Post
by IvanV » Tue Mar 26, 2024 5:57 pm
On Google Earth, it looks like there are two little artificial islands roughly positioned just outside the shipping channel, the port side of the bridge, with antennas on them. They look like part of some kind of system to make sure ships go through the channel under the high span. There were 2 harbour pilots on board the ship to guide the ship, as is common when large ships are travelling on such harbour approaches.
So it looks like they had thorough systems to ensure this accident shouldn't happen, but not quite excluding everything. Of course, you usually cannot exclude everything, only make it very unlikely. What was left in this case - short of a 9/11 type deliberate action - is the risk that just after leaving port, in the really short distance from there to the bridge, the ship loses control, and with its momentum just gained, is found pointing in an unfortunate direction towards where it would knock the bridge over. In this case, hitting the pier took out a lot of the bridge. Seems like a very small risk the ship should lose control just there, and while pointing in such an inopportune direction. But it has happened. Inevitably with this short distance, there is quite short notice to evacuate the bridge. It was closed before impact, but not enough time for all traffic and workmen to be cleared from it. It is not impossible that the disabling of the ship's systems at this very unfortunate moment was a deliberate action.
There is another bridge further down the shipping channel, crossing fairly high up Chesapeake Bay. And then a long way further at the mouth of the bay is the 17 mile long Chesapeake Bay Tunnel-Bridge, where there are 2 mile-wide gaps above the tunnels, running between artificial islands, for ships to sail over.