Major Bridge Collapses in Baltimore

[J0E]

...are you OK, Lochdubh?

[Lochdubh]

Major shit-storm.
Port will be closed (or at least restricted) for weeks. fortunately a portion of deep water bearths are outside of the collapsed area, so reduced traffic can be accommodated. Up-channel vessels being unloaded or at anchor will be stranded until channel cleared. The Patapsco River has a 50' deep channel that is rather narrow, and that is totally blocked. My USCG Reserve Unit is at USCG Yard Curtis Bay inside the collapse , and could view the (now collapsed) span about 1.5 miles away as the crow flies. It is the only Coast Guard yard on the Atlantic Coast capable of repair and fabrication of largish vessels. All active duty leave canceled until further notice, and reserves called up for backfill. the conjuncture of this event with the Haitian shitstorm will put a strain on the Service.
Terrorism highly unlikely. appears to be mechanical failure more than human error as underway vessels under control of Chesapeake Bay/Baltimore harbour pilots, but not controlled by tugs after entering the channel.

Thanks for asking, Joe.

[Seamajor]

Apparently the container ship lost power. Every Captains worst nightmare. The Bridge came down fast.

[asal]

Video of the ship running into the bridge supports:

https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/very-sad-b ... dali/68913

live coverage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlafuUzRUXI

[weebles2]

Would it be possible to put in a temporary floating bridge to alleviate traffic congestion?

[Lochdubh]

Would it be possible to put in a temporary floating bridge to alleviate traffic congestion?

US Army combat engineers bridged the Rhine under accurate German artillery fire eighty years ago so.....
technically yes, but not practical..........the relatively narrow shipping channel leads to the inner harbour and is a busy maritime thoroughfare. About half the large cranes needed to unload are cut off as is the Cost Guard Yard and specialized gear for coal and autos,as well as cruise ship terminals, marine chandlers providing service etc.
the volume of motor traffic will be put through one of twa tunnels....Fort McHenry and Harbour. It is also possible to pass B'more on the West using the Beltway and pick up I 95 at the one o'clock position to head north to NYC, Boston, etc.
the main problem will be the port itself and rush hour congestion on the roads.....a pain in the ass, but not insurmountable.

[Mad Serb]

Unlikely to use military float bridge, if only for liability reasons.

[Mad Serb]

[Scooter]

It is also possible to pass B'more on the West using the Beltway and pick up I 95 at the one o'clock position to head north to NYC, Boston, etc.
the main problem will be the port itself and rush hour congestion on the roads.....a pain in the ass, but not insurmountable.

I would think anyone living around Baltimore would take this route. I don't know what it's like coming from south of Baltimore but that would probably be my preferred route. Fuck getting on a bridge and quadruple fuck going through a tunnel.

Traffic is always bad and a pain in the ass. (except on Sunday mornings)

* unrelated, but the best way to get to Philadelphia from here is to take the back roads into Maryland and then hop on 95.

[weebles2]

Does Baltimore have Amtrack?

I mean if they put in some large temporary parking spots and some more passenger trains with some shuttle buses

It could be much like the West Coast Express we have here in the GVRD to get downtown for work as a temp solution.

[Seamajor]

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/27/12410010 ... y-theories

What a joke. This should be interesting to at least 3 people that post here. Take your pick. I’m surprised that they didn’t blame Obama.

[Lochdubh]

NPR happily ignores half of the American population.

Absolutely 0% conservative commentators.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Here ya go, Sir.
Obama was POTUS for eight (8) years and did absolutely nothing to rebuild the 130 year old railway tunnels that Biden passed through almost daily for decades on his way from DC to Wilmington. The tunnels are decaying Victorian relics that are obvious choke-points for both goods trains and AMTRAK.

[weebles2]

I do not understand the conspiracy theories on this when you can see the power go out on the ship letting it drift.

[Reel]

I'm interested to see the accident report on this one. Standard procedure for a ship leaving a port, particularly when passing a bridge, would be to have the anchors at the ready with crew on standby at the windlass and to drop them as soon as power is lost. I wonder if the course change and collision could have been the result of them following exactly this procedure and then dragging the anchor. It seems possible that the standard safety procedure could have caused the accident if the anchor did not have enough time to bring them to a stop.

[Reel]

The pilot ordered the port anchor dropped 2 min before the collision. However, the course deviation is to starboard, so most likely a steering gear failure that the pilot was trying to correct with the anchor rather than the anchor being the issue.

[Seamajor]

01

NPR happily ignores half of the American population.

Absolutely 0% conservative commentators.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Here ya go, Sir.
Obama was POTUS for eight (8) years and did absolutely nothing to rebuild the 130 year old railway tunnels that Biden passed through almost daily for decades on his way from DC to Wilmington. The tunnels are decaying Victorian relics that are obvious choke-points for both goods trains and AMTRAK.

Good man. I knew you’d be up to the task. What about Fatsos wall that the Mexicans were gonna spring for?

[Sargent Smellibitz]

I blame Biden.

Diaper Man Bad

[mimi]

I'm interested to see the accident report on this one. Standard procedure for a ship leaving a port, particularly when passing a bridge, would be to have the anchors at the ready with crew on standby at the windlass and to drop them as soon as power is lost. I wonder if the course change and collision could have been the result of them following exactly this procedure and then dragging the anchor. It seems possible that the standard safety procedure could have caused the accident if the anchor did not have enough time to bring them to a stop.

Me too.

[Seamajor]

19

The pilot ordered the port anchor dropped 2 min before the collision. However, the course deviation is to starboard, so most likely a steering gear failure that the pilot was trying to correct with the anchor rather than the anchor being the issue.

Even though this ship did not contain petroleum and had a Pilot, why weren’t there at least one tug attending, attached to the ship with a rope or cable, from the stern? I thought this was mandatory for ships exiting or entering?

[Scooter]

A fleet of tugboats would have been needed to keep that MASSIVE ship from crashing into the pillar.

[Sargent Smellibitz]

Sabotage....

[Lochdubh]

Hunter Biden's laptop

[Seamajor]

Your confused Loch. Your idols must dominate you while you sleep.

[Lochdubh]

I'd prefer Sophie Gregoire Trudeau serving Canadian bacon.

[mimi]

19

The pilot ordered the port anchor dropped 2 min before the collision. However, the course deviation is to starboard, so most likely a steering gear failure that the pilot was trying to correct with the anchor rather than the anchor being the issue.

Even though this ship did not contain petroleum and had a Pilot, why weren’t there at least one tug attending, attached to the ship with a rope or cable, from the stern? I thought this was mandatory for ships exiting or entering?

Only ships that can't stop or turn within a certain distance require tugs for back-up support. This vessel suffered electrical failure.

[Sargent Smellibitz]

A barge just hit a bridge column in Oklahoma...

[Seamajor]

Only ships that can't stop or turn within a certain distance require tugs for back-up support. This vessel suffered electrical failure.

Most large ships, especially tankers must have a pilot and one sometimes 2 tugs, with lines attached to the stern. It looks like the tugs are being towed. The can slow a big ship very quickly. This is how it is in the San Francisco Bay. I see this a lot. Best to stay out of their marked channel too. Maybe these rules are different for cargo ships in Maryland?

[asal]

Someone posted a youtube video about "dolphins" - a stable structure such as a rock pile, cement or wood structures put at the base of bridge supports that prevents vessels from getting too close:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin_(structure)

[Lochdubh]

sleeping policemen of the sea^

asal's catch of the day.

[Lochdubh]

I don't think the poster has a diploma in civil engineering, but..............