A rare mayday preceded Baltimore bridge collapse: 'I couldn't think of a worse situation'
The Dali's crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a worst-case scenario — but maritime experts say it could have been much worse.
The Dali cargo ship was cruising away from the Port of Baltimore when its lights suddenly went out just after 1:24 a.m. Tuesday.
The Singaporean vessel, which stretches nearly 1,000 feet long, had apparently lost power. It was now effectively rudderless and at the mercy of the currents.
“The worst sound you ever hear on a ship is dead silence, because that means everything’s gone wrong,” said Salvatore Mercogliano, a maritime expert and historian.
Four minutes later, the Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The 1.6-mile span crumpled into the harbor within seconds. Six construction workers who were filling potholes on the bridge remain missing.
Video of the ship, emergency radio transmissions and analysis from maritime veterans paint a picture of a disastrous scenario. It is rare for ships of that size to lose power and rarer still for it to happen in a narrow channel near the pillars of a major bridge. A last-minute mayday and quick actions on the ground most likely averted a much higher casualty count.
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