omg bridge collapse.

[raggie33]

so sad man i hate watching the news

 

[boo5ted]

That's why I never watch the news anymore, nothing but doom and gloom.

I did see where one guy was saying it was planned and deliberate. The video he posted showed explosive charges where some of the breaks of the structure happened. Others say it was just the electrical boxes sparking because the wires were ripping apart. Cue all the people with conspiracy theories.

 

[Dr. Jones]

That's why I never watch the news anymore, nothing but doom and gloom.

I did see where one guy was saying it was planned and deliberate. The video he posted showed explosive charges where some of the breaks of the structure happened. Others say it was just the electrical boxes sparking because the wires were ripping apart. Cue all the people with conspiracy theories.

At this point, given that the ship appeared to maneuver specifically to avoid the "dolphins", which are a type of bollard that were present near the bridge and that are supposed to stop ships before they hit the main bridge pier, and that even though supposedly powerless it had initiated a turn to starboard directly towards the pier and away from the main channel less than 1,000 feet before impact, I'd say that anyone, government official or otherwise, who maintains at this preliminary stage of investigation that this was an accident can certainly wear the mantle of "conspiracy theorist" with the utmost of comfort.

 

[bykfixer]

- It made the hard turn when it suddenly dropped anchor trying to stop.
- The black smoke was them trying to use the diesel generator to power it back up.
- It was carrying 100,000 tons and was going 8 knots. No bridge pier (with dolphins) is going to hold up to that without tremendous damage.
- The river was/is wide. The channel the ship was in is not.
- The mayday call from the ship saved lives. Only a maintenace crew was on it when it collapsed.
- The bridge and piers were sound. The piers were not designed to withstand the impact of the 200 million pound vessel.

It was just one of those things that happens from time to time.

Here's a clear headed article about it.

Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before it hit bridge, Coast Guard says

The ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent “routine engine maintenance” in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

www.yorkdispatch.com

A better explanation of what happened early morning today 😞 Here’s the full (sped up) video with a breakdown of the container ship B-lining into one of the Key Bridge pillars. #Baltimore #keybridge #maryland #news #baltimorebridge #baltimorebridge

A better explanation of what happened early morning today 😞 Here’s the full (sped up) video with a breakdown of the container ship B-lining into one of the Key Bridge pillars. #Baltimore...

www.facebook.com

The video
If you look between the beacon lights above the bridge on the bridge deck itself you can see the flashing lights of the workers trucks who were inside of their trucks on a chilly night on their lunch break when it happened.

 

[raggie33]

this happpned to me when i was a kid to i dont recall much it was in south florida in the keys if i recall. ps i also recall them raiseing a bridge while i was running over it. but thats a fuzzy memory to

 

[PhotonWrangler]

- The bridge and piers were sound. The piers were not designed to withstand the impact of the 200 million pound vessel.

This is the crux of it. Those types of cargo ships didn't exist when that bridge was designed. Ships kept getting larger and heavier while the bridge's design remained the same. If you have enough forward momentum and mass, an inelastic collision suddenly becomes an elastic one.

 

[Buff]

Whether it was intentional or an accident that's for the investigation to come to that conclusion. With all the cover ups out there i don't doubt there won't be conspiracy theories in abundance.
But accident or planned one thing is certain. That port is down and the financial loss top to bottom is going to be tremendous.

 

[bykfixer]

It seems that port is where farm tractors come and go into and out of the US. That and a lot of goods produced in Mexico like Levi's jeans.

It's not a real big port anymore but it will still affect a lot of goods and services for a while. Especially the out going. Incoming will just re-route north or south.

I read one article that stated it's a tough channel to navigate so the ships entering and leaving are piloted by experts, 2 of which were on the Dali. That might be why the mayday was so quick to happen and the generators fired up so quickly.

I wonder if Maryland won't do another tunnel instead of a bridge. Not far from that port sections of tunnel made of pre-cast concrete are being produced and floated to VA for projects there including the widening of the 17 mile long bay/bridge tunnel.

 

[orbital]

+

Who is going to cover the cost of an entire bridge rebuild?

Taxpayers, no way

___________

If it's a dual prop vessel,
if one stops rotating or gets locked in place, it will steer like a army tank and change course

 

[raggie33]

will groceies go up i cant deal with that

 

[bykfixer]

+

Who is going to cover the cost of an entire bridge rebuild?

Taxpayers, no way

___________

If it's a dual prop vessel,
if one stops rotating or gets locked in place, it will steer like a army tank and change course

Well it's kinda like this:
The DOT can wait for investigations and court cases to play out, then eventually replace the next structure using what funds were obtained.

Or they can rebuild a structure using funds already allocated for other projects, and maybe rainy day monies.

Uncle Santa (formerly known as Uncle Sam) will probably foot the bill.

 

[raggie33]

would tunnels be better?

 

[orbital]

+

Just saw this ~ insured losses could total between $2 billion and $4 billion.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/28/baltimore-disaster-may-be-largest-ever-marine-insurance-payout-lloyds-.html

 

[Buff]

Time to fire up a Ferry Service.

 

[bykfixer]

Time to fire up a Ferry Service.

I read about 30k vehicles a day use that bridge. At Jamestown VA two ferrys carry about 35k per day across the James.

Very good idea Buff.
The bridge (and roadway nearby) were built when the nearby tunnel was becoming a huge log jam.

 

[vincent3685]

It was an all Indian crew and the company that ran the ship, Synergy Group, brags about their diversity, inclusion, and belonging;https://www.synergymarinegroup.com/about/diversity-and-inclusion/

Breaking; Black box was found. Here's some of the audio from inside the cabin; twitter.com/TheOnlyDSC/status/1772637552077418825

Hot link;

 

[Dr. Jones]

Whether it was intentional or an accident that's for the investigation to come to that conclusion. With all the cover ups out there i don't doubt there won't be conspiracy theories in abundance.
But accident or planned one thing is certain. That port is down and the financial loss top to bottom is going to be tremendous.

Right now there's a lot of speculation, but not much of anything solid. The marine equivalent of a black-box recorder apparently had a great deal of background noise on it, and the positional sensors that feed into it stopped doing so when the ship's power went off.

The bridge did have dolphins/marine bollards around the piers to deal with a ship heading towards them, but either they weren't substantial enough to stop the ship, or the ship somehow miraculously maneuvered just exactly right to avoid them.

Given recent geopolitical events, I think those who lean towards a conspiratorial explanation for the crash can be forgiven; we are essentially on the brink of a global war, and enemy action doesn't always take the form of massed troops invading or formations of bombers, especially now that transportation of all varieties is so extensively computerized and connected, and thus susceptible to hacking.

 

[Dr. Jones]

would tunnels be better?

No, the bridge was the designated route for hazardous materials and oversized vehicles, so tunnels are not an option.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Well it's kinda like this:
The DOT can wait for investigations and court cases to play out, then eventually replace the next structure using what funds were obtained.

Or they can rebuild a structure using funds already allocated for other projects, and maybe rainy day monies.

Uncle Santa (formerly known as Uncle Sam) will probably foot the bill.

That's the most likely scenario; that bridge is a fairly vital link. I just hope Uncle Sam get his mitts on any maritime insurance payouts to defray the expense.

 

[Dr. Jones]

I read about 30k vehicles a day use that bridge. At Jamestown VA two ferrys carry about 35k per day across the James.

Very good idea Buff.
The bridge (and roadway nearby) were built when the nearby tunnel was becoming a huge log jam.

According to the DOT ferry services can transport trucks carrying hazardous materials. Since this bridge was the primary route for hazmat in the are, the tunnels being off-limits for such transit, a ferry service, perhaps one dedicated to hazmat, makes sense.