimore, other routes are apparently much longer and far more expensive for transport.

Probably worth reading, just to keep an open mind. Certainly worth considering.

WAS IT AN "ACCIDENT?" Lara Logan Intel Sources Claim Baltimore Bridge Collapse On "Second busiest strategic roadway for hazardous materials" Was "absolutely brilliant strategic attack" | The Gateway Pundit | by Patty McMurray

Early this morning, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, MD, collapsed after a cargo ship collided with a support column, causing the bridge to collapse.
www.thegatewaypundit.com www.thegatewaypundit.com
 
Background on Francis Scott Key Bridge

On March 23, 1977, the four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge opened to traffic and is named for the author of the Star-Spangled Banner. The 1.6-mile bridge extended across the Baltimore Harbor and connected Sollers Point in Baltimore County with Hawkins Point in Baltimore City. This was also the final link in establishing the 52-mile Baltimore Beltway (Interstate 695).

By the early 1960s, the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel (Interstate 895), the first crossing of Baltimore's Harbor, had reached its traffic capacity, and motorists encountered heavy congestion and delays almost daily during rush hours. The State Roads Commission, predecessor of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), concluded there was a need for a second harbor crossing.

Construction on the Francis Scott Key Bridge began in 1972. Including its connecting approaches, the bridge project was 10.9 miles in length. Other structures along the thruway include a .64-mile dual-span drawbridge over Curtis Creek and two .74-mile parallel bridge structures that carry traffic over Bear Creek, near Bethlehem Steel's Sparrows Point plant.

FrancisScottKeyBridgeBaltimore.jpg
 
I'm hearing 5 years to rebuild this.

The suspicion in the concrete foundation will have to be completely rebuilt. That will dramatically add to the time to rebuild the bridge. One might suspect they will set up greater barriers around those foundations when they rebuild.
 
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Since speculation is that the vessel lost power and thus could not prevent the collision many are asking why they did not have tug boats steering it through this tight spot.

From the pics the bridge piers do not look very substantial compared to piers they build in my area for the bridges across the Ohio River.
 
Doc said:
Since speculation is that the vessel lost power and thus could not prevent the collision many are asking why they did not have tug boats steering it through this tight spot.

From the pics the bridge piers do not look very substantial compared to piers they build in my area for the bridges across the Ohio River.
Click to expand...
From what I understand, a local pilot is required to enter or leave that harbor. Tug boats are not.

From what I have also seen, the sharp turn of the ship may have been caused by dropping 1 of the anchors, but not both of the main bow anchors.

And I agree, the bridge piers are not well protected, I was actually very surprised by how little protection there is to the foundation. Seems like it would be prudent to design a much larger protective barrier area around the foundations should be added to the designs of the replacement.
 
Sal has the best explanations he was a merchant mariner now professor at Campbell University
there's 2 videos with commentary after this one

I've been over this bridge 100's of times, my wife doesn't like the Bay Bridge Tunnel to the shore even though I tell her just to close he eyes in the tunnel and she wont know the difference ;)

 
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One thing I do not understand is why they dropped the port anchor causing the ship to swing more towards the bridge pilings. They should have dropped the starboard anchor forcing the stern to swing back into the channel. And then, once the bow began to slow and turn, dropped the port anchor to reduce making way.

It may still have impacted the bridge but more likely a port broadside impact and more gently so.

It is easy to second guess but there were seasoned mariners on the bridge, supposedly seamanship experts.
The biggest craft i ever handled was a 53-foot rented sailboat. But I knew then how it would react to a port or starboard anchor drop.
 
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For those not familiar with the Francis Scott Key Bridge and its impact on transportation in the #Baltimore region. It’s one of 3 ways to cross the Harbor.

It’s a 1.6-mile section of Baltimore’s beltway, I-695.

Constructed in 1977 for ≈$110M

11.3M vehicles cross it every year

FrancisScottKeyBridgeBaltimore2.jpg
 
One of the things the bridge was engineered in about 70 and the ships were a lot smaller.
It's a matter of economics the shippers want cheep.
In hind site the bigger ships made after 77 should be piloted and tug escorted past the Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel at the bottom of the bay$$$$$ for the shippers

NTSB VIDEO

www.youtube.com

LIVE: National Transportation Safety Board shares updates on collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge

WATCH LIVE: National Transportation Safety Board shares updates on collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge DETAILS: https://tinyurl.com/35czztp2
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
 
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My rule of thumb while boating is, when the engine stops or some other mechanical failure drop the main anchor or anchors immediately and fix the problem while having control of the vessel. I lost my hydraulic staring in a tight spot with lots of current coming into the marina from the main channel in very windy conditions. Dropped the anchor immediately and didn't drift into or hit anything.
 
m1west said:
My rule of thumb while boating is, when the engine stops or some other mechanical failure drop the main anchor or anchors immediately and fix the problem while having control of the vessel. I lost my hydraulic staring in a tight spot with lots of current coming into the marina from the main channel in very windy conditions. Dropped the anchor immediately and didn't drift into or hit anything.
Click to expand...
They did drop an anchor IIRC they dropped the port side (left) do if it grabbed it would swing to port not in to pier but as SAL (what's going on with shipping) said they are for holding ships not arresting something moving 8+ knots so I'm sure it was dragging on bottom.
 
FrancSevin said:
One thing I do not understand is why they dropped the port anchor causing the ship to swing more towards the bridge pilings. They should have dropped the starboard anchor forcing the stern to swing back into the channel. And then, once the bow began to slow and turn, dropped the port anchor to reduce making way.

It may still have impacted the bridge but more likely a port broadside impact and more gently so.

It is easy to second guess but there were seasoned mariners on the bridge, supposedly seamanship experts.
The biggest craft i ever handled was a 53-foot rented sailboat. But I knew then how it would react to a port or starboard anchor drop.
Click to expand...
Port = left, Starboard = right. Drop port anchor should drag bow to the left away from the bridge support.
 
My understanding is that acting taken speed the vessel down 3 knots down to 5 on those couple minutes.
 
OH NO BUILD BACK BETTER????
Oh really Joe you going to drive truck out to help!!!
Oh yea you were a tug captain too you will remember soon.

Biden to Visit Baltimore and Help Accelerate Salvage Efforts​



gcaptain.com

Biden to Visit Baltimore and Help Accelerate Salvage Efforts

By Jordan Fabian (Bloomberg) President Joe Biden said he will head to Baltimore next week as the US seeks to accelerate emergency work to clear and reconstruct the collapsed Francis Scott...
gcaptain.com gcaptain.com
 
deand1 said:
Port = left, Starboard = right. Drop port anchor should drag bow to the left away from the bridge support.
Click to expand...
IT (dropping the port anchor with the rudder turned to port) actually veered the boat more towards the bridge.

Watch the video with the channel mapped out (post #9) and see what actually happened when they dropped the port anchor.
The ship had several thousand tons of momentum. No propwash on the rudder. One anchor would not stop the craft. However, that and the rudder turning to starboard, would turn the stern and force the mass of the boat to port.
Away from a direct hit on the bridge piling.

The crew was attempting to stop the boat, not steer it away. Application of Left rudder and Left anchor force on both the bow and stern countered both out.
 
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I guess the difference between my steering failure a theres, was that I still had both engines and drives to keep myself out of trouble long enough to stop the boat and drop the anchor. Sill was a little harry as the rudder was stuck in a hard port position with strong current and wind in a tight spot.
 
m1west said:
I guess the difference between my steering failure a theres, was that I still had both engines and drives to keep myself out of trouble long enough to stop the boat and drop the anchor. Sill was a little harry as the rudder was stuck in a hard port position with strong current and wind in a tight spot.
Click to expand...
Video steering redundancy on container ship over view
they still need electric to do it
 
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tommu56 said:
Video steering redundancy on container ship over view
they still need electric to do it
Click to expand...
3 layers of redundant steering backup, but all of it needs electricity, WTF. Something that important should have another source of power located right at the pumps, like a battery system with inverter that switches on instantly at the loss of main power.
 
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m1west said:
3 layers of redundant steering backup, but all of it needs electricity, WTF. Something that important should have another source of power located right at the pumps, like a battery system with inverter that switches on instantly at the loss of main power.
Click to expand...
I agree there ought be a dual master system that is fed from 2 seperate full time generators and the battery / inverter back up system
But in business climate their going to say 98% of the time they have time to do their switch manually.
I want to hear the cause of the blackouts that will drive how future systems are improved but there's thousands of ships that won't ever retrofitted
Their should be a shoal around the piers to ground the ship from hitting the bridge structure is the real cure.
 
tommu56 said:
I agree there ought be a dual master system that is fed from 2 seperate full time generators and the battery / inverter back up system
But in business climate their going to say 98% of the time they have time to do their switch manually.
I want to hear the cause of the blackouts that will drive how future systems are improved but there's thousands of ships that won't ever retrofitted
Their should be a shoal around the piers to ground the ship from hitting the bridge structure is the real cure.
Click to expand...
Funny how we have money for millions of illegal (and they are) immigrants, but not to protect a vital Interstate roadway bridge.
Meanwhile, it is impossible to retrofit several milli0ns of watercraft. And expensive to regulate and monitor.

just put in the pier protections. Cheaper and more likely effective.
It is time for our governments, state and federal, to stop haggling on party lines over what interest group to please, and regulate doing anything, all under the mandates of "Green."
 
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Slow day at work continued :D

Casey go's over best way to rebuild bridge and a quick blurb on the time environmental impact times of years and it usually coincides with engineering, my opinion of what he said is Biden should wave them and do design build to expedite the replacement.

 
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