A Collision of Guilt: The Sunshine Skyway Bridge Collapse
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- Опубликовано: 4 май 2024
- The How & Why of The Sunshine Skyway Bridge Collapse - Tampa Bay, Florida May 9, 1980. Rammed by Bulk Cargo Ship MV Summit Venture in a sudden microburst thunderstorm, this tragedy is a prime example of when everything goes wrong... all at once.
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The Cutter Blackthorn Tragedy: • Negligent Navigation: ...
Car Carrier Golden Ray: • Roll-On Roll-Over: The...
The Loss of FV Scandies Rose: • Frozen, Dark & Far Fro...
The Loss of USS Thresher: • Crush Depth: The Night...
The Loss of SS EL Faro: • Disastrous Indifferenc...
▶REFERENCES, SOURCES & FEATURED MEDIA: pastebin.com/Lxs9HWsh
▶Timestamps:
00:00 MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY - COAST GUARD!
01:18 Original Sunshine Skyway Bridge - History & Background
05:45 Bulk Carrier Cargo Ship MV Summit Venture - History & Background
06:51 Previous Collisions With and Near The Skyway Bridge
08:00 Early AM - May 9, 1980 The Summit Venture Prepares To Enter Tampa Bay
08:18 Ship Pilots and Their Role in Harbors, Ports, Bays and Channels
08:46 The Summit Venture's Pilot Boards the Vessel As It's Underway
09:24 The Bulk Carrier Summit Venture Enters Mullet Key Channel
09:55 A Microburst Storm Hits When Nearing The Turn Toward the Bridge Channel
10:13 Buoys and Their Roles in Navigating The Ship Channel
10:47 The Storm Surge's Heavy Rain Blocks The Buoys Radar Return
11:13 Miscommunications Between Pilot and Lookout Crewman on Ship's Bow
11:26 Pilot Orders Turn To Channel Heading - Unaware of Actual Position Due To Storm
11:38 The Skyway Bridge Finally Comes Into View Roughly 500 ft Ahead - Too Late
12:45 Chaos and Disaster as The Western Span Collapses Near Instantly
14:05 Collapse, Storm Surge and Near Zero Visibility Creates Deadly Ongoing Situation
15:22 Initial NTSB and Coast Guard Findings Place Majority of Blame on Pilot, John Lerro
16:18 Other Major Factors & Circumstances at Issue to Blame
17:58 Pilot John Lerro's Collision of Guilt
19:13 NTSB Chairman Issues Follow Up Statement Regarding John Lerro
19:59 What Happened To The Old Skyway Bridge After Collapse?
20:28 The New Sunshine Skyway Bridge and its Differences
21:16 What Happened to the MV Summit Venture After Collapse?
22:11 In Memoriam...
▶MUSIC: Produced by @Mors
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Hey, I'm Sam! Child of the 80s turned Parent, Traveler, & Bumbling/Stumbling Nostalgic, Sentimental Creator. With a background in Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Industrial Robotics and a passion for Workplace Safety... half the time I know about 50% what I'm doing!
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The Cutter Blackthorn Tragedy: ruclips.net/video/II7jld-SS84/видео.html
Car Carrier Golden Ray: ruclips.net/video/kGIZmyLlb7I/видео.html
The Loss of FV Scandies Rose: ruclips.net/video/KFevuP5ua_8/видео.html
The Loss of USS Thresher: ruclips.net/video/g-uJ1do3yV8/видео.html
The Loss of SS EL Faro: ruclips.net/video/-BNDub3h2_I/видео.html
The Ocean Ranger Oil Rig Disaster: ruclips.net/video/cyNFhthQ97Q/видео.html
You did this justice. You even used photos i havent seen before.
That was an awesome start to the video. Im only 1:23 in and loving it
A request from a hearing-impaired viewer- you have a pleasant baritone voice, but it's so pleasant that there are few high-frequency components. This makes it difficult for someone with poor upper hearing to understand you, can you please add captions to this?
Hey Rocketplumber thanks for the heads up! Yes, working on this currently as RUclips has started to auto-caption less and less videos. Mine were fairly accurate in the past so I went with those. Coming up with a process now to start remedying those that don't have it.
@@BrickImmortar Thanks, I appreciate it, I try not to bludgeon people with my handicap but sometimes it gets tough and I really want to get the full value of your productions.
When the Morandi road bridge collapsed in Genoa, Italy in 2018 the same thing happened- some vehicles saw the gap and stopped in time and tried to wave down oncoming traffic, while other drivers, in a big hurry, ignored the signal and plummeted to their grave. I taught my daughter- when the car ahead of you stops or swerves for no apparent reason you do the same. They see something you don't. Could save your own life.
For no apparent reason... car ahead just tapped brakes, me let off the gas, then hit brakes. Look in horses eyes as we missed is unforgettable
Yup. If someone brakes ahead of you, just do the same. Don't find out by running into it.
Sadly it always seems , a tragedy has to come first and then safety measurements goes place.
Like a simple thing of having red light 🚨 warnings and stop 🛑 Lights in case of an accident or even fog where no one can see ahead of them, should have been already in place.
Mianis River Bridge on Rt 95 in Ct went down one night, (mid 1980s) and a car stopped to warn others. At least one car went around and into the water from a height of near 100 ft.
I once was in a second left turn lane (against traffic in the US). Our light turned green and we started to go. I saw the guy to my right brake hard and do the same- just in time for someone to pass right in front of me as they ran the red light. Had I not stopped based on the other vehicle they would have hit me. Taking cues from other drivers is a whole ass skill of its own.
The mayday calls in these videos are so gut wrenching. It makes the story of what happened so much more real, and makes the central figures much more relatable.
I was just coming to say this. Can't imagine working a job like a coast guard gotta have nightmares
It is extremely distressing that as soon as I heard about the news of the bridge collapse in Baltimore, I thought of this video, and started immediately looking to see if there were dolphins or island piers around the Francis Scott Key Bridge pillars.
None. The FSK Bridge was opened three years before the Sunshine Skyway went down, and in the _forty years_ since, none of the protections learned from the Sunshine Skyway seem to have been placed around it. So the story repeats itself, with a new bill of blood, sweat, and tears to pay.
It’s easier to build them with the bridge than after the fact because no one wants to be liable for potentially upsetting the current structure’s foundation.
I’m afraid you have some new material today. 💔
Huh?
@@uberspaz7484
Similar incident destroyed the Francis Scott Key bridge.
Yeah, but slightly different failure modes, though. The old Sunshine bridge wasn't hit at a main support column, but a column at the end of the cantilever. The cantilever section should've stayed intact if the it wasn't presumably rigidly connected to the column.
After all, half the cantilever stayed up, and there's even a picture @12:00 of a bunch of feds just chilling at the edge of the abyss, probably talking about the car parked on the precipice.
yep, I'm waiting for the vids from both Brick Immortar and Plainly Difficult
The radio traffic calls-- they give me chills. It's the truest form of humanity to me. The truest essence of these people, rising to the surface in a moment of calamity. I truly thank god that people like this exist.
Same thing happend in NYC when the plane landed in the Hudson. In minutes there were ferries and tugs there to help people off.
Smaller scale but very similar to something I saw and experienced in person - a house in my old neighborhood going up in flames in the dead of night. The family thankfully got out right away, but there were a lot of us neighbors running up to them before the fire department arrived, asking if everyone was out, are you hurt, do you need warm clothes or a place to stay, and banging on the doors and windows of the nextdoor neighbors to get them out of their homes in case the fire spread.
In those moments it doesn't matter who you are or what you were in the middle of doing. All that matters is that you are there.
Find a version that has the entire radio traffic. It is chilling when the coast Guard announced pon, pon, seelonce mayday
I work in large scale bridge/high rise/ stadium construction the biggest jobs. And i can tell you Tugs working people jump into action in these situations. We had a man overboard recently and we had the guy out of the water in minutes. The radio calls are def haunting.
The one thing thats amazing about the Charger cop cars is in the police radio messages for responses like this you can hear them say in route to assit. Then the V8 sometimes can be heard roaring to a high RPM in the background.
The guy who escaped out of his truck at the bottom and survived is incredible. I don't think one person in ten thousand would be able to do that.
He had been in the Navy in WW2. He stated later that training helped him get out and up to the surface.
@@suzannetaylor5374 I agree, but even so, he was no spring chicken to be expected to carry that out after falling out of the sky, being concussed into unconsciousness, and waking up on the sea floor! That was one tough man!
@@mungbean345
His name was Wes McIntyre. He was driving a Ford Courier pick up truck. He felt “survivors guilt” for the remainder of his life.
@@mungbean345 Oh he sure was.
@@kurtvonfricken6829 Thank you. I was saddened to read that he succumbed to bone cancer 9 years later, but not before people were apparently jerks to him and acted like what he did was no big deal and he shouldn't be troubled by it. 🤦♀️ I wish they'd been able to see this video.
I feel so bad for the poor guy who backed up and tried to stop the other traffic. He must have had nightmares for the rest of his life.
They say sometimes that survivor's guilt is worse kind of PTSD. Oh what would have happened if I had just backed my car into the bus and stop it by force just one of the many of thousands of questions as you laid there trying to sleep. God bless that man. You are a sweet person to think about it. God bless you
One cannot protect others from their mistakes and failure to ignore warning signs. In the weather they may not have even noticed someone on the side of the highway. Sadly this happens daily.
@@richarda996 It still must haunt him terribly.
@@willfriar8054Yeah. It has to be incredibly tough and I hope he has all the support he needs, especially now that it’s happened again. But I think it speaks to his character that, in the spur of the moment with no training and no time to prepare, he acted at all.
@willfriar8054 did you just say stop a bus..with a car? 😂....I get it though, what ifs will near kill ya
I’m glad that the NTSB moved away from fault-based investigations. Concluding “he shouldn’t have made the mistake he made” is so insufficient. Especially for preventing a disaster like this in the future
Concise humans have always made mistakes and learned from them trough out history lol how are we supposed to know something without learning in the first place right
I think you would enjoy air crash investigations
They find the mistake which was made, and try to determine all contributing factors which led to the mistake being made, and then focus on eliminating or otherwise mitigating those factors, so that they can never again lull someone else into making the same mistake.
@@DanEBoyd that's a mistake
@@arctictiger8690 Or the RUclips channel Mentour Pilot, which is less sensationalized and more informative.
It feels seriously reckless to put up that kind of bridge structure across a shipping lane and NOT put any lights/ radar reflectors on the bridge itself on the pylons that make the edges of the lane. Not even a more tight line of buoys on the stretch after the bend.
Hindsight is always 20/20. What you describe loosely mirrors the natural evolution of design and engineering. Almost every improvement in safety and durability of everything you use in your daily and not-so-daily life has been a result of an accident that resulted in loss of life and/or property. There was a time- within the lifespan of many people alive today- where cars didn't even have seatbelts. It's quite easy to look back from the perspective of today and say, "it feels seriously reckless..." without understanding that at that time, they weren't considered to be necessary. The Champlain Towers collapse in Miami is another example of this; building codes and engineering standards are being rewritten as we speak to prevent that from happening again.
As a daily traveler of the bridge, I can see the buoys in question and have marveled at how tight the actual lane is relative to the peak of the bridge. More buoys? I dunno - rather just don't go through in poor weather?
@@Prototheria Did you know that airbags were invented to replace seat belts? The ironic thing about seatbelts is they weren't super helpful until airbags, it completely depended on the type of accident you had, more severe accidents still greatly resulted in death. When airbags were first being tested, they used seatbelts to hold the dummies in. To their surprise, because of a result of not testing the technology without the use of seatbelts, when the public started using air bags, people who weren't wearing seatbelts were instantly dying in low speed crashes because of airbags. This caused quite a new problem, which the car companies reacted by starting a big campaign and putting warnings out to wear a seatbelt at all times with an airbag which eventually came into law years later.
The real safety miracle though was when they finally made collapsible steering columns. Those things brutally killed a lot of people regardless of any other safety measure, seriously don't look up the old pictures of accidents before these existed. They were horrible in even just simple low speed collisions.
@@BillyOatmeal I was aware of some of that, but not all. Thank you for sharing!
@@BillyOatmeal Crushed chests from steering columns. I haven't heard that mentioned since the 80's! Not just crushed bones, impalement, also. Yet another reason to wear your seatbelt, and one that is not often mentioned.✌😸
I will say it’s somewhat refreshing that John had a heart in this. Not saying he should feel guilty for the rest of his life, not at all, but him doing all he could to ensure this never happens again, deserves a huge amount of respect.
He murdered 36 people. What are you a sociopath?
@@jamwest3146 You’ve clearly never piloted a ship before. These things can weigh as much as a skyscraper, and have engines that will comfortably power a city. You don’t just suddenly hit the picks if someone jumps out in front of you, lmao. If you see a problem, it is already too late.
Yep and as a student, there can possibly be no one you would listen to more carefully than him, who can really tell you something about decision making and consequences. And just think for a minute, how hard it must be, to go in front of a class (again and again) and knowing, they all know what you did from the news...
@@jamwest3146 the driver in the bus murdered some if any.
@@jamwest3146 He murdered no one. YOU are the sociopath.
The skyway bridge fell 3 years after the Francis Scott key bridge was built in Baltimore. In the ~55 years since I’m surprised bridges across the USA (or at least bridges over major shipping hubs) haven’t had their piers reinforced to protect motorists from the threat of ever larger ships striking the supports.
As a Tampa Native I always see how busy those fishing piers on each end of the old bridge can get. It's good that there is a large public reminder of the past that is still intact there, and that some of the old structure still has a use.
I've lived here in Tampa all my life and have still yet to go fishing there. I live just a few minutes north of Gandy, so that is where I used to fish. I was really pissed when after they permanently closed the old westbound span that had the fishing catwalk, they also closed off access to the catwalk, stating it was no longer safe and there wasn't money in the budget to maintain it. It's been a long time since I have been on the actual bridge, but I think they still allow joggers to use the level sections of each end of the bridge, but where the bridge starts to incline it's fenced off.
@@SirReptitious i had a friend who was working for his uncle at the Palmetto location of Kojaks house of ribs, any way first time i went to hangout we went fishing on the skyway pier. So you drove on the pier on the old north bound lane, and at the end they connected the two where you eould drive back off on south bound lanes.
Skip a few years snd i decided to go fishing off the skyway pier, they only had the old south bound pier open because the north bound one built in the 50's was falling apart. I asked if they were gonna fix it, i was told some bank still owned it but was allowing the state to use it. They said once the dept of transportation decided the south bound lane was unsafe they would knock down access but leave the it standing. They should rebuild the damn thing, usually pretty decent fishing
I from Bradenton people still talk about the collapse of skyway bridge and how there is an uneasiness when crossing over.
@@chantaltestman6916 even though it is connected to the highway the toll is stationed a bit before the north bound end and the speed limit is still 55 mph I think
I think all the locals, myself included, remember exactly where they were when they first heard this. I was in my allergist's office and they had a news break on the radio around 8:30-9 am. Truly jaw-dropping.
I remember my mom driving over the 1st span of the original bridge to get to Dr. Webbs City in St. Pete in the late 50's. This guy is right about the 5% grade. It was awful steep and scary to drive over, and all I had to do was sit in the car while my mom drove. That was a terrible accident, one thing the narrator did not tell you was the one car stopped on the steel grate in a downward grade position. The man driving made it out of the car, then realized he left his golf clubs in the trunk. He went back and got them without a single thought of the danger.
"Whew, that was close!"
...
"OH SHIT, MY CLUBS!!!"
@@Dat-Mudkip Priorities.
NOT THE GULF CLUBS!!!
Webb City where the chickens dance! The Webb family still has property in Florida I just worked on Todd Webb his grandson's laundromat... Live about 20 minutes from the skyway
@@billycode5144 That's the place.
In my city of Baltimore the Key bridge just collapsed today due to a boat striking it. I immediately thought of this video and what I learned and how similar all of this was. I few weeks ago I was near the Port of Baltimore and saw a boat docked and mentioned to the driver that it was a roll on/roll off boat used for cargo. So very random. I knew it was a ro/ro ship just by looking at it from what I leaned here.
This RUclips Channel has been a wealth of knowledge.
Same here. 😢😢
As a Marylander, I had the same thought for how the Tasman Bridge collapsed in 1975. Both tragedies, the Skybridge and Tasman, have similar elements for what likely happened in Baltimore.
Same
I immediately thought about Sunshine Skyway when I heard about the Key Scott bridge
I think most followers of this channel had the same thought. It was certainly the first thing that raced through my mind when I saw it this morning. It feels odd to say, but it's unfortunate that we'll have more content.
Welp guess we're getting a Key Bridge video eventually :(
congrats on getting in first
After the ntsb report is released
Was gonna say the same thing
Given the two similar tragedies, I wouldn't be one bit surprised to see a nationwide push for bridge pier protection on ALL bridges over navigable waterways, including inland rivers.
Tampa local here, thanks for actually covering this very forgotten disaster that barely anyone outside of Tampa really knows. It’s odd going fishing on the old sections of the skyway that remain and remembering that people once drove on those sections of road with some never coming back.
The only really cool things we got here in Tampa that come to my mind at least is the bridge, the old USS American Victory, The CSX port Tampa line, the aquarium, and some other stuff I’m forgetting. We got a very good Irish-pub that’s downtown called Hattricks with an extremely good duck poutine dish.
Native Bradentonian here
East coast superior ;)
Yeah man its weird going over the bridge and seeing whats left.
Always nice to hear from the locals and thank you one and all 👍
Do you still make Tampa Nugget cigars?🗽👍
Listening to the radio traffic is incredible to me, specifically the tug Dixie Progress. You can hear the urgency in the captain's voice, and imagine the crew's rush to anchor the barge and the big EMD diesel engines howling to push her to the collapse scene. I know that you envision what happened when you get the call, but when you actually get there your stomach still drops. It must have been terrible for them to get on scene and realize that nobody could be saved.
We went over that bridge pre1980. Dad would always stew around and at the top of the bridge announce to us kids “ok boys this is your stop” we were terrified but through the years had great fun with his antics. Never imagined it would fall. I have been terrified of bridges since then. BTW I love my Dad!
It was a terrible, rickety bridge in my opinion. I've lived in this area nearly my whole life and went over that bridge many times. I was on my way from my morning high school class to my job on my 18th birthday the morning this happened. The bridge elevated quite high in the middle and had metal grading at the top sections so you could look down and see the water. I was always afraid going over it. The new bridge is beautiful, but I still don't like driving over it.
John Lerro is an example of how you can sometimes do as much or more to punish yourself than any Judge or Jury.
Man I don't know why but, hearing people dropping everything to come help gets me every time, hearing the tug coming in the beginning got me sniffling while watching.
The worst part is getting on scene and only finding bodies.
Did you check out the boat evacuation on 9/11?
@@manbaby9166 yesss that makes me cry every time haha it makes me so so happy to know; yes there are bad people out there, but the good people will always be there too.
@@kdrapertrucker I know, heart wrenching. But for their families? It’s got to be reassuring to know people still came straight to them, their loved ones weren’t just left there alone.
It made me sniffle too. People can be amazing when necessary; heroes are not born, they are made in an instant.
6:34 "It was a vessel considered well traveled, with a crew of much seafaring experience"
After that statement, I could sense what was coming next an got chills.
"On Friday morning, May 9th, 1980"
I reckon the positive in this situation is that it wasn't solely due to the actions of numerous, heartless, greedy or careless individuals leading to certain death. But an unfortunate circumstance, brought about by a worst case scenario. If I've learned anything about these tragedies, it's that's all infrastructure should be patterned after such, but frequently are, due to cost cutting and the urgency to complete said projects. As some would say "time is money"
If money were less prioritized, I don’t think the pilot would have risked moving into the bay...he could have waited, but time is money, so it wasn’t an option to just call all stop and sit tight foe things to clear up. That money pressure regularly underlies these massive tragedies. We could be more careful, but that costs money, so we aren’t...and we’ve gotten away with it before, so why would anything go wrong now, for me?
Sadly it always seems , a tragedy has to come first and then safety measurements goes place.
Like a simple thing of having red light 🚨 warnings and stop 🛑 Lights in case of an accident or even fog where no one can see ahead of them, should have been already in place.
@N Fels ... where did you get the idea the bridge was built cheap and without crash protection? They specifically mentioned crash protection and then said why it didn't work, which is a common problem when the boat was built decades after the bridge was designed.
@N Fels ... The crash protection in place is for smaller boats, as stated in the video.... but it's there. You also have to note that this ship was NOT in the normal shipping lane. This would be the same as a car leaving the road and wondering why proper protection was not in place.
@N Fels ... do I have to spell it out on a first-grade level? What you are saying was in the video and I already said that.
Never heard of this accident before. Yes, automatic systems to alert motorists of bridge collapses have been technically possible for decades.
BUT could they have seen or heard anything in that squall?
@@williamdaniels6943 You raise an interesting point about any alert system regardless of the conditions. Barring multiple multi-arm "stop points," you're never going to be able to completely defend a bridge from such an event. There's always going to be a segment where a vehicle ends up past a point of no return. You can limit the total number, but not all of them.
It is far more prudent to prevent the bridge from being damaged or destroyed in the first place.
@@Alxnick We could do both.
I remember driving over the Skyway Bridge and seeing the damaged sections.
The bridge connecting Port Lisbea (I think) and South Padre Island has warning signal, telling you to stop when the light is on.
I remember crossing the bridge in early ‘80’s. Both directions were sharing one span while the other span was closed. It was a white knuckle ride, oncoming traffic on a two lane bridge, 150’ over the water at highway speeds. All I could think was WTF?! Then the span next to us just stopped. I learned of the tragedy later that day. I cannot imagine going off the bridge. RIP to those that did.
@Keith Stevens Who is supposed to have told that story, when no one on the bus survived?
@@Mighty_Ogrelord ignore the troll
Wwle need you for the show.
Get over here!
Yeh I remember crossing it before they built the new one. It was a scary ride. Looking out window to the see the west span which seemed close enough you could touch it, come to an end and disappear at the top into thin air. Id think about those people just sailing off not having any idea bridge was out. Very tragic.
I have been involved with two significant accidents one involving a grounding and oil spill, the other a collision with a bridge in poor visibility, ironically both involved the same master. I am a naval architect and not a licensed mariner.
In the grounding a tanker that was being taken to an anchorage under the guidance of a pilot was moved to an anchorage where the depth of the water was less than the draft of the tanker. The tanker's hull was breached and 5700 barrels of crude oil spilled. Like in Tampa the pilot had a questionable history, and more importantly the ship's master did not overrule the pilot's instructions even though he knew there was a draft issue and grounding was imminent.
In the second incident the tanker, with a pilot onbard left it's mooring in reduced visibility. As the tanker approached the bridge visibility was decreasing. The vessel sideswiped the dolphin and two holes were torn in the side of the tanker. One was 10' high by 100' long and the second was 10' by 200'. Luckily, the tanker was empty and it was inerted. The dolphin was designed to cut the hull of the ship and to dissipate the energy of the vessel. The tanker looked as if it was cut with a can opener, 1" steel was cut cleanly. There were steel bolts from the dolphin that were driven through the steel. There was a piece of concrete the size of a VW Bug in one cargo tank that had to be broken with jack hammers for removal. It was the only time I've seen wood from railroad ties driven through steel. The civil engineers that designed the bridge did their work flawlessly.
I've had the chance to pilot tankers on simulators and I can say I have hit every object possible. I don't believe I ever successfully navigated a simulation. Operating a ship is not like driving a car. It requires that decisions be made long in advance of the ship moving. I always thought it felt as if it were in slow motion. It is also is important to remember as a ship slows the effectiveness of it's rudder decreases due to loss of lift. This is why aides such as thrusters, oversized or high lift rudders should be considered.
R. A. Levine
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment. As a rec sailor I've only been involved in one serious collision. It was absolutely a result of poor choices by the captain. It was his boat, he'd done more offshore sailing than me, but in fact, I had better training and i didn't realize it. I deferred to his judgment in a dangerous situation - sudden, thick fog reducing vis to maybe 150ft, and going down to 30 ft or less, sometimes losing the bow from the cockpit on a 43' vessel. He was brilliant - a PhD in economics from Stanford. He was "salty" AF most of the time. But he didn't have a proper approach to seamanship in this situation. Nobody was hurt in the collision and neither boat sank. But what I came away with was how even the sharpest people could not operate well in an emergency situation without preparation. It was the decisions he made 15 mins before the collision that made it happen. I'd been on watch and had suggested we drop sail and was thinking of changing course due to the dozen or so contacts strewn out before us on radar. We were on Long Island sound maybe 10 miles off of Newport, 20 mins earlier it had been sunny with a great breeze, we were flying the gennaker in a light breeze downwind. it was amazing how quickly it all changed. I think he was so used to being casual about stuff as a cruiser that he just didn't adjust his mindset. As crew, I told him "I'll post a good watch" and proceeded to intently scour the water ahead for any vessel. Looking back now, I should have been more direct and aggressive in challenging him. With that low vis and that many contacts on radar? 6kts knots under sail was crazy.
Consider he did this while having radar. I pointed out the contacts to him and he dismissed my concern. I should have said, "Nope, I'm dropping the headsail and you should drop the main, and fire up the engine". The problem for me was that I couldn't stand watch and watch the radar. That is perhaps the other thing I could have done differently. Maybe if I'd worked the radar and tracked the contacts and made it obvious the risk we were in he would have listened. When the contact we collided with came into view we could have avoided it. I did what I'd done on race boats many time - 'called' whether we could pass the other boat safely on current course or if we needed to tack quickly. On a raceboat there is one person responsible for this. You scream at the helmsman one word only "left" or "right". You don't even use port or starboard. They are to immediately turn as hard as possible in the direction told to avoid a collision. You have many such situations when racing and it's not that hard to judge it actually. We could have avoided the collision but instead the skipper froze. I'm screaming "left, left, go left, now, turn left, left, left, left" and he's vapor-locked. Then adjusts too late and then turns back into them. it was so stupid, and I could do nothing but watch the last 10-15 seconds unfold. It was a 30,000 lb boat, it wasn't that nimble so in the end i was counting down 5-4-3-2-1 as they crashed into us.
I think one of the things that is deceptive to people as that in a boat these collisions happen in slow motion compared to say a car or plane crash. The energy and mass differentials are not obvious. We lost one shroud and for a moment I thought the 60ft, 2k lb mast and rig were going to come down on our heads. Turned out to just be an expensive sailing lesson in the end, on someone else's dime, hehe. Two takeaways for me. If I think a situation is dangerous I need to push back hard at a captain. Second? Posting a watch during deep fog instead of manning the radar was probably not the best choice. It was decent radar, i could have reduced the range and gotten much more detailed tracks on any vessels of concern.
As for this situation, I have a lot of empathy for the pilot. Seems to me that this was super bad luck. The weather forecast, the bad sighting of the buoy, and then this massive cell coming at the absolutely worst moment - I didn't see any single decision he made as wrong or dangerous. It also seemed like such quickly developing situation that I'm not sure how he was supposed to react? When he loses visibility, what do people expect? He's got to maintain 6kts for steerage way, and in that kind of wind, a bit more than that to maintain a course and fight the leeway. Could he have stopped safely in that shipping channel? Could he have turned 180 degrees and navigated back out? I'm curious what folks think he should have done differently. One of the most telling aspects for me is that the master didn't feel alarmed enough to override the pilot. This is spun in the vid a bit, as though he's at fault cuz he didn't override the pilot. No, that's the wrong way to see it. He didn't override the pilot cuz it was not clear what to do and what the pilot was doing was reasonable.
The ultimate cause of this is an absurd placement of a bridge that was destined to result in a freighter collision.
@@glenn2745 What a detailed and thoughtful comment. Thanks for sharing your experiences with boats and what to do when in a situation where you feel someone is taking things in a hazardous direction.
People don't know how to deal with problems anymore. All they can do is scream for blood. Someone's got to pay when something goes wrong, but noone wants to fix it.
Mr
Levine
That was a great comment.
@Mr Levine..
It's a GREAT point. I believe the driver's license testing should be more rigours and include physics and common sense information.
The point you make about long range vision (ahead of us) when we're driving is EXTREMELY important and NOT taught as part of licencing.
My 2 bits 🙄
I have lived 30 minutes from the skyway for nearly my entire life and remember this when I was a kid. The only effect it had on my family was that my uncle was supposed to be crossing the bridge on the day of collapse and my aunt was very worried until he made it home safely. One other person my family knew was on the bridge and attempted to / accidently took a photograph as it happened but the picture didn't turn out or show anything. This person also made it home safely. Later on I also remember seeing the remnants as I was traveling with my parents on the surviving span, and I also saw the remnants at a distance on the horizon from Anna Maria Island and the Cortez Road Bridge. The impression I had was that it was the twin of the surviving span that just for some reason suddenly stopped near the apex in a shockingly perfectly clean break. The new bridge was a huge deal because of it's striking new design and new safety features, and is considered the flagship bridge for the state of Florida. I do feel bad for the summit venture pilot. He was doing his job correctly and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was also noted that after the collapse, the toll booth collectors for the bridge didn't know it had happened and were still letting people go through for a while. Also of note: While the new bridge is much safer, it also offered a much better view of the ocean far below which was unnerving for some people including my mother.
That Cortez Road Drawbridge is soon to be torn down and replaced by a fixed-height span some say is modeled after...the Skyway. Except absent any cables, so not really. Funny to put it that way, but basically every bridge in Florida is compared against the Skyway whether the designers intended or not. So yeah, the Skyway seems to be the flagship of the fleet. I think the Sarasota span is closer to the new Cortez design, but "Skyway" is part of the mental map for many in the area.
HMMMM? the picture didnt turn out. i cant think of anything i would not want to do more than driving over that old metal grate wet in the dark. and when i had to do that i never saw anything except the road strait in front of me and i didnt stop for nothin OOOOOOO!!
The Skyway is no joke, certainly still unnerving for many including myself. My mother was telling me about this the other day, I remember hearing slightly about it growing up but not until now that I’m older do I truly understand how massively tragic this was. My mother also said there was a greyhound bus on the bridge that went into the water that day. Absolutely devastating and terrifying to know people were just driving right off the bridge into the ocean because they didn’t know it was damaged and had collapsed on the other side.
@@mybro727 YEAH IT WAS VERY SAD. BETWEEN THE BRIDGE FALLING AND THE BLACKTHORN COLLISION QUITE A FEW GOOD PEOPLE LOST THERE LIVES. the EVIL BRIDGE AND CHANNEL WERE LIVING UP TO THERE NAMES. SAD!
Been over both the old and new bridges many times. My Aunt lived in Bradenton when the bridge was hit. She lived all over the bay area for years.
I always felt discomfort when driving over long bay bridges. Statistically, the chances of getting caught in a scenario like that are incredibly low, but being on a bridge one moment and then free falling into the waves the next has always been a terrifying concept.
When the Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed in Baltimore, I thought of this bridge collapse. It's crazy.
Something similar happened today. A ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland and caused the whole thing to collapse. It's crazy to me that this sort of thing still happens. My heart goes out to those people.
Those protective piers could have been extremely useful if they had built some for the Baltimore bridge which collapsed today. Insurance companies around the world should make them mandatory before insuring ports and bridges.
They had some. However the ship lost steerage (ie couldn't maneuver,) and took the protective pier out too.
@@KibuFox They really didn't. Look at an aerial photo of the dolphins protecting the Sunshine Skyway Bridge piers in Tampa. They are massive structures meant to at least keep the span intact. The FSK bridge piers were elegant, thin, delicate structures with almost no pier protection. Apparently, we never learn.
EDIT: I just watched the NTSB B-roll footage. The piers had almost ZERO dolphin protection. I also noted a power line crossing adjacent to the bridge had MAJOR protection for its pylons, despite being a FAR less important crossing. Shameful.
Is it bad that this video was one of the first things I thought about when I heard the news from Baltimore this morning?
I first thought about the cable car accident that happened in my home country but then thought about this accident.
I had just cleared the bridge when it was hit and collapsed, I was very lucky that day not to have been still on it when it dropped into the water. That was a day I will never forget.
Dude. I’m so glad you weren’t there. Idk you but I feel sick to my stomach right now hearing this story
My father had just crossed as well, very lucky as well.
Did you notice what happened to it or did you find out later?
This tragic incident has so many eerie similarities to the Tasman Bridge collapse in Tasmania, Australia - very similar outcomes (happened in the mid-70's) - I was only about 8 at the time, and remember seeing the broken Tasman Bridge whenever mum or dad would take me to town - to this day I truly hate driving over it, as it is VERY high, and of course driving over the massive part that is repaired, simply scares me. And yes, the bridge lost a massive span, was repaired - and is still in use today.
Worth looking it up, while it is obviously tragic, it is a very historical moment for Tasmania, Australia.
And as I mentioned the bridge underwent massive repairs for a couple of years (it caused chaos for the Eastern Shore (I live on the Western Shore, which is the side the city is on, so it had little to no effect on our family, except we hardly ever went to the Eastern Shore for those 2 years) - the ship that collided with the bridge, is STILL at the bottom of the Tasman Bridge where it sunk).
I didn't think anything could scare a Tasmanian if simply living in Tasmania didn't!
@@penguinsscareme I have to ask, what would be scary about living in Tasmania? - I've lived here since 1967 - and it is a great place - we have access to everything, and live in the most stable environment on the planet (look it up) - not to mention lifestyle is fantastic. But this is just my opinion of course.
@@penguinsscareme well, apparently penguins scare you, so I'm guessing maybe a lot of things do?
When we drive down to Hobart for medical and shopping, I get uneasy feelings on the Bridge too. I went over it not long before the collapse. Prefer the longer drive around. Know how you feel
And here we are again. Only in Baltimore instead Tampa. We really need to rethink our bridges and barges.
It's heartbreaking that this is relevant to the bridge collapse in Baltimore today
Something, something, history doomed to repeat itself. 2023-2024 continues to provide material for brick immortar future.
This video came to my mind this morning when I heard about the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse in Baltimore. Another tragedy. I hope someday that things like this will stop happening altogether.
As I write this, the Francis Scott Key Bridge has been down for less than 24 hours.
I IMMEDIATELY thought of this when I heard the news today. I just saw the Francis Scott Key Bridge last week. So many times i've gone over it. Baltimore will never be the same :(
Anyone here after the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse? 😢
My God how terrifying! Just imagine waking up in your vehicle in pitch black with water pouring in! Not very many people would survive that. Being in a vehicle underwater is my greatest fear!! So tragic what happened and there was no one really to blame. No real negligence, just a freak set of circumstances. Such a chilling video!! I'm still cringing at the thought of being 40ft underwater in a vehicle! Another great video done so respectfully! Great job!
I drove a semi for 13 years. One of the reasons I gave it up was I had developed a fear of bridges over water. It got to the point I was having to force myself to keep moving. I was on the Minneapolis bridge the day before it fell, but my bridge phobia didn't become an issue for several years after.
I have that same fear. In case you aren’t aware, there is a product called life hammer that has a seatbelt cutter and glass break hammer. I’ve never had to use it thankfully but just having it in an accessible place and from a reputable manufacturer makes me feel better as it gives me at least a bit more of a chance. Surviving an accident and then dying from not being able to escape would be a waste terrible way to go. The fact that he was able to pry open the door and escape is extremely unusual in its own right.
@@Alexlfm maybe the benefit of wind down manual windows over electric windows with servos that fail in water.
@@MrSCOTTtheSCOT I thought that too but I looked it up and apparently he claims he forced the door open. The news articles talk of bending the door out of the frame and pushing it open (at least that’s what contemporary reports at the time claimed and is what’s repeated today).
Even in “only” 40 feet of water, the truck had to of been almost filled with water all the way to the top for him to have been able to do that. Had to of been terrifying.
@@Alexlfm hell yeah, I freak out when I'm a passenger in a car that drives onto a harbour or alongside a canal, even when I'm driving , my blood pressure goes up. real phobia and for good reason of been in a car entering water. The whole scenario of this collision and bridge collapse reading about this tragedy gives me palpitations, the will to survive in that guy, so glad when he surfaced they were there to get him out.
Whose back here watching this again after the M/V Dali ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore
I wonder how many come watch this after the Baltimore Key Bridge disaster yesterday.
Lotta Tampa natives have this on our mind after what happened in Baltimore, including this one.
Me 💯🫶🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Im here today🫡
And unfortunately similar thing just happened again in Baltimore…………. Don’t know what happened this time but weather was not the factor from looks of it, unlike this one.
i think it was a loss of power and thus control. before it hit the lights turned on and off multiple times.
The ship's lights go out about a minute and a half before the collapse implying a power failure.
Came here just for this. Being from Baltimore
From the footage, it looks like the ship lost power as it was approaching the bridge.
Im in awe that this happened a few years ago and then in Baltimore, why didnt they learn from Florida and put actions into place so this would never happen again. Dumb founded😢
Well, looks like history is repeating itself, as this and the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse look identical.
I've heard there are at least six, seven, or eight people who were in their cars on the bridge when it collapsed and at least two have been rescued.
It looked like the container ship Dali lost power at least twice, most likely causing loss of control and loss of propulsion and/or steering systems.
Imagine if the Sunshine Skyway and Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses happened during rush hour... the number of people plunging into the water would be in the hundreds.
Incidents like this call into question the motto: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Just because something seems like it has been working fine for a long time doesn’t mean it isn’t ready for an upgrade
Personally I've never understood that motto, it doesn't make sense for any situation I can think of, it basically suggests that unless something is completely broken you shouldn't try to fix it even if it showed signs of breaking or need of repair beforehand, which doesn't work at all irl
@@lollmaoidc8804 Definitely why there is so much crap software out there. Once it is kind of working, or in my field, you’ve cobbled together a prototype of the solution, managers won’t let you go back and fix it. I once complained that the current setup was like a cardboard box taped to a roller skate coasting down the highway. They told that maybe we could fix it if we got enough complaints or it stopped working all together
@@lisapt6702 Indeed… I’m a dev as well and I’m currently haven’t to refactor code that has been “working” for almost 10 years because of complaints of mysterious connection issues. The most problematic code was contributed by a contractor who was well outside his area of expertise
It comes mainly from things you need now, or have to be in working order at the moment. Someone touches something or tries to "fix it" that puts the whole machine out, when it could have waited for better timing.
It doesn't apply to everything in all cases.
Another one is, "you'll open up a bee's nest" which I've seen mostly in home remodeling.
@@lollmaoidc8804 mostly i find it relates to some machines that are running fine ans doing their job
i instantly thought of this disaster when i woke up this morning and saw the tragedy that happened in Baltimore with the Francis Scott Key bridge. i know we'll have to wait a very long time see what surfaces and to hear your telling of it, but my heart goes out to all those affected. just aweful.
Just happened again, only in Baltimore, can’t wait for BrickImmortar to cover this one
It'll be a while, he waits until the NTSB releases their findings and that can take years.
This has just been recommended to me after Baltimore
I remember this day very well. My mother was plague by a recurring nightmare of being in a car when it suddenly falls off a bridge. We lived in south Florida and whoever we went to Tampa/St. Pete we had to avoid the bridge. On the day of this accident, we watched the news coverage on TV and Mom got physically ill. Today, the new bridge is still just as terrifying. I've only been over it a couple of times, but it's almost as if it's haunted.
I get the creeps sitting in traffic on the spot where Air Florida 90 hit the 14th Street Bridge in DC. But, I calm myself by thinking that it is pretty unlikely that it would happen *twice.*
I am with your mom - no thank you!
Anyplace where sudden and tragic death has occurred, some of those who passed may still be energetically trapped to the scene. So yes, it likely is haunted. Certainly the cumulative energy of the tragedy is still there.
I remember as a kid going over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to see my Grandmother. I've always been scared of heights but the bridge didn't bother me...it meant we were almost there.
I'm afraid you've got a new bridge collapse to talk about...
I felt a little weird when "can't wait to see the Brick Immortar video on the Key Bridge in a few years" was one of my first thoughts after hearing about it.
Re-watching this to see what a video a few years from now will be like, on the, Baltimore FSK bridge....
Was there in the 80's. Walked up the damaged section, took photos of the SORC yachts that raced in the bay there. The span was so high, the photos i took looked like i could have been hanging from a helicopter. The grilled metal roadway was slightly unerving to peer through for sure. Tampa is considered one of the Thunderstorm capitals of the world. Moved away in '83. Never seen a complete round up of the story before. Thanks for uploading.
Why you move so many times?
Nobody lives in Tampa, only seniors in Florida, time to move back now?
As someone who grew up in Bradenton, thank you for covering this historical event. There is not enough coverage or even knowledge on this disaster.
Watched this this yesterday. Now the Baltimore bridge collapsed today….
Well, here we go again, this time in Baltimore.
I remember going over the surviving span, looking over at the remnants of the doomed span. It always gave me chills. Even worse were a few trips with fog in the area, which is quiet often.
I couldn’t do it. I went the long way if I had to go south.
it was always sinister riding over that old span.
We drove up from Clewiston to purchase a car in the area and crossed in fog Northbound, it was erie to say the least. For the return trip with the car we chose to go the long way around lol. I just remember the fog blocking out everything so all you saw was the remaining span we were driving on and then all of a sudden the open end of the west span appeard through the fog from nothingness. it was spooky as hell lol.
@@myjunkisstuffgarage967 yeah, and this sort of weather was part of the problem. Ships sometimes couldn't see the bridge. The guy who was trying to guide them through the gap... was moving slowly and carefully. But he was dealing with a full blackout where he couldn't see anything at all.
Yeah, I was down there one evening on the south fishing pier and an enormous cloud of sea fog rolled in, in daylight. It completely covered the bridge and made me think about the disaster, even though I wasn't alive then. Amongst all of that I was even hearing fog horns go off in the distance, which was a little chilling.
Hell, even recently being down there a summertime thunderstorm rolled into the bay and even though the bridge now has thousands of LED lights illuminating the deck, at one point I couldn't even see it through the rain. I imagine that's what those pilots had to deal with on that fateful morning.
A sobering tale indeed. The original design looked insane with that steep incline. Also a very similar style (without the slope) to the Tay Bridge that you covered recently.
The new bridge has even steeper approaches. Not by much but steeper.
@@matthewscott5977 Just checked it out. Looks crazy steep for such a long bridge.
Reminds me of the Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, Australia. It’s excitingly steep, allows ships to pass, replaced a ferry, and was duplicated. Still standing though.
I have lived within 15 minunites of the Skyway bridge all my life. From a young boy to a old man I still get the "Heebie Jeebies" going over that bridge.
I still remember where I was and what I was doing on that day. Actually the the front that caused the nasty weather started on the 8th of May. I spent all that day pulling flooded cars (taxis cabs) out of flooded streets. Punching holes in floor plans to drain the water and using CRC to dry out the ignitions so they would start. Yep, remember it like it was yesterday.
The new bridge is pretty steep as well. I remember going over the old bridge when i was a kid. On our road trips my parents used to try to get us to go to sleep before going over it because it was so narrow and steep. It never really worked though because of the metal grating would be really loud when driving over it. Anyway, us kids were terrified to go over it.
who's back after the key bridge fell
oh god i was watching this when i saw the news about the francis scott key bridge
I grew up in Bradenton and had just begun a job as a photographer for The Bradenton Herald. I was 18 and still in high school. When word came of the accident, I immediately signed out of school and headed north to the bridge. I spent the next two days at the sight, standing up a date to Grad Night at Disney World. It is an experience I recall to this day. The man mentioned in the video, Don Albritton, was a Herald employee I frequently worked with. I spent my entire career working for newspapers in the Tampa market and often drove over the bridges, both old and new. Every time I do, I still think back to that Friday morning.
Anyone else watching this after the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse
I live in the area and people talk about the Skyway Collapse to this day. This is - by far - the best description of the events and people involved in the collapse I have encountered. Thank you.
I traveled across the single span many times in the 60's and over the dual span in the 70's. I remember quite well the collision and aftermath. The current bridge is a beautiful, secure testament to safety.
We’re bound to see a vid on the Francis Scott key bridge collapse on this channel maybe next vid?
It'll probably take a while before he covers it, man has impeccable detail in these vids. Can't wait to see it though
@@hughwilliam4039I agree. He would definitely wait for the all the details to come out and I’m sure it takes a lot of time to make a video
That very morning the weather was calling for rain and i was called off my construction job, so being a teenage surfer dude I strapped my board to the top of my VW bug and proceeded to catch some waves from the storm. I crossed that span with the wind shoving me around on the metal grates worried if my board was going to fly off on my way to Holmes beach from Tampa. I didn't know what happened until returning home that the bridge had been closed. So I tuned in the AM radio and heard the news. I later calculated that I had crossed just minutes before impact.
I was there that same morning May 9, 1980, I was on a ship "MV CORNER BROOK" which was just taking pilotage when the accident occurred, we had to immediately stop and anchor and not sail further up towards Tampa, we were loaded with paper from Newfoundland, after a few days we were allowed to sail through outside the regular sailing route, horrible accident to witness.
This video just became very relevant after what happened in Baltimore thanks for making such s informative video
I know we’re a few years out at least from a report on the Francis Scott Key Bridge but I find myself suspecting there will be a lot of lessons learned from this one that didn’t get implemented in Maryland. 😢
I seem to remember that the lone survivor in the pick up truck took his own life years later. The survivor’s guilt must have been enormous. The Blackthorn was raised soon after the mentioned collision and sank about 20 miles offshore in 80’ of water as an artificial reef. In a misguided attempt to make it withstand storms, large holes were cut in it to allow currents to flow through it. This only hastened the disintegration. I dove on it about 15 years later and all that was left was a lump about 3’ high and a bit of railing at the bow.
Why would he feel guilt?
@@PointNemo9 From an article in Psychology Today: "survivor’s guilt begins with an endless loop of counterfactual thoughts that you could have or should have done otherwise, though in fact you did nothing wrong....There are also other factors that could predispose someone to survivor’s guilt. For example, Alan Siegel (2005) did research on the dreams of firestorm survivors, which offered revealing results. He found that those who were victims of childhood trauma were even more susceptible to dreams about death and that all healthy defenses are weakened by trauma. Unresolved past losses often become emotional Achilles heels or vulnerable areas that affect a survivor’s ability to cope."
@@PointNemo9 You're asking a rational question about an irrational thought process. There would be no reason to feel survivors guilt only that he did.
@@glennrishton5679 His survival did not come at the expense of anyone else.
@@PointNemo9 And that is exactly why your rational question was about an irrational thought process. Because there was no reason to feel guilty since he neither contributed to the disaster nor failed to help . Therefore survivors guilt was irrational.
I never thought I would experience something similar in my life, even just from the news/social media.
I am watching this from Maryland, to gain some understanding regarding the tragic collapse of the Frances Scott Key Bridge, in Baltimore, MD. Many of us who live in Maryland, as well as elsewhere throughout the world, find ourselves in a state of shock. Tragedy can strike at any time. Our hearts go out to those who did not survive. Our hearts go out to the many people who functioned in an emergency capacity, and will continue to do so for sometime, both above ground and in the water. And, our hearts go out to all who will help us in the process of healing and rebuilding. May God bless everyone.
Reminded of this video, after the Francis Scott Key bridge Collapse which just happened.
Who's here after the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse?
Me
was thinking about this video while i saw it fall
Yeah, but slightly different failure modes, though. The old Sunshine bridge wasn't hit at a main support column, but a column at the end of the cantilever. The cantilever section should've stayed intact if the it wasn't presumably rigidly connected to the column.
After all, half the cantilever stayed up, and there's even a picture @12:00 of a bunch of feds just chilling at the edge of the abyss, probably talking about the car hanging on the precipice.
Heard about what happened in Baltimore and it immediately reminded me of this video
I remember when this happened. I was a teenager. I always loved when we drove over that bridge. The steep ascent and descent was a thrill. I also remember being horrified when the news of the accident reached us. I still have the newspaper clipping that shows the (crushed) bus being lifted out of the water.
This was awesome! That intro gave me chills. I loved how you followed up with the history of the boats, like they were characters in the story. And the Captain was not a sociopath and sought redemption. Just a great job overall.
I was watching TV when the news broke of this tragedy. I went over that old bridge many times. It had a main span of grating. It was scary.
The new bridge is a beauty. We just took a cruise out if Tampa and went under it. It looked like we made it by inches.
Of course here after the Baltimore collapse that happened early this morning. I have family in Tampa but have never heard of this.
Driving across the old Sunshine Skyway Bridge was always a nerve racking event. I still remember that severe morning thunderstorm. I was on duty working as a Hillsborough County firefighter at Brandon Station 11.
One has to understand the pilot/master relationship is very complex, ancient tradition that has, mostly successfully, been codified in modern maritime law. Except for a few places, like the Panama Canal, the master retains responsibility for the actions of his ship, while generally allowing the pilot to do the conning (issuing of helm and throttle orders.) It is a very tricky thing for a master to speak up and overrule a pilot, especially in a harbor he's not familiar with. Kind of a maritime catch-22. Especially when its a foreign master in US waters, I can imagine that resistance would be higher than had it been a US flagged ship and master.
The new Sunshine Skyway is one of about a dozen bridges I have been over and under during my shipping career.
Having grown up just outside of Pittsburgh, PA, the city of bridges, I have a special place in my heart for bridge stories and have watched many, including some about the Sunshine Skyway collapse. This video is by far the best one I have seen with so much excellent information. Thank you!
Oh man, I watched this video about the Skyway Bridge just last week, then found out about the Baltimore Key Bridge today. Unfortunately, it looks like there will likely be a new video on the horizon.
With how long NTSB invesigations take, it'll probably be a while till Brick makes a video. As far as i can tell he likes waiting for NTSB reports whenever applicable.
Posting one day after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. Once again, no protection for the bridge supports contributed to the disaster.
FWIW: I live in North Carolina now, but I was born {in 1961} and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. I remember driving over the old bridge spans myself -- when there were TWO of them -- and riding with my parents in their car when it was originally just one span.
Somewhat ironically, I was on a motorcycle road trip to Washington, D.C. with a high school buddy when this happened {we both graduated from h.s. in 1979}. We were in a store or shopping mall, and learned of this accident from a news broadcast on televisions that were on display. Remember, this was in the pre-internet / pre-cell phone days. Fortunately, after managing to call home, we learned neither of us had any family or friends involved in this tragedy.
Also FWIW: I remember reading somewhere after this event that the original span had temporary wooden _"dolphin"_ barricades to protect the bridge supports, but they eventually rotted away. For whatever reason, permanent concrete dolphins were never installed.
*EDIT:* I joined the US Navy in 1983, then left the USN in 1986 and joined the US Coast Guard {I worked in aviation for most of my time in both services}. I already knew about the _USCGC Cutter Blackthorn_ incident before any of this, but serving in the military -- especially in the USCG -- gave me that much more appreciation of that tragic event.
That mayday call is bone chilling.
This video just showed up to me today. The day the Francis Scott Key bridge was hit. 😔
How weird that this appeared in my suggested videos today after what happened (similarly) in Baltimore.
This and the Baltimore crash a few days ago makes me realise how hazardous having maritime traffic under bridges like these. A lot of cities around the world have these sort of set up.
Welcome back everyone
Whos here after the repeat in baltimore
I do feel for Capt. John Lerro, and I also feel that could have been me, especially in one instance. I was working as rhe mate on a tug that was pushing a fuel barge. The barge probably had gasoline in it, but it may have been another petroleum product. Anyway, I was in reduced visibility, could not see a bridge I was approaching and called the captain. He just watched as we kept going. When we finally saw the bridge, we were beneath it and in the middle where we wanted to be, but that may have been just luck.
There are other incidents that are similar. The Big Bayou Canot Derailment in 1993 resulted in 47 deaths. The I-40 Bridge Collapse near Webbers Falls, OK resulted in 14 deaths. The 1975 Tasman Bridge Disaster in Hobart, Tasmania resulted in 12 dead. And, I am sure there were others.
I area. Looking at what he did from the time he got aboard I was thinking the same thing he did. I said oh I hope he slows ... then he dropped 2 anchors and slowed ... then he turned but it was like he was 50 feet off of what he thought ... if he had another 10 15 degrees he would have squeaked by but a ship that size with momentum he could only turn about 5 degrees at a time with horrible weather. I think he was chosen to pilot that ship that day because anyone else it could have been worse. I think the universe knew it would be less lives lost and only the westbound Lane damaged instead of both lanes. Also the guy in the pickup truck was so lucky. His truck hit the ship which slowed the water impact and saved him
Here's one more, the Mancha bridge in manchac,Louisiana between ponchatoula and new Orleans louisiana.My uncle was captain on the tug that hit its spans knocking them out killing many people,that's what alcohol will do to a person,not long after he had a heart attack from all the stress and passed away.
I was 2 hours away from crossing the I40 bridge when it collapsed.. to this day I hate bridges, and I'm a truck driver. Pretty sure my death will occur in a big truck, drowned in some body of water.
And now we have the same situation in Baltimore 😢
That intro is nothing short of a masterpiece. It was such an effective way of setting the tone and atmosphere of the video. You do an amazing job on your videos and content so I’m looking forward everyone of your uploads
And nearly 44 years later, a similar incident happens in Baltimore, MD.
This is why spending on infrastructure is so IMPORTANT
I grew up in St. Petersburg. Born in 86. I remember my mom and uncle talking about this as a kid and always wondering what that day must have been like. To this day, every time I drive across the new Skyway I always have this in the back of my mind. Thanks for making this!
Very nicely done, sir. I feel like I could teach others about this incident because you made it so clear for me. This is what separates the truly excellent documentaries from the rest of what is on YT.
Well said
I live in Tampa Bay and this bridge collapse has always been part of my life. I happened on my birthday (like the day I was born). My family has always told me about this. Glad to see it covered as I have never seen the actual events unfold.
When the Skyway Bridge collapsed, I lived in Tampa. It was, of course, a terribly upsetting accident. However, one of the issues that contributed to the bridge coming apart like it did was that the rebar (steel rods that run through concrete to reinforce it) that was put into the Skyway was not protected. Over time concrete exposed to sea water will crack; when this happens the rebar inside the castings is supposed to hold it together. With no protective coating on the old rebar, it rusted and lost its ability to reinforce the concrete. Thus, when the ship hit the bridge abutment, it completely broke apart.
My husband was in the powder-coating business. He spent a great deal of time conferring with the designers of the replacement bridge and they eventually contracted for powder-coated rebar to be used in the new bridge. Powder coating is a form of plastic and it prevents sea water from rusting the bars that reinforce the bridge when cracks in the concrete do occur, which is inevitable. People can rest assured that the new bridge will not fall prey to the problems that the Skyway Bridge had. The builders of the new bridge deserve credit for recognizing that although they incurred more cost using coated rebar, they guaranteed a much longer, safer life for that bridge.
A second point--any engineer worth his salt should be fully aware that concrete cracks in salt water. Given that fact, today it is inexcusable to even consider building a bridge with uncoated rebar cast into the concrete; it's worse than useless because it gives a false sense of security. Of course powder-coated rebar probably wasn't available when the original Skyway Bridge was built, but those who planned a replacement should have been acutely aware that coated rebar is a no-brainer when building a bridge now that the technology is so readily available. I always wondered why my husband had to spend TWO YEARS convincing the builders that they NEEDED to use coated rebar, given the part that uncoated rebar played in the fatal weakness of the original Skyway Bridge. Nevertheless, we should praise the folks who did, finally, use powder-coated rebar in the new bridge. If they hadn't, we probably would have never known about the probability of setting up another such tragedy down the road. (Please pardon the mixed metaphor.)
ENTER THE SKEPTIC. My follow-up question is whether or not this technology is being used routinely (absolutely) in concrete marine applications today. It's more expensive--and we know how that sort of thing can drive an otherwise-great plan into the dirt.
My great grandfather is on the Hall of fame, created the dispute review board and supervised both builds of the skyway. Thank you for praising the engineers but nothing could’ve been done if everyone didn’t work as a team. I think about this bridge often as folks misinterpret what happened that day.