Container Ship Knocks Baltimore Bridge Down

colbysmith

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/baltimore-bridge-collapse-03-26-24-intl-hnk/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3auNWJB7up-9aBgpAZh-HWe69NZfUPUl_dHQtfT6kZSXWM4BMeMP16fWQ_aem_AcRpRiFkIHQbEcAHEmIAQmiEtXVlhYNCGcjRXI64UKNpxgcBqeG5wKpaKx1CrPD3N60

Going to be interesting to see why the ship veered off course!

JamesTXSD · Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2024 11:01 am Post subject:

The ship lost power and issued a Mayday.

thataway · Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2024 1:24 pm Post subject:

Tragic event with unknown loss of life at this juncture.
A mayday was called when the ship lost power about one minute and 45 seconds before allision . Power back on, but unknown if only back up generators, or main. Full Astern was given also swinging the stern to port, and perhaps increasing the turn to Starboard. It is unclear if the emergency generators, had enough power for the rudder. (Rudder most likely hydraulic with at least electric solenoids and perhaps an electric pump on at least the emergency hydraulic power.). It is not clear if the ship had a bow thruster. Even if a thruster or two was present, it may not have enough power to move the bow enough to avoid allision . She did drop her port forward anchor.

This ties up Baltimore harbor for some time. The wreckage has to be cleared from the channel. The channel is about 50 feet deep, but it is unknown how much wreckage is in the center of the channel. I read that at least 3 cars and two trucks went into the water. Survival would be difficult for several reasons, including injury at the time of going off the bridge and hitting the water, getting out of a window or windshield, the survival time even if uninjured and no injury would be limited in 50* water.

The ship was traveling at about 8.5 knots when the first sign of trouble occurred. It takes a long distance to stop the ship of this size, as well as even make a significant turn.

Some ask if a tug could have prevented this. It depends on the size of (HP) tug, time available, and the position of tubs. On the Valdez run each of the tankers has at least one very large tug. Trailing the ships, and I believe also a tug to deal with steering.

Foggy · Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 7:43 am Post subject:

Was the Singapore based ship under command of a federal, state or foreign
based pilot? Does it make a difference in what occurred and/or liability?

After realizing the ship was out of control, it seems a promptly issued Mayday
prevented extra catastrophe warning shore based responders to block bridge
traffic and summon rescue assistance.

Accidents do happen on all scales even with professionals.

Very sad.

Aye.

ssobol · Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 9:34 am Post subject:

thataway · Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 11:32 pm Post subject:

We still don't know a lot about the cause of the incident. From what I can gather at this point, Dali has a single MAN,ME 55,000 two stroke diesel engine, with direct drive shaft to the propeller. The engine "start" is compressed air to get the engine rotating, then the injection system meters and injects the diesel fuel. To go in Reverse, it has to start the engine in reverse. There were a few pleasure and commercial boats which had a version of direct reverse. The Boomer Submarine supply boat out of Sequim for several years had a direct reversing diesel.

I don't know the amount that the electrical component was responsible in this case, but the ship was reported to have 5 AC huge generators, which supplied some of the liquid pumping power and injecting system control as well as some role In injection of the diesel.

The engine crew did an amazing job of reversing this engine in 75 seconds. That meant that most likely the shaft did not stop Turning.

Loss of electrical power, means loss of engine.

TyBoo · Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 1:10 am Post subject:

Sadly today the grim task of recovering the remains of the souls who went into the water began.

Interestingly, the Francis Scott Key Bridge is (was) the third longest continuous truss span bridge in the world. The longest is in Japan and the second longest longest continuous truss span has been under my wheels on the road and over my head on the water many times through the years and is just a few miles from me.

The Astoria-Megler bridge over the Columbia river isn't much better protected from a ship collision than was the one tragically destroyed in Maryland.