Bridge Collapse (Page 10): The bridge was closed for road repair and there was a work crew on the bridge. Many of them did not survive.

fantom Loc: Colorado

BebuLamar wrote:

I guess nobody was on the bridge.

The bridge was closed for road repair and there was a work crew on the bridge. Many of them did not survive.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

fantom wrote:

The bridge was closed for road repair and there was a work crew on the bridge. Many of them did not survive.

The bridge was not closed, just the lane(s) they were working on. You can see cars and 18 wheelers making it across just before they closed the other lanes and the ship hit.
The work crew was 6 men, two were pulled out alive (1 is in the hospital), two bodies in their pickup
work truck trying to clear the bridge found in the water and the other two still missing the last newscast I saw. They speculated they are either buried under wreckage or swept out to sea by the currents.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

jerryc41 wrote:

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

I've always avoided traveling on 95 and now it will be much worse with the outer belt gone!

When I go south from Nazareth, PA, I go an hour west to I-81 rather than take I-95.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

robertjerl wrote:

Since anchors are for position holding when not moving or at a pier, many vessels have them at both ends, on both sides etc. It depends on the vessel and the places where it will be anchoring. Diving boats/ships like many other work boats have anchors that can be spread out to hold it in one spot with one orientation.

I’ve never seen anchors at the stern of any vessel, but I’m always ready to learn - post some images pls.

Also, it’s not just the current moving the vessel, it’s the huge amount of windage against what appears to the wind as a flat sail, with a 175x1000’ surface area, and with 175,000 sq ft. of “sail” area, the wind can exert a huge force pushing the vessel sideways IF the wind was blowing athwartship.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

TriX wrote:

I’ve never seen anchors at the stern of any vessel, but I’m always ready to learn - post some images pls.

Also, it’s not just the current moving the vessel, it’s the huge amount of windage against what appears to the wind as a flat sail, with a 175x1000’ surface area, and with 175,000 sq ft. of “sail” area, the wind can exert a huge force pushing the vessel sideways IF the wind was blowing athwartship.

Look here: https://www.google.com/search?q=picture+of+ship+with+anchor+at+stern&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS937US937&oq=picture+of+ship+with+anchor+at+stern&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRifBTIHCAUQIRifBTIHCAYQIRifBTIHCAcQIRifBdIBCTEyNDQ4ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I did a quick search but didn't find and image for a dive boat held in place by multiple anchors, but I am rushed, I skipped breakfast and the microwave bell just went off.
Bye Bye for a while.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

robertjerl wrote:

Look here: https://www.google.com/search?q=pictur... (show quote)

Thanks for the education. BTW, while these stock images may be titled as “stern anchor” not all of them shows a stern anchor although they do show a stern and many are anchored.

Of course, special purpose vessels, such as LSTs, have stern anchors as they are driven onto the beach, and I can see dive boats having multiple anchors to keep the boat directly over a spot without swinging into the wind. But in general, boats/ships are anchored by the bow with the bow pointed into the current and wind where the bow has the least drag and is less likely to drag the anchor. Anchoring at the stern presents a larger, less streamlined cross section to the wind and current, placing additional stress on the anchor and rode. Sailboats do occasionally deploy sea anchors or warps off the stern when running before the wind in storm conditions.

dustie Loc: Nose to the grindstone

TriX wrote:

Thanks for the education. BTW, while these stock i... (show quote)

👍👍👍

RE: those sea anchors for sailing

Likely something more like the idea of a drag chute in the water....like the chutes for the high speed race vehicles on land.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

TriX wrote:

Thanks for the education. BTW, while these stock i... (show quote)

Long ago I saw an old movie (pre WW2) in which ships were delivering cargo to towns or cities just up river from the ocean. They had no real port. Those ships had anchors out at both ends (some right on the stern, others on either side just ahead of the stern. Then add the two bow anchors, and the rig was designed to keep the ship from swinging around as the river current and tides changed the directions and force pushing on the hull.

dustie Loc: Nose to the grindstone

robertjerl wrote:

Long ago I saw an old movie (pre WW2) in which ships were delivering cargo to towns or cities just up river from the ocean. They had no real port. Those ships had anchors out at both ends (some right on the stern, others on either side just ahead of the stern. Then add the two bow anchors, and the rig was designed to keep the ship from swinging around as the river current and tides changed the directions and force pushing on the hull.

How big was the ship in the movie?

The behemoths carrying containers nowadays, if they need anchors in normal circumstances, are going to use them when they are outside the port/bay/harbor, waiting for space and their turn to enter after others have cleared out.

The anchors don't do them any holding in position service where they are restrained by mooring lines in the dock.

dwermske

I hope you don't think that 8mph is a high rate of speed. The ships momentum (even at 8mph) would have carried it forward hundreds of yards after the loss of power. The pilot even gave the order to drop anchors but it doesn't look like that happened. The anchor dropping mechanism is totally manual and would not have been effected by the loss of power. This information was reported by FOX News. The "Black Box" carried by marine craft is very primitive compared to the "Black Box" on aircraft. The information recorded was not continuous information but snap shots taken a specific intervals. This information was reported by the head of the NTSB.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

dwermske wrote:

I hope you don't think that 8mph is a high rate of... (show quote)

It does, however, record audio from the bridge…

srt101fan

dwermske wrote:

I hope you don't think that 8mph is a high rate of... (show quote)

Why do you say that dropping the anchor didn't happen? Photographs clearly show an anchor chain on the port side....

(Attached photo from freightwaves.com)

jimneotech Loc: Michigan

jerryc41 wrote:

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.

I can't believe that a bridge of this size and importance wasn't protected by those "little islands". You know that sooner or later something like this is going to happen.

dwermske

I was only going by what the head of the NTSB said during her initial press conference after they had had a chance to get the minutes in question just before the accident. She went on to say that the the entire Black Box information was still available and would be reviewed for the weeks/months before the accident.

dwermske

The head of the NTSB went on to say that the bridge was one of hundreds in the US that would not withstand even the slightest failure without total failure. There were no secondary support mechanisms built into this bridge.