Bridge Collapse: This is horrible. A container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore - "Baltimore's key bridge." Not all people have been rescued from the very...

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

This is horrible. A container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore - "Baltimore's key bridge." Not all people have been rescued from the very cold water. Those container ships are not very maneuverable.

https://wtop.com/baltimore/2024/03/key-bridge-in-baltimore-collapses-after-hitting-large-boat/

There is a video of the collision. https://www.wbaltv.com/article/baltimore-bridge-collapse-key-bridge/60303975

BebuLamar

I guess nobody was on the bridge.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

BebuLamar wrote:

I guess nobody was on the bridge.

Not after it collapsed. There are still people in the water, though. They can't survive there for very long.

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

BebuLamar wrote:

I guess nobody was on the bridge.

I thought I read that there were people on the bridge.
Friday I will be traveling through Maryland. I don’t remember if I have to take that bridge. Hope not. I’ll have enough problems when I get to the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn.

Mr. SONY Loc: LI, NY

Indi wrote:

I thought I read that there were people on the bridge.
Friday I will be traveling through Maryland. I don’t remember if I have to take that bridge. Hope not. I’ll have enough problems when I get to the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn.

You won't have to worry about taking that bridge, it's gone.
There were a few cars and trucks on the bridge when it collapsed.
They have it all recorded.

BebuLamar

Indi wrote:

I thought I read that there were people on the bridge.
Friday I will be traveling through Maryland. I don’t remember if I have to take that bridge. Hope not. I’ll have enough problems when I get to the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn.

you're right. They said 7 cars fell from the bridge.

theaverlo Loc: Iowa

In one video I saw, it appeared that the ship went black just before it struck the bridge... maybe it lost power? Also, maybe it's just my old eyes, but it appeared to me that there was no way that ship would clear the bridge anyway, because of the ship's height.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

theaverlo wrote:

In one video I saw, it appeared that the ship went black just before it struck the bridge... maybe it lost power? Also, maybe it's just my old eyes, but it appeared to me that there was no way that ship would clear the bridge anyway, because of the ship's height.

That's going to be an awful situation to straighten out. There are the people who have been dropped into the water, the people who have to get from one side to the other, reconstructing the bridge, and dealing with the legalities of the crash. The NTSB will be busy investigating. Just be thankful that the bridge didn't collapse because of lack of maintenance. Still, faults in design will probably be revealed.

HamB

Where was the Harbor Pilot?
This is going to be a big problem, the Port of Baltimore is closed.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

Even the Pilot(s) can't steer a boat without power. I thought I heard that the crew called in to say they'd suffered a catastrophic loss of power before the collision.

dustie Loc: Nose to the grindstone

theaverlo wrote:

In one video I saw, it appeared that the ship went black just before it struck the bridge... maybe it lost power? Also, maybe it's just my old eyes, but it appeared to me that there was no way that ship would clear the bridge anyway, because of the ship's height.

Camera angle / perspective makes a big difference in how distances and separation of objects appear.
That ship successfully entered the port without height clearance disaster, and the exhaust stacks and ship's bridge structure and equipment are higher than the highest point of the load.

dustie Loc: Nose to the grindstone

John N wrote:

Even the Pilot(s) can't steer a boat without power. I thought I heard that the crew called in to say they'd suffered a catastrophic loss of power before the collision.

That's what's being reported.....two pilots aboard.....authorities were notified before the crash that a collision was probably not avoidable due to loss of propulsion and steering.

Be interesting what information may follow as things progress.
That ship had a collision in port in Belgium in 2016. Apparently, that was attributed to mistakes by the Master and pilot on board.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Many bridges have little "islands" protecting the bridge supports. In one case, those islands were added to the new bridge after a ship's collision destroyed the former bridge.

HamB

Something is off with this scenario...
The ship just left the dock and was traveling at a high rate of speed...if the ship was moving and emergency steering was available, they should have been able to avoid the bridge..

kerry12 Loc: Harrisburg, Pa.

BebuLamar wrote:

I guess nobody was on the bridge.

They believe it suffered a power failure.