Washington State Ferry hard landing

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

ouch!!!!

https://gcaptain.com/washington-sta...139820873&mc_cid=4e2c09e49c&mc_eid=5b70bcca05

 

[Muirgen Afloat]

Wow.. wonder if they weren't paying attention or if something else happened. I like the "hard landing" quote... as opposed to someone screwed up.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

More:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattl...into-fauntleroy-dock-sustaining-heavy-damage/

 

[twistedtree]

Are there multiple people required on the bridge of the ferries? I would think there are, but don't know. Based on the strike location, and the boat's continued movement and near grounding, it sure seems people weren't paying attention. It's just hard to imagine that being overlooked by multiple people on watch, assuming there were multiple people.

 

[AlaskaProf]

More:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattl...into-fauntleroy-dock-sustaining-heavy-damage/

Paywall, but the gcaptain article is pretty good.


[edit] okay, okay, I coughed up a buck for a subscription.

 

[AlaskaProf]

This video (screengrab) makes it pretty clear that it wasn't a "hard landing", but a clear miss of the ferry slip, which is the truss structure to the right.
https://westseattleblog.com/2022/07/ferry-hits-fauntleroy-dock/


(Our right. I guess it is also the Cathlamet's right...or is it?...north of the ferry's current position.)

 

[AlaskaProf]

Wow.. wonder if they weren't paying attention or if something else happened. I like the "hard landing" quote... as opposed to someone screwed up.

Watching the "back up and try again" video, it looks to be fully under control.

 

[Comodave]

One aw sh*t outweighs 1,000 atta boys…

 

[twistedtree]

OK, here we go. What could occupy two people so intently that they would both overlook the impending doom? Humm, let me thing, two people, totally preoccupied with something else....


There, that's my irresponsible speculation for the day.

 

[kthoennes]

"Hard landing"? Now there's a euphemism for CRASH. Kind of like when the the Titanic "made contact" with the iceberg. It's very hard to be an English major lately. The media hyperventilates and throws around words like "plunged!" and "skyrocketed!" but when you actually look at the stock price or interest rate or whatever they're writing about, it moved .000001%. Plunged! Skyrocketed!! But then when you really should use a good, clear, illustrative word like "crash," when that word really is accurate and entirely justified and suited to the occasion, they use "hard landing."

I did see the local Seattle Fox station used "crash" in its feature headline and thought, good, use clear English -- but then when I listened to the reporter's narration, he said "they're still dealing with difficulties..." Ya think? Dealing with difficulties. Yeah, when I misjudge Dodd Narrows and get turned around and barfed out the other side and hit the rocks and we're scrambling for the PFD's, I'll just think, "We're dealing with difficulties!"

 

[Ken E.]

It will be interesting to see if the ferry system attributes this to some mechanical problem, as in the boat didn't answer the helm. But the 'back up and try again' video shoots that down.

 

[AlaskaProf]

It will be interesting to see if the ferry system attributes this to some mechanical problem, as in the boat didn't answer the helm. But the 'back up and try again' video shoots that down.

Not at all familiar with the vessel's systems, bit I think it would be difficult to hypothesize a failure mode which creates: "go too fast" and "go in the wrong direction" while also precluding operator intervention.

Hmmm...perhaps HAL 9000?

 

[Comodave]

OK, here we go. What could occupy two people so intently that they would both overlook the impending doom? Humm, let me thing, two people, totally preoccupied with something else....


There, that's my irresponsible speculation for the day.

Ask the captain of the Costa Concordia…

 

[AlaskaProf]

Good follow-up article at the Seattle Times just now. My $1 subscription already paying off.


//In late September 1986, days after the Cathlamet ferry crashed into the Clinton dock on Whidbey Island, local radio DJ Dave Scott penned a ditty he called “The Wreck of the Ferry Cathlamet.”//


Can anyone find this song? BTW, this captain was fired.

 

[Ken E.]

Ask the captain of the Costa Concordia…

Also ask the bridge crew of the BC ferry 'Queen of the North' that smacked a rock in 2006 and sank, killing 2, near Hartley Bay BC. Maybe doing the mambo on the bridge in the middle of the night? Or arguing?

 

[AlaskaProf]

Are there multiple people required on the bridge of the ferries?

Not sure what the legal minimum is, but speaking of the physical needs, they hold the vessel in the dock with the idling engines, so one officer needs to remain in the #1 bridge while another walks to the other (#2 is the technical term) end of the vessel and prepares to depart. I assume there's a Master and at least one qualified Mate involved in this.

 

[AlaskaProf]

"Hard landing"? Now there's a euphemism for CRASH. Kind of like when the the Titanic "made contact" with the iceberg. It's very hard to be an English major lately. The media hyperventilates and throws around words like "plunged!" and "skyrocketed!"..."hard landing."

Geez, Karl, you okay? meds need adjusting?:lol:

 

[AlaskaProf]

It will be interesting to see if the ferry system attributes this to some mechanical problem, as in the boat didn't answer the helm. But the 'back up and try again' video shoots that down.

The Times story just recalled that in the 80s, there were real problems with the immature control technology in the Issaquah Class a.k.a. "Citrus Class" boats, which includes the Cathlamet.



40 years on, that story probably won't convince.

 

[koliver]

Marine Traffic reports the ferry's speed at impact was over 10 knots. The dolphin instead of the regular dock, like the BC ferry taking out the small marina to Stb of the dock when a cotter pin missing on the transmission linkage caused a similar crash a decade or so ago. Think of a 10 knot landing at the regular dock! Some good driving here to avoid that, I suspect.

 

[AlaskaProf]

cotter pin missing on the transmission linkage caused a similar crash a decade or so ago. Think of a 10 knot landing at the regular dock! Some good driving here to avoid that, I suspect.

Excellent insight. I have to admit that I couldn't come up with an plausible exculpatory story 'til I read yours.

 

[SoWhat]

41 year old boat. What could possibly go wrong.

 

[ddw36]

I believe the legal term is "allision."

 

[kthoennes]

Geez, Karl, you okay? meds need adjusting?[emoji38]

I've got to let go with a rant once in a while, helps me otherwise maintain serenity when the marina's travel lift rips off my radar array, AIS antenna and steaming light mast.

 

[Wild Blue]

Having read a bit of the news coverage, here's a guess:

Vessel throttle stuck open at 1O knots on approach to ferry terminal. The driver steered ferry to beach to avoid collision with ferry terminal dock. Hit dolphin inadvertently or on purpose to slow vessel.

Alex

 

[backinblue]

"Hard landing"? Now there's a euphemism for CRASH. Kind of like when the the Titanic "made contact" with the iceberg. It's very hard to be an English major lately. The media hyperventilates and throws around words like "plunged!" and "skyrocketed!" but when you actually look at the stock price or interest rate or whatever they're writing about, it moved .000001%. Plunged! Skyrocketed!! But then when you really should use a good, clear, illustrative word like "crash," when that word really is accurate and entirely justified and suited to the occasion, they use "hard landing."

I did see the local Seattle Fox station used "crash" in its feature headline and thought, good, use clear English -- but then when I listened to the reporter's narration, he said "they're still dealing with difficulties..." Ya think? Dealing with difficulties. Yeah, when I misjudge Dodd Narrows and get turned around and barfed out the other side and hit the rocks and we're scrambling for the PFD's, I'll just think, "We're dealing with difficulties!"

I agree! Also note we are NOT in a recession. Instead it's just an economy in transition.

 

[AlaskaProf]

Vessel throttle stuck open at 1O knots on approach to ferry terminal. The driver steered ferry to beach to avoid collision with ferry terminal dock. Hit dolphin inadvertently or on purpose to slow vessel.

Alex

Seems plausible. Wish I'd thought of it. Even possible he hit the dolphin trying to avoid running down the trimaran bouyed just off the beach.

 

[AlaskaProf]

A bad week in West Seattle.

 

[twistedtree]

Having read a bit of the news coverage, here's a guess:

Vessel throttle stuck open at 1O knots on approach to ferry terminal. The driver steered ferry to beach to avoid collision with ferry terminal dock. Hit dolphin inadvertently or on purpose to slow vessel.

Alex

I think the AIS track would show this, if it's the case. Maybe it does? I can't see it anymore on MarineTraffic.



And if the throttle was stuck, they seem to have unstuck it shortly after the strike, and in enough time to reverse and prevent beaching. And I would expect all the officers to be chanting "stuck throttle, stuck throttle".



And I gather inspections so far have not shown any control failures. It would be nice if it were a mechanical failure, but I suspect a good old human mess-up is much more likely.

 

[garbler]

I curious about two things about these dolphins and the ferry. First is there enough tide at this location to have these dolphins so high and why the concrete caps. Second most dolphin piles are ‘ battered ‘ or driven at an angle so they bunch at the top to be cable tied. Had these been battered the hull rails would have made contact first and lower so the dolphins head and cap would have not caught the ferry’s wing deck. Just spitballing here as there could been other factors in this allision

Rick

 

[AlaskaProf]

I curious about two things about these dolphins and the ferry. First is there enough tide at this location to have these dolphins so high and why the concrete caps. Second most dolphin piles are ‘ battered ‘ or driven at an angle so they bunch at the top to be cable tied. Had these been battered the hull rails would have made contact first and lower so the dolphins head and cap would have not caught the ferry’s wing deck. Just spitballing here as there could been other factors in this allision

Rick

As to the tide: yes, spring tide range at Seattle can reach 17'. With a new moon, the morning range last Thursday was just about 13 feet.


The dolphins are designed to be struck by the hull and not the superstructure (note the black stripe at the car deck line). They are even padded, as you can see here, against the minor bumping in a routine docking, but the assumption seems to be that any impact will be on the correct side. (click to expand)