YouTubers, experts, officials, and more explain why the Baltimore Bridge, a.k.a. the Francis Scott Key Bridge, collapsed quickly as a container ship crashed into it last March 26.
As search and rescue operations and investigations were on the way, a YouTuber claimed that there was a "massive problem" on the ship, with a lawyer explaining its lack of automated systems.
Baltimore Bridge Crash: YouTuber Shares 'Massive Problem'
YouTuber and maritime historian at Campbell University in North Carolina, Salvatore Mercogliano, shared in his latest analysis of the Baltimore bridge crash that there was a massive problem on the MV Dali, the ship that brought it down. The Singapore-flagged ship traveling to Sri Lanka had its lights flickering on and off, with the second time it turned off, leading to the crash last Wednesday, 1:28 AM EDT.
Before the incident, the ship's automatic identification system (AIS) logged that it traveled at around 8.5 knots, then slowed to 6 knots moments before the crash.
The Dali crew sent out a mayday call claiming that the crash was about to occur. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) reported that the container ship "lost propulsion" and the crew "lost control." Maryland Governor Wes Moore said that it helped alert officials and redirect traffic over the bridge.
Mercogliano noted that the anchor chain is visible, but it is unknown if it was dropped before or after the incident.
The ship's crew reported no casualties or injuries, but there were six construction workers above the bridge that were working on repairs, with two bodies already found earlier today.
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Automated Prevention Systems Unavailable on Ship
Quadrant Chambers's lawyer, James Turner, said that there may not be automated systems that could have prevented the crash present on the container ship.
Footage of the bridge collapsing shows how the ship crashed onto one of its pillars. Engineers were not surprised by what happened because of the bridge's design. The Francis Scott Key bridge was designed with a continuous, 366-meter-long central truss section supported by the pillar, a key part of the bridge that held it together.
Truss bridges are made of triangular-shaped steel beams that support the load. The Francis Scott Key has two sets of supports holding it above water, and this collision immediately bringing it down is not surprising to analysts.
Structural Integrity and Its Role on Structures
Structural integrity plays a massive role in structures worldwide, and since 2019, Hardesty & Hanover, an engineering firm, has inspected the bridge's conditions from that moment. In June 2023, the US Federal Highway Administration gave it a 'satisfactory' rating.
Earlier this year, experts and engineers raised concerns about the structural integrity of the famed London Bridge, not the Tower Bridge.
Modern engineering feats are making the impossible real, with structures that seemingly have no support developed to bring a mind-blowing experience, like Seoul, South Korea's spokeless Ferris wheel.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, is the third-largest structure globally. Its recent collapse was caused by massive problems on the Dali ship that brought it down.
