A Collision of Guilt: The Sunshine Skyway Bridge Collapse

A huge thank you to this episode's sponsor NordVPN Mayday Mayday Mayday, Coast Guard! Mayday Mayday Mayday, Coast Guard! Spanning the lower Tampa Bay from the  city of Saint Petersburg on the north end   to the small community of Terra Ceia on the  south-southeast end. The original Sunshine   Skyway Bridge was a massive undertaking. The only  way to cross in this area at the time for decades   was the Beeline Ferry service which ran between  St Petersburg and Bradenton. Starting in the late   1920s as a two-ship ferry service the passage  became an icon in the area and while remembered   fondly it was utilized in more of a tourism or  getaway capacity, rather than a main artery for   commerce and was eventually deemed inadequate for  the quickly growing lower Tampa Bay area... it was   widely agreed upon a better solution was needed.  As an avid user of NordVPN whether traveling   abroad or right here at home it's been so crucial  for many of my online needs I was genuinely   excited that they wanted to sponsor today's video.  When performing online research and one example,   educational content in the E.U., it can be  gated off from outside countries. 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So check out   our holiday season offer in the description below  or just go to NordVPN dot com slash Brick Immortar   and get a massive 73% off a two-year plan plus one  additional month free and with a 30-day money-back   guarantee even just giving it a try is risk-free  and greatly helps to support Brick Immortar. At a cost of 22 million US dollars the two-lane,  four and a half mile long cantilever and trestle   Sunshine Skyway would open in september of 1954  to much fanfare the project was divided into five   main sections though and while the portion  of bridge over the bay and main ship channel   was itself roughly four and a half miles long and  received much of the glory the entire undertaking   would be some 15 miles long as the roads and  infrastructure leading up to the bridge across   the intercoastal waterways had to be built up as  well all part of the main project technically 11   total miles of which being over water bridging  multiple smaller channels in the process   the idea itself originally sparking a fair bit of  controversy but not so much in rendering the ferry   service obsolete more importantly and ironically  in placing such a large complex structure directly   across the path of a frequented large ship channel  the entrance to florida's crucial tampa bay   sunken reinforced concrete piers would comprise  the substructure and structure a would be a   double leaf bascule or drawbridge style span to  allow smaller vessels passage through the channel   near cow and calf key structure b a steel span 17  and a half feet in height for small boat passage   structures d and e each steal truss bands  but the main section known as structure c   was a through truss cantilever span 864 feet in  length with steel truss approaches each at five   percent gradients five percent gradients don't  sound very steep on paper but in person it was   imposing and also quite narrow while the span was  864 feet in length the ship channel would only   be 400 feet wide as this was the width to channel  deep enough for large vessels could be maintained   without compromising the main bridge piers at the  time two lanes and two-way traffic on this single   bridge not only seemed intimidating for motorists  especially with the steel see-through graded metal   deck its popularity was overwhelming the bridge's  capacity and by 1971 a second identical portion   had been constructed right alongside running  parallel to the original bridge and traffic   would then be split with the west side carrying  southbound traffic and east side northbound the   skyway had actually been in that single bridge  configuration for over 15 years by the time it   was expanded so many photographs and postcards  from the time featured just the one original side launched in 1976 the summit venture was laid down  or built by oshima shipbuilding company out of   nagasaki japan originally owned and operated  by hercules carriers out of monrovia liberia   the vessel would be of liberia license with  a length of 609 feet and a width or beam of   85 feet the summit venture was a massive bolt  carrier with a total or dead weight of 33 912   tons bolt carriers of this type contain huge tanks  or holds sunken into the ship's superstructure   designed to carry both dry goods like grains  coals cement and other powder-like substances   during the late 1970s with a crew of primarily  chinese and taiwanese descent the summit venture   would see routes take it from japan to korea the  gulf of mexico through the panama canal and more   it was a vessel considered well traveled  with the crew of much seafaring experience   on friday morning may 9 1980 the summit venture  was waiting in the anchorage just outside tampa   bay ready to pick up a load of phosphate from  mitsubishi international destined for korea   navigating into the bay though was and still is  a tremendously difficult task that just can't be   overstated earlier that same year january 28 1980  the u.s coast guard cutter black thorn and much   larger tanker mv capricorn collided in the middle  of the night just to the west of the bridge near   the intersection of cut a and mullet key channels  due to navigational errors on behalf of both   parties this caused the immediate capsizing of the  coast guard cutter and loss of over 20 servicemen   february 5th 1980 the 600 foot bolt carrier  mv thalassini mana struck the southbound   or western side of the bridge on its way into  tampa bay fortunately with no loss of life and   only caused a temporary closure of the bridge for  minor repairs february 16 1980 the 700 foot bulk   carrier mv joanna band of liberian registry struck  a southbound bridge pier on its way into tampa bay   again with no injuries fortunately but it was  said this collision was severe enough to knock   several large chunks of concrete from the pier  it impacted the pilot at the controls in this   instance a name to keep in mind john lero after  three days in the offshore anchorage waiting for   loading information on their cargo to be picked up  at rockport terminal in tampa bay on may 9th 1980   it was finally time to get a move on and captain  lou shung chu would order the summit venture's   anchor raised in preparation to pick up their  pilot and enter the bay pilots are highly   experienced mariners stationed at their respective  harbor or port hired and in some case required   to come aboard a large vessel take the helm  and navigate them into or out of the waters   of a specific port bay or channel safely  each pilot will typically be more familiar   with that particular stretch of water  its nuances navigational aids and traffic   and thus shipmasters and captains often  times defer completely to their judgment   stationed at the pilot house on egmont key the  summit ventures assigned pilot john lero would   approach the vessel and come aboard at about 0-620  accompanied by pilot in training bruce r atkins still early in the am the morning's  light was slowly creeping in   and the weather was overcast with a slight fog  but not all bad as the ship got underway via the   mullet key channel toward the cut a channel about  two hours prior to boarding the pilot had assessed   the weather report and determined visibility was  roughly two to three miles by his calculations   again not the greatest but well enough to get  on with morning duties the summit venture made   contact with the outbound vessel mv good sailor  passing each other to their port sides and they   would also contact the tugboat dixie progress  laden with the heavy barge who agreed to allow the   summit venture to overtake and enter the channel  first the pilot in training still in command   ordered full ahead of the venture's engines  approximately 11 nautical miles per hour   by l721 with the reign increasing a vessel nearing  the cut a channel the pilot john lero took over   from trainee atkins passing between buoys 15 and  16 now a sudden burst of rain and wind caused them   to lose visual on the next buoys 1a and 2a but  crucially they still had them on radar immediately   the squall began to increase in intensity and  at less than a quarter mile from the buoys they   suddenly disappeared from the radar screen as  well buoys 1a and especially 2a being crucial   navigation aids for inbound vessels making the 18  degree turn between cut a and mullet key channels   then the combination of 1a2a and 3a4a creating  a guideline indicating whether a ship is   properly in the 400 foot wide channel  and on course to pass under the skyway   lirro had also reduced the engines to half head  approximately nine and a half nautical miles per   hour and already set a course compensating for  what were the current southwest wind speeds but   when the rains picked up and wiped the buoys off  the radar so did the winds dramatically to near   hurricane force they were in the middle of what  every sailor dreads a sudden violent microburst   losing visual and radar return to the buoys  even with a lookout now on the starboard side   looking closely for 2a on laro's orders the  pilot told the ship's master to make anchors   ready for dropping in case they needed rises  for more stopping power the lookout suddenly   reported to have seen the buoy off the starboard  bow but with no details of distance or angle   larrow used this brief sighting to assume the buoy  was 50 feet or less from the bow and decided to   make his turn into cut a accordingly at 0.731  turning to the heading laro thought had them   in the channel and on course he ordered engines  slowed even more to slow ahead maneuvering speeds   approximately six nautical miles per hour when the  portion of bridge above pier 2s finally came into   view roughly one ship length ahead of them it was  too late larro immediately rang full of stern to   the engine room meaning full power and reverse in  ordered hard to port let go both anchors the port   anchor was quickly released and began dragging  right away in the shallow water helping to slow   the vessel slightly but otherwise a ship of this  size with momentum can't stop within such a short   distance and at 0 7 34 the summit venture rammed  into pier 2s hard destroying it and collapsing the   deck it supported down onto the ship's bow still  continuing with its forward momentum the massive   vessel didn't come to a complete stop until it  scraped the midships on what was left of pier 2s   with the bow of the ship now protruding under  the untouched eastern portion of the bridge   when the pier was destroyed this caused  the entire main west cantilever span   to fall into the water near instantly it was  early am and traffic was quote lighter than   usual on the bridge at this time the only reason  traffic was a bit sparse at time of collapse   eight vehicles total were either on or  quickly approaching the span when it happened   a greyhound bus loaded with passengers along with  six passenger cars were destroyed immediately   in the 150-foot fall the equivalent of falling  from or driving off a roughly 14-story building   all destroyed via impact with the water or crushed  from above by other falling vehicles or debris   the one motorist to survive the fall wesley  mcintyre was in a small pickup directly   above the port bow as the deck portion he  occupied collapsed the pickup bouncing off   the ship landing in the water sinking  40 feet to the bottom almost instantly   this ricochet against the ship's structure slowed  the truck's overall descent and is thought to have   impacted the water with less force than the other  vehicles mcintyre unconscious after initial impact   awoke at the bottom of the channel with water  pouring into the small cab of the compact pickup   he was however former us navy and despite being  40 years removed from that part of his life   his survival training kicked in he took the  biggest breath he could and forced his way   out of the cab swimming up alongside the vessel  feeling as though he may not make it all 40 feet   up he suddenly burst through the surface and  was rescued by the venture's crew who had been   actively trying to find survivors pulled up by a  rescue ladder they immediately threw down to him   several other vehicles had narrowly escaped  driving over the edge through the wind rain   and poor visibility one motorist donald albritton  in his 1977 chevy nova heading southbound saw the   unthinkable taillights ahead streaking downward  and as the bridge began to shake he stepped on   the brakes and slowed way down suddenly he  witnessed the superstructure twist and roll   and plummet right before his eyes recognizing  the danger he stopped and began reversing slowly   back down the uphill approach waving his left arm  wildly out the window to flag down the oncoming   cars that he could clearly see heading his way  to no avail roughly three cars zoomed past him   in the left lane and then a greyhound bus shortly  behind them by the ntsb's calculations this was   roughly two to two and a half minutes after the  collapse more than enough time to have stopped   if they'd been aware of the dangers ahead the  tug dixie progress was the first of multiple   vessels to arrive on scene followed by tug  bradenton both searching and attempting to assist   however there were no survivors to be found no one  on board the venture was injured and mcintyre the   pickup driver that survived the fall was the  only victim to escape with injuries in total   35 souls were lost all of which in the  vehicles that plummeted due to collapse now it just cannot be overstated how deeply tragic  this collapse was especially in the local area and   with such trauma to the community obviously comes  a desire for justice initial findings by the ntsb   would put pilot john larrow firmly in the  crosshairs with the pilot trainee and captain   lou in supporting roles the ntsb stating the  pilot's decision to attempt to navigate the summit   venture through the channel and under the sunshine  skyway bridge after visual and radar navigational   references were lost 0.2 nautical miles west of  bowie 2a was not a reasonable and prudent decision   the coast guard echoed this sentiment and added  the master of the summit venture captain lou did   not fully exercise his responsibilities for the  safe conduct of his vessel in that he expressed   no concerns to the pilot when he did in fact have  misgivings during the transit through mullet key   channel the ntsb also took issue with the national  weather service regarding the sudden storm surge   and its subsequent lack of warning that crossed  the summit ventures path coming from a stern   making it even more difficult for a pilot to  detect when wind is pushing a vessel off course   if it's coming from an angle behind the vessel  the ntsb stated national weather service weather   forecasts pertinent to the time and place  of the accident were substantially in error   perhaps most crucial to this accident  was a lack of bridge peer protection   with vessels of this size passing so nearby  to such exposed support structures flimsy by   comparison to these massive ships it's almost a  matter of not if but when one will be struck and   the older sunshine skyway had no pure protection  from impacts of this magnitude whatsoever   while there was a small crash wall on pure2s as  with other piers on the skyway this was merely   for protection from much smaller vessels and the  some adventure wasn't even phased by it pouring   nearly all of its inertia into the puny dual pier  columns themselves with its 60-foot high bow bull   work common on large vessels the ntsb also made  a strong case for a real-time bridge out warning   system for bridges of this type like lights or lit  signs that signal drivers to stop in an instance   like the skyway collapse the steep climb frequent  conditions of low visibility or even just night   driving can leave motorists with little to no  warning of the spans ahead being well non-existent   it was a collapse that such ill-timed  circumstances out of nowhere created a situation   many felt there was no way out of in such a large  vessel with that much momentum the impact of being   center stage for most of the blame for pilot john  lero is a story in and of itself it's not a story   of seeking sympathy or one that even takes away  from the trauma the victims families dealt with   due to this tragedy it's a story of a man consumed  with guilt regardless of any official findings   in these stories on the collapse series we don't  often delve into the guilt felt by those accused   of being responsible because well most of the  time we're dealing with many heartless individuals   that wasn't john lero though and despite  being exonerated officially in the end after   attempting to return to piloting he was diagnosed  roughly a year later with multiple sclerosis   and consumed with grief much of john's days  after were spent at his alma mater living   in a small cabin aboard the anchored ts or  training ship empire state teaching at new   york's maritime college attempting to make as  much difference as he could in upcoming mariners the ntsb being only a fact-finding agency and the  coast guard unable to impose restrictions on his   license and he didn't see legal repercussions  the state of florida allowing him to remain   certified but despite this ms had made  sure his body no longer allowed him to   continue his piloting career anyway in laro's  exoneration james b king chairman of the ntsb   also added in a contradictory follow-up  statement on their main accident report   after a careful review of the events that day i  don't feel we can hold the pilot responsible to   the degree implied in the majority's probable  cause the pilot recognized that there was an   element of risk associated with each available  navigational alternative and felt that the least   risk maneuver was to attempt to navigate through  the channel and under the sunshine skyway bridge   there was no bright line for decision making he  acted reasonably in the situation in which he   found himself for more on this part especially i'd  recommend the book skyway the true story of tampa   bay's signature bridge and the man who brought it  down by bill deyoung the western section spanning   the bay would solely be demolished shortly  thereafter while the undamaged east span   would be changed to two-way traffic and reopened  however it was reported that when polled nearly   half of locals indicated they were no longer  willing to venture out onto its decks it would   be used in this configuration due in large part  to the crucial role it played in the bay's economy   especially in keeping the channel open to shipping  until the new bridge opened in april of 1987   a massive undertaking in itself the new concrete  box girder cable state bridge designed ironically   in part by fig group with a main span of now  1200 feet in length 180 feet above the water line   this would allow larger clearances for the ship  channel widening it up to 50 percent although with   the ever increasing size of large vessels these  days many exceed the height of 180 feet already   most importantly though the new bridge would be  completely surrounded by protective piers known as   dolphins the old bridge was subsequently closed  and demolition was an extremely meticulous process   taking care not to obstruct the ship channel  only roughly two miles of bridge over the bay   would be removed however the remaining approaches  repurposed into the now hugely popular skyway   fishing piers with a bait shop on each end after  repairs the summit venture continued carrying   cargo under liberian license until 1993 when it  would be purchased by the company sailor maritime   limited out of malta in the mediterranean renamed  to sailor then renamed again to ks harmony in 2004   when it was purchased by singapore group frontier  sg in 2008 the vessel would be purchased by   xianxiang international of singapore and renamed  to jian mao9 its final name as the ship was lost   in 2010 when it sank for unknown reasons possibly  rough weather causing it to take on water off the   coast of vietnam in the south china sea no loss  of life being reported the tug dixie progress   went on to be purchased by allied transportation  of virginia and was renamed heron the name it   keeps to this day even while it now serves  runner marine limited out of lagos nigeria a memorial was dedicated in may of 2015 located  at the north end of the main skyway bridge   just 200 feet from the  cutter blackthorne's memorial i'd like to give a shout out to all those  of mortar supporters who helped keep this   channel going and especially those  top tier supporters alex jenny and kat   thanks so much for watching everyone and take care

Channel: Brick Immortar

Views: 2,016,129

Keywords: sunshine skyway bridge, skyway bridge, skyway bridge disaster, john lerro, skyway bridge disaster documentary, steve yerrid, bridge collapse, sunshine skyway disaster, sunshine skyway bridge (bridge), old skyway bridge collapse, tampa bay bridge collapse, st pete bridge collapse, st petersburg bridge accident, skyway fishing pier, skyway bridge history, mv summit venture, summit venture mayday call, uscgc blackthorn collision, tug dixie progress, tampa bay ship channel

Id: 3htwtaJI2nM

Length: 23min 15sec (1395 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 19 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/GeophysGal]

Jesus that gives me fucking chills. I’ve been on the Mackinaw bridge in High winds and Blizzard (true) conditions when she was truly rocking and rolling. So this video has real world for me in an upclose way. As an added note, my uncle was there when she went down. Alive and well, but there and scared shitless.