Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore) hit by Cargo Ship and Collapsed

vpr5703 said:
Given the lights flashing out twice and the heavy smoke coming from the ship IMO it's very likely there was an equipment malfunction on the ship. Plus the crew called out a mayday, which indicates something was going very wrong.
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I’d think they would have dropped anchor immediately further upstream, if they knew the issues, called mayday, DOT had time to get out, etc.

But it’s too easy to play armchair Captain.

Very sad. Horrible to see a bridge like that collapse like a toy. Will be interesting to see the info develop from here. That’s going to be a multi-year engineering and construction effort, and that’s if the existing bridge supports could be used. I suspect they’re substandard.
 
dogememe said:
While I'm glad most of the cars got off it but it's sad that the workers remained. Perhaps not ample time to get off the bridge?
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It doesn't make sense to me. I have to wonder if people didn't think the whole thing would go down like that.
 
The way sections of the bridge on the opposite side of the OTHER support crashed down raises some design questions. I can see the center span dropping, but the whole thing turned into a teeter-totter. Scary engineering requirements.
 
ripcord said:
So terrible!!! That span is huge. Thank God it didn't happen during the commute hours. Hoping no one is dead or injured.

Francis_Scott_Key_Bridge_Eastern_View.jpg
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Looks can be deceiving but those supports look fairly small. I think about the old rail bridges with solid, huge footings. And even those would probably be shaken/displaced.
 
JHZR2 said:
I’d think they would have dropped anchor immediately further upstream, if they knew the issues, called mayday, DOT had time to get out, etc.

But it’s too easy to play armchair Captain.

Very sad. Horrible to see a bridge like that collapse like a toy. Will be interesting to see the info develop from here. That’s going to be a multi-year engineering and construction effort, and that’s if the existing bridge supports could be used. I suspect they’re substandard.
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This is def going to be an interesting story to follow. Hopefully the government moves relatively quickly to clear the debris out of the channel and re-open the port and shipping lanes.
 
racer12306 said:
The latest info I'm seeing is saying that after the mayday, they cleared the bridge. The only people on the bridge were MDTA construction crews. Not sure why they stayed on the bridge, but those are the casualties.
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Maybe they got there on foot, maybe they didn't understand the commotion of the cop cars nearly a mile away at the entrance. It's a miracle they were able to translate a "mayday" from marine frequencies to ANY shore-bound authority in time to do anything constructive.
 
tcp71 said:
The way sections of the bridge on the opposite side of the OTHER support crashed down raises some design questions. I can see the center span dropping, but the whole thing turned into a teeter-totter. Scary engineering requirements.
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From an engineering viewpoint, we have to remember that ALL sections and structural members of this 50+ year old bridge are bolted or welded to each other.

It appears the impact was perpendicular to one of the spans creating a huge "turn-over" moment.
 
JHZR2 said:
Looks can be deceiving but those supports look fairly small. I think about the old rail bridges with solid, huge footings. And even those would probably be shaken/displaced.
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When railroads built their 19th century infrastructure, they spared no expense and built solid. Viaducts built to support 100 ton locomotives were holding up, no problem, with rolling stock 60 years later that weighed three or more times as much.

However, by the 1970s, when this structure was built, "over-built" meant "money wasted".
 
It had 2 pilots aboard so knowledge of harbor was not a problem. People were on bridge fixing potholes and several fell in. Two rescued.

Another bridge in MD was refitted with bridge pier protection to prevent this kind of accidents. But not this one.

But it seems they were able to radio ahead and stop most vehicle traffic. I think an article said basically that.

Cargo ships don't have bow & stern thrusters like cruise ships.
 
There's also a VERY distinct difference between lateral and vertical loading. I don't think any bridge would be built to withstand the force of a loaded cargo ship being rammed into the supports.
k1xv said:
When railroads built their 19th century infrastructure, they spared no expense and built solid. Viaducts built to support 100 ton locomotives were holding up, no problem, with rolling stock 60 years later that weighed three or more times as much.

However, by the 1970s, when this structure was built, "over-built" meant "money wasted".
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k1xv said:
When railroads built their 19th century infrastructure, they spared no expense and built solid. Viaducts built to support 100 ton locomotives were holding up, no problem, with rolling stock 60 years later that weighed three or more times as much.

However, by the 1970s, when this structure was built, "over-built" meant "money wasted".
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My Dad said engineers calculated with slide rules and then doubled. With calculators and computers no need for that.
 
BigCahuna said:
I have some experience working on ships from years ago And maybe I can explain a few things on the workings on board. First the electrical system onboard a ship is nothing like a car or truck. They have a large engine that only supply's the power to the prop to move the ship. They make from 30,000-60,000 housepower @ 900-120 rpm's. The individual cylinders can be "turned off" if needed. Onboard there is usually 2 generator rooms that each have giant diesel generator in it. One is for main usage, and the other is a backup. They operate independently from the main engine. These supply power for all the lighting, heating and air conditioning, pumps, refrigeration and navigation equipment. What's shown at the time of the crash on tv, the lights were flickering, indicating they were having a problem. It could have been several reasons for that. But the main thing to remember is if the ship was on the correct course, it would have passed under the bridge without hitting the support. That kinda tells me they were not on course. I'm not sure of the laws governing there, whether they needed to have a Pilot onboard while heading outbound. A Pilot is a local Captain familiar with the waters where the ship is going, and directs the ships pilot where to steer. Even if they did notice they were not on course, it takes a couple miles to stop or alter the course of the ship. There are no quick maneuvers with ships. It was amazing how fast the Bridge collapsed after being struck, even tho the ship wasn't moving fast. Like everything else in the world today, they have been changing over to electrical equipment to operate everything . No more large ship's wheels, just a joystick like from a video game. If you loose power, you can loose the ship.,,,
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Think bow thrusters would be VFD …
 
They have been working on doing this for the Delaware memorial bridge. Quite a project.

Construction Underway on New Bridge Collision Protection System | Delaware River and Bay Authority

NEW CASTLE, Del. – Today, Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) officials announced that construction work on the new Delaware Memorial Bridge Protection System is underway and is expected to be completed in September 2025. The cost of the project is nearly $93 million, which is partially...
www.drba.net www.drba.net
 
It happens to enough bridges that the bridge authority must have had a marine radio and a protocol for "ship on collision course."
 
In 2007 a fully laden Hanjin containership struck the protective plastic composite shield on the concrete base of the second tower of the west span of the Oakland Bay Bridge. The ship suffered a 160-foot-long gash above the waterline and spilled fuel. A local bar pilot was piloting the ship when the collision occurred in foggy conditions. The bridge was not damaged.
 
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