Francis Keys bridge hit by ship. Bridge collapses, mass casualty event.

[RoshawnMarkwees]

What do you mean by forecasts? Tide charts are completely accurate. There’s no problem in determining when high or low tide was three days ago.

I can’t find that. Only what it’s going to be

 

[Ghost of a Rider]

I believe the ship gets it's electricity from the engine. It's stupid to think they run lights off of a long extension cord. When the engine dies, the electrical circuits die with it. That would explain why the generator on board is deemed a "back up generator".

I’m a mariner by trade so I know that a ship does not get its electrical power from the main engine.

The main engine is strictly for propulsion. The generators provide power for all electrical systems, including steering.

Having watched the video, it appears they lost electrical power which means they lost steering. If they happened to lose steering while the rudder was in a starboard turn configuration, that means they were powerless to bring the rudder back to amidships or to a port turn configuration to avoid hitting the bridge support.

Having said that, it looks to me that they did not lose propulsion, considering the puff of smoke right before the strike that suggests to me they were trying to reverse to slow or stop the ship.

 

[para bellum]

I think you’re wrong on that.

Well here's the tide tables.

Baltimore, MD – Local Tide Times, Tide Chart – US Harbors

High tide and low tide time today in Baltimore, MD. Tide chart and monthly tide tables. Sunrise and sunset time for today. Full moon for this month, and moon phases calendar.

www.usharbors.com

Here's the current tables for the approach to Baltimore Harbor. Max current was .68 kts.

https://ports.noaa.gov/noaacurrents/Predictions?id=ACT4996_1&d=2024-03-26&r=1&t=am%2Fpm&u=1&tz=LST%2FLDT&i=&threshold=leEq&thresholdvalue=

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

A ship needs engine power to steer. A ship doesn’t turn just because you rotate the rudders. The propellers need to be forcing water past the rudders to steer. The propellers are not turned through electrical power. Large diesel engines do that.

A ship can still steer with the flow of water over the rudder as long as its inertia keeps it moving. On that point, you are in error.

 

[skye]

Definitely makes you wonder. I really don't trust this current government

Yes it does.....and I don't trust the Obiden Regime either.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Looking at the videos, it appeared that the engine power was restored just couple of seconds before the crash. It’s moot point as it would have needed to be restored at least five minutes earlier.

How can you see that? The ship has no indication of propulsion being applied.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Also that smoke, what was it from ?

Emergency generator.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

No prop wash means no steering by the rudders.

Wrongs! So very wrong! How would sailboats turn?

 

[para bellum]

But didn’t the boat change direction after power was lost?

Yes, it drifted to the starboard. But you have to realize that the ship doesn't respond instantly to rudder inputs. You can make a correction, and have the rudder back to center before the heading even starts to change.

Steering is always a little bit to port, a little bit to starboard, back and forth constantly to maintain your heading. There are external forces, the hull can have more drag on one side than the other, etc.

Even the rotation of the propeller biases one direction, because the propwash acts more forcefully on one side of the hull than the other. For a right hand rotation (CW), the high pressure side is the port side, which will push the stern to the starboard side, and turn the ships heading to port.

There are constant inputs even if it's the autopilot making them. If you just put the rudder amidships and leave it there, you will slowly veer off course.

 

[Ghost of a Rider]

I can’t find that. Only what it’s going to be

There are tide and tidal current almanacs published every year in book form so a mariner can know the height of tide and current velocity for any given time. This means one would be able to determine height of tide and current velocity in the past.

However, the books cost money so it may be difficult to find info on past tides and currents on the internet.

 

[para bellum]

However, the books cost money so it may be difficult to find info on past tides and currents on the internet.

I posted the tide and current tables in my post #843.

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

There are tide and tidal current almanacs published every year in book form so a mariner can know the height of tide and current velocity for any given time.

However, the books cost money

That explains it.

 

[Ghost of a Rider]

I posted the tide and current tables in my post #843.

Okay.

 

[beagle9]

MSN

A preliminary review, Muise said, revealed sensor data showing the ship’s speed and when alarms went off. Audio recorders captured the local pilot, aboard to guide the ship through the harbor and shipping channel, making steering commands and rudder orders. At about 1:25 a.m., mere minutes before the crash, several alarms went off, he said. “At the same time, VDR sensor data stopped recording.”

Muise said the audio continued recording, capturing the pilot’s orders to drop an anchor, reporting a loss of power, calling for tugboat assistance and giving a “mayday” signal. Officials have said the mayday helped prevent more casualties because police stationed on the bridge were able to close it to traffic.

Could reverse engines or propellers (as an order to be given), otherwise knowing that the ship was moving forward toward the bridge instead of away from it, and it be part of the protocol that should have taken place immediately ??????

All engine's reverse, all engine's reverse, otherwise once powered was immediately restored, and black smoke started billowing from the stack ? Should this be expected to be heard on the voice recorders ??

 

[beagle9]

Those "tiny" tugboats are mostly engine. The have incredible towing and pushing power.

No ship of that size should be unaccompanied through a tight area that had that kind of potential catastrophic consequence involved if something went wrong. Tugs should have been stationed along side of the ship until it cleared the bridge, and was cleared for open water sailing.

 

[para bellum]

Could reverse engines or propellers (as an order to be given), otherwise knowing that the ship was moving forward toward the bridge instead of away from it, and it be part of the protocol that should have taken place immediately ??????

All engine's reverse, all engine's reverse, otherwise once powered was immediately restored, and black smoke started billowing from the stack ? Should this be expected to be heard on the voice recorders ??

I think not- if the info we've seen is correct this ship is a direct drive system with no reverse gear. Dropping the anchor was the right call, it just wasn't effective so close to the bridge.

Re-establishing propulsion was dependent on re-establishing power from the auxiliaries.

 

[beagle9]

I doubt any current that close to shore and in water that shallow would overwhelm the ship’s existing momentum.

Yes, all factors and the investigation of every facet of evidence should be considered and studied.

 

[para bellum]

No ship of that size should be unaccompanied through a tight area that had that kind of potential catastrophic consequence involved if something went wrong. Tugs should have been stationed along side of the ship until it cleared the bridge, and was cleared for open water sailing.

It's always after-the-fact when those policies get implemented. After the Exxon Valdez, all tankers in Puget Sound have to be escorted.

They will probably implement something similar for container ships now too...

 

[beagle9]

I think not- if the info we've seen is correct this ship is a direct drive system with no reverse gear. Dropping the anchor was the right call, it just wasn't effective so close to the bridge.

Re-establishing propulsion was dependent on re-establishing power from the auxiliaries.

Back to the currents and river flow then, and this verses weight, flow of current either inward or outward in the inlet, and excetra, excetra.

 

[beagle9]

It's always after-the-fact when those policies get implemented. After the Exxon Valdez, all tankers in Puget Sound have to be escorted.

They will probably implement something similar for container ships now too...

Hope it wasn't because of budgets and such that the policies weren't being implemented, otherwise when they absolutely should have been. This country seems to have a bad habit of this kind of thing being past tense/hindsight instead of being proactive.