Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapses After Ship Strike

Merkin Baller

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/baltimore-bridge-collapse-key-bridge-video/60304085

Merkin Baller

The video is horrifying.  

https://youtu.be/wav1HjTCfvM?si=ICO1jEjjUIXsK5tf 

tbergs

Just insane to think how quickly and seemingly easy it was to take down the whole bridge.

pjhawks

Ever since the San Francisco earthquake in '88 where the one bridge fell on top of the other  I've always  kind of feared this kind of thing. Scary as fuck.  Just horrible for those people going over that bridge and those on the freighter.

OnWis97

We in Minnesota all think of the I-35W bridge in 2007 that went down at rush hour.

Bridges are engineering marvels that unfortunately are only as strong as their weakest link. And despite all the concrete and steel, have a certain fragility.

mace1229

OnWis97 said:

We in Minnesota all think of the I-35W bridge in 2007 that went down at rush hour.

Bridges are engineering marvels that unfortunately are only as strong as their weakest link. And despite all the concrete and steel, have a certain fragility.

I'd be surprised if any bridge in the world would still stand after a container ship like that runs into the main support beam. Even though it looks like it was going really slow, you can't stop that much weight. 

Poncier

How quickly that thing went down is mind blowing and rather unnerving.

brianlux

pjhawks said:

Ever since the San Francisco earthquake in '88 where the one bridge fell on top of the other  I've always  kind of feared this kind of thing. Scary as fuck.  Just horrible for those people going over that bridge and those on the freighter.

As lame as it sounds to me to hear myself say this, I hate crossing bridges- pretty much any bridge, although having read about how strong and durable the Brooklyn Bridge is, I might not mind crossing that one. 
There in an overpass a few mile from my house that I take on a fairly regular basis.  I really hate getting stuck on it at a red light.  The damn thing bobs up and down a bit.  It's built to do that to be more earthquake-proof but still, I just hate getting stuck on that thing!

Travelar

Poncier said:

How quickly that thing went down is mind blowing and rather unnerving.

When I lived in Baltimore, I used to travel this bridge regularly (a couple of times a week as a backup to my normal commute) and it is absolutely horrifying how quickly this fell into the water. While the cost of life is devastating as it is, imagine this happening during the normal commute hour.

tempo_n_groove

I have so many questions about this.

They say the ship lost power and it crashed into the bridge.

Where were the tugs that usually escort a ship of that size?

Was that ship short enough to skate under that bridge in the first place?

Was a pilot on board?

mace1229

tempo_n_groove said:

I have so many questions about this.

They say the ship lost power and it crashed into the bridge.

Where were the tugs that usually escort a ship of that size?

Was that ship short enough to skate under that bridge in the first place?

Was a pilot on board?

Morning news said there were 2 local pilots on board driving (?) it out to sea. Don't know about the escort tug.
I later read the pilots contacted emergency services and issued a mayday, and local law enforcement closed the bridge to traffic. I don't know how long that took and if they closed it in time. I know a few cars fell in, but don't know if it usually would have been worse at that time. 
I had the same question about size, it didn't look like it would fit under. But I assumed it must have just been perspective, unless there was another way out it was supposed to take?

Travelar

This is a major port for the US. #1 for autos and single digits for other goods. There was absolutely enough clearance for a ship of this size. This is also still relatively far from the port in the Chesapeake bay. Tugs don't usually come into play until much later and are typically only used for docking and undocking, much like at an airport where the plane gets pushed back by the tow tractor.

The ship apparently lost electrical power coming into the harbor and put out a mayday 4 minutes before striking the bridge, allowing for lane closures which probably saved some lives. The loss of power likely led to loss of steering. It also dropped anchor in an attempt to slow down. It was doing about 8 knots or 9 mph which is an acceptable speed for that area of the bay.

Much of this is compiled from news sources and the governors press conference this morning, so hopefully it is accurate.

tempo_n_groove

Travelar said:

This is a major port for the US. #1 for autos and single digits for other goods. There was absolutely enough clearance for a ship of this size. This is also still relatively far from the port in the Chesapeake bay. Tugs don't usually come into play until much later and are typically only used for docking and undocking, much like at an airport where the plane gets pushed back by the tow tractor.

The ship apparently lost electrical power coming into the harbor and put out a mayday 4 minutes before striking the bridge, allowing for lane closures which probably saved some lives. The loss of power likely led to loss of steering. It also dropped anchor in an attempt to slow down. It was doing about 8 knots or 9 mph which is an acceptable speed for that area of the bay.

Much of this is compiled from news sources and the governors press conference this morning, so hopefully it is accurate.

We have the tugs hook up w bigger ships fairly early here in NY so I was wondering about that area.

The anchor was a nice attempt but that wasnt going to do anything.

The full report on this will be interesting and potentially law changing for ships entering and exiting around bridges and harbors.

If we were to lose the Varrazano bridge here in NY it would mess up traffic for years until a new bridge was in place.  I can't imagine what contingency plan they have right now.

mickeyrat

tempo_n_groove said:

I have so many questions about this.

They say the ship lost power and it crashed into the bridge.

Where were the tugs that usually escort a ship of that size?

Was that ship short enough to skate under that bridge in the first place?

Was a pilot on board?

2 harbor pilots. deep water port wouldn't necessarily need tugs.

Bentleyspop

I was awake for an early flight before 3 a.m. est and already there was conspiracy theories being posted online about this.

tempo_n_groove

mickeyrat said:

tempo_n_groove said:

I have so many questions about this.

They say the ship lost power and it crashed into the bridge.

Where were the tugs that usually escort a ship of that size?

Was that ship short enough to skate under that bridge in the first place?

Was a pilot on board?

2 harbor pilots. deep water port wouldn't necessarily need tugs.

I get it but we still use them here in NY.  I know these ships steer like a dream now but what if a catastrophic loss of power happens?  This.

Again, i see rules changing after this.

gimmesometruth27

Bentleyspop said:

I was awake for an early flight before 3 a.m. est and already there was conspiracy theories being posted online about this.

because of course.

the internet is so stupid sometimes.

benjs

Just wanted to mention - this is a collision-triggered bridge collapse, but things aren't looking good for bridges in general.

Rapid infrastructure expansion occurs follows a strong economy, which encourages population growth, which demands the infrastructural investment. That means typically that massive chunks of infrastructure reach their end-of-serviceable-life at a similar point, but the challenge is - there's no guarantee that that 'similar point' will have the same economic conditions that existed in the first place. Many of the bridges designed for 70-year lifespans (if properly maintained throughout their lives) have reached 50 years of life and will require costly servicing or replacement around the same time. I'm nervous to see if there are an abundance of bridge collapses over the next two decades.

tempo_n_groove

benjs said:

Just wanted to mention - this is a collision-triggered bridge collapse, but things aren't looking good for bridges in general.

Rapid infrastructure expansion occurs follows a strong economy, which encourages population growth, which demands the infrastructural investment. That means typically that massive chunks of infrastructure reach their end-of-serviceable-life at a similar point, but the challenge is - there's no guarantee that that 'similar point' will have the same economic conditions that existed in the first place. Many of the bridges designed for 70-year lifespans (if properly maintained throughout their lives) have reached 50 years of life and will require costly servicing or replacement around the same time. I'm nervous to see if there are an abundance of bridge collapses over the next two decades.

Since the Minnesota collapse there was reports of 7.5% of bridges that failed inspections or are deemed structurally deficient.  Almost half our bridges are 50+ years old.

mickeyrat

NTSB briefing 3-27-24

https://www.youtube.com/live/FczgLhdqw0M?si=pfL4mL0ZFK9Bl_zJ

brianlux

benjs said:

Just wanted to mention - this is a collision-triggered bridge collapse, but things aren't looking good for bridges in general.

Rapid infrastructure expansion occurs follows a strong economy, which encourages population growth, which demands the infrastructural investment. That means typically that massive chunks of infrastructure reach their end-of-serviceable-life at a similar point, but the challenge is - there's no guarantee that that 'similar point' will have the same economic conditions that existed in the first place. Many of the bridges designed for 70-year lifespans (if properly maintained throughout their lives) have reached 50 years of life and will require costly servicing or replacement around the same time. I'm nervous to see if there are an abundance of bridge collapses over the next two decades.

I'm guessing some of this depends on how well they are constructed.  Take the Brooklyn Bridge, for example.  With regular maintenance, it is expected to last 1,000 years.  Sadly, few have been built with that kind of durability.  So yeah, I'm a nervous Nellie (or Ned, I guess?)  when it comes to crossing bridges.