# Could any bridge have withstood Baltimore collision? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 29, 2024, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-bridge-have-withstood-baltimore-collision/999539 "2024-03-29T01:20:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-bridge-have-withstood-baltimore-collision/999539/61 "2024-04-03T11:14:37Z")
So, anyway, I guess the Golden Gate Bridge might have withstood the collision? Any others? Brooklyn Bridge? Verrazano? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2024, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-bridge-have-withstood-baltimore-collision/999539/62 "2024-04-07T03:30:18Z")
Slightly alarming article (gift link): > **[Dozens of Major Bridges Lack Shields to Block Wayward Ships](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/04/06/us/bridge-collapse-protections-baltimore.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ik0.PSWw.PvL5pF-LKaPS&smid=url-share)** > > The collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore has prompted a reassessment of critical bridges around the country that may be similarly vulnerable to a ship strike. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-bridge-have-withstood-baltimore-collision/999539/63 "2024-04-08T21:05:04Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > A comparison can be made to seismic retrofitting in California which seems to get fresh emphasis after every large earthquake and those happen a lot more often than a container ship taking down a major commuter bridge and blockading a port. To be fair, after seismic damage, research engineers descend on the location to make analyses. They come up with things like: columns in which the internal rebar is crosslinked with at least X type of wire at Y lengths withstand earthquakes much better than columns without crosslinks do. Also seismic damage (and death) creates a safety field that allows politicians to promote maintenance without being voted out of office. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-bridge-have-withstood-baltimore-collision/999539/64 "2024-04-16T22:49:10Z")
This article (gift linked below) is pretty scary. It states over 400 big US ships have lost propulsion over the last three years, including several in Baltimore. Wow. _The Post analysis found that 424 cargo ships longer than 600 feet reported losing propulsion — meaning the engines were shut down — in U.S. waters over the past three years. About a quarter of the incidents occurred near a port, bridge or other infrastructure, the analysis found._ _Around Baltimore alone, ships lost propulsion nearly two dozen times in the three years before the tragedy last month, the Post review found — including a November 2021 incident in which a 981-foot container ship lost propulsion for 15 minutes soon after it passed under the Key Bridge. In 2020, a ship the same size as the Dali lost propulsion “in the vicinity of the Bay Bridge” near Annapolis, records show._ \*Adding to the danger, experts say, is a lack of consistent rules on when cargo ships should be escorted by tug boats that can keep them on course even if engines turn off. \* > **[‘We’re a dead ship’: Hundreds of cargo ships lost propulsion in U.S. waters...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/04/16/dead-ships-propulsion-loss/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzEzMjQwMDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzE0NjIyMzk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MTMyNDAwMDAsImp0aSI6IjYwMTNlNDE5LTljMmItNDNiZS04MGI5LWJkZmQ5NDMyNDExYSIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9pbnZlc3RpZ2F0aW9ucy8yMDI0LzA0LzE2L2RlYWQtc2hpcHMtcHJvcHVsc2lvbi1sb3NzLyJ9.zBpOUj9MLehJqb5ami9uVraEoyUfrD3NOjBdDJnlVOg&itid=gfta)** > > A Post examination found that losses of engine power, part of what the Dali experienced when it crashed into the Key Bridge in Baltimore, are not uncommon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-any-bridge-have-withstood-baltimore-collision/999539.md?page=3)