Ship’s crew warned of power issues before it collided with a Baltimore bridge, governor says; 6 remain missing

Accuweather ^ | Mar 26, 2024 9:37 AM CDT | By Melissa Alonso and Elizabeth Wolfe

[matt04]

One of those times where sarcasm doesn’t work in text. They said bridge was closed. Of course... it’s no longer a bridge but a pile of scrap at the bottom of the ocean.

[Texas Fossil]

I’m not even sure that there are rudders on the vessel. These must be diesel driven electric drive power units.

I doubt they have mechanical rudders. This is a huge ship.

And they did deploy at least one anchor, but there again, did it require power to operate?

The reality will eventually be identified.

I see no reason to suspect an intentional act. The harbor master was overseeing the vessel.

[HKMk23]

No. No, it could not be staged.

A ship that massive does not — even under full power — have the maneuverability.

As I’ve read more, the Pilot gave orders to drop anchor in a final desperate attempt to stay clear of the bridge, and it appears the more rapid rotation of the ship seen just prior to the bridge strike, is the ship pivoting about that dropped anchor under the influence of the river current.

What’s principally in evidence if you watch the longer video is that the lights throughout the entire ship blackout, comeback on, blackout again, then come back on again — there was a major electrical issue affecting the entire vessel many seconds before the bridge strike.

The electrical outage would have prevented any of the Pilot’s orders from reaching vital control stations aboard: the engine room, the anchor locker — nobody in these critical roles could receive direction from the Pilot during the electrical outages seen on the video. When the lights are out, the Pilot cannot give direction via any electrically-dependent system.