Posted on 03/25/2024 11:45:29 PM PDT by Drago
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland which crosses the Patapsco River has reportedly Collapsed within the last few minutes after being Struck by a Large Container Ship
(Excerpt) Read more at x.com ...
Without reading 500 posts, I’ll just copy what I wrote elsewhere…
local here. I’m about a half hour away. Didn’t know about this until this morning. 6:30 I heard radio guys talking as if something closed the bridge. Didn’t think much of it. Then wake up later 9:30 hear a ship hit the Key and brought it down.
First off, enough with the 2nd-guessing the engineering, etc. I was an engineer, though not civil, just mechanical. Simply speaking you can only design for so much. World Trade Center wasn’t designed for large airplanes full of fuel deliberately charging for it. The piers are a “key” structure for a bridge. Bring it down and likely the whole thing comes down. Who cares about the timing? This was a truss bridge, not a suspension. Either way, the manner it is designed, supported, and hit with what huge thing can affect how quickly it all falls. There are so many factors. Why call everyone into doubt?
Terrorism? No way. Just a huge ship, not at all uncommon here, losing its way and having massive momentum, and exerting massive force when it hits.
The film comes from several points which film in that direction. I can’t remember if they said Ft. Smallwood or Ft. Armistead. There is also supposed to be helicopter footage. I think you can see it going by just before the collapse.
As far as cars - when I saw the full wide angle, it did not look like any passing cars were even on the end of the bridge at the exact time it collapsed. Plenty before that, and the vehicles there were likely the work trucks as I heard about crew being on it and thus the workers who walked out of the water. There have been reports that somehow people were trying to stop traffic from getting on. Apparently JUST in time, because the few seconds before it struck zero moving cars were on it. So likelY indeed only workers were involved, of which now they say are 8.
All I had heard early this morning was that the bridge was closed….thought maybe an accident or some other safety inspection closed it. But they were right, this is going to mess up some traffic for a long time. Key bridge is part of the beltway. Went over it on the “Trump Train” back in 2020.
My biggest question would be, why do we rely so much on electrical? Or did the mechanical actually fail and thus the electrical went out? I don’t know how some of these modern ships are built. I’d imagine the engines usually create the electrical, but maybe just battery banks that have generators to re-stock them. If it was really 1 screw (someone mentioned this) and it really ran on electric, that may not be enough redundancy.
NO. NO. NO.
Geesh people. It’s like you’re loving every opportunity.
“With a simple Youtube search, one can find compilations of dozens and dozens of incidents of large ships inexplicably crashing into infrastructure. I think Occam’s razor would lean far more toward equipment failure than terrorism.”
Yep. There will be some on the left and the right who will try to play politics with things like this. No surprise there.
A report said the lights on Dali flickered off then back on before it hit. Too early to say what happened except it would seem a power failure would impede steering of the ship.
We’ll see what all they find.
Anyway, back to the topic, I wonder why the bridge was not immediately shutdown.
Is the video of the vessel hitting the bridge that has been released?
My wife just came in and showed me the video of the vessel hitting one of the pilings (I believe that is what they are called) holding up the bridge, and I see it was darker when that happened. Do you know the time between the vessel hitting the pier/piling or whatever it's called 😋 and the bridge collapse?
Good summary of the whole event.
September 2013: Bay Bridge opened at a cost of $6.5 billion.May 2015: Tests showing signs of saltwater intrusion into the bridge tower’s foundation and damage to its anchor rods. In addition, there were reports that anchor bolts holding the Bay Bridge signature tower to the bay floor failed.
January 2016: Big chunk of concrete fell from Bay Bridge tunnel at the Yerba Buena Island.
February 2016: Steel reinforcements on Bay Bridge tunnel show signs of corrosion.
February 2017: Lights went out on the bridge during the morning commute.
August 2017: Questions arise regarding strength of steel supporting the bridge.
January 2018: Microbes corroding submerged Bay Bridge welds.
This report only goes to 2018, I can only imagine the problems in the ensuing six years.
Boy, that went over their heads.
COLLISION, not COLLUSION, readers!
“The tunnel”?
There are 2 tunnels, the newer one built in the ‘80s as my sister dated one of its engineers then.
Idont know if it has more restrictions. But there are other ways. Tunnels are the best way generally. Otherwise the old-fashioned way - thru the city.
The operations at these ports may be "foreign controlled" from a corporate standpoint, but I suspect the union longshoremen are almost all U.S. citizens.
Love the arm chair QB.
Thanks for the link, I will check it out.
And another year to decide who’s name to put on it!
He said he is a qualified surface warfare specialists and a qualified OOD. Reminds me of butter bars who hop on the bridge with an new pencil still unsharpened telling experienced bridge personnel how to operate.
I was listening to the radio while running some errands. The news said the ship sent out a mayday and the bridge had some kind of warning system to notify drivers to not cross..
https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4226891/posts?page=561#561
The collision happened at about 1:40.
And another year to decide who’s name to put on it!
Why emergency anchor release would require power, i don't know. I would think it should not, as loss of power could be the whole reason a dropped anchor(s) might be required. Mechanical sears should be possible to minimize force required to enable release, but i have not designed one.
In any event, I thank you for your excellent commentary.
I had heard some kind of mayday went out and crew might have tried to flag people.
It happened so fast. Cars were crossing up to the last seconds, I swear. Maybe 10 seconds of clear.
A huge ship ON WATER already with an initial velocity has huge momentum. You don’t just STOP.
It’s not terrorism or other sabotage. Something was wrong with the ship that it failed.
Baltimore is close to DC, so lots of pressure should be (might be?) exerted on the Washington DC do nothings. To get the bridge up and running in 2-3 years. To cut through the eco-bullcrap and other red tape. To get this done on an expedited timeline. If the Dems are smart this is what they will do. Use the bridge repair as a showcase. Actually this needs a whole new bridge.
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