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A group of swimmers swimming from San Francisco to Alcatraz Saturday had a close call with a massive cargo ship that unexpectedly cut off their path. The United States Coast Guard is currently investigating the incident.
Video of the incident (watch in the player above) shows the massive cargo vessel cruising directly through the area where the swimmers were.
“We got to have Coast Guard, or somebody check back there by the boat because there might have been swimmers that might have been swept into it,” an unidentified voice can be heard saying in the video. More
More assholes throwing themselves on the good graces of others. It takes 2-5 miles in full reverse to stop a cargo ship.
Per the article they had clearance a year in advance. They also had a small flotilla of support boats, which would be reasonably visible. This is on Coast Guard, or whatever harbor authority approved. Hell of a wakeup call though!
There would have been a Notice to Mariners (NTM) published weeks ahead of this event if they had clearance.
If that NTM went out and the cargo ship traversed the indicated area at the indicated time, it’s 100% on that ship master and his navigator if anyone got hurt.
Speaking as a naval Quartermaster (navigator) with nearly a decade of real-world experience.
@ Truckbuddy TUESDAY, 7 NOVEMBER 2023, 15:02 AT 3:02 PM
I used to tip bridges when I was in college. They call for a bridge opening when they are miles out and if it isn’t open they cannot stop and will take the bridge out like it was made of tinker toys. These morons are just damn lucky to be alive.
Darwinism strikes again.
When they’re not swimming I bet they’re on bikes.
@Peter the Bubblehead — Are harbor pilots still a thing? Isn’t it the pilot’s butt on the line and not the master? Or am I living in the past? (-:
Maybe that’s what happened to those two guys who escaped from Alcatraz decades ago.
The MOST likely ASSHOLES on the planet to pass blame to ‘ANYONE’ else is a fucking liberal.
@JDHasty
I was out on the Chesapeake Bay in a small power boat when a tug came flying through pulling a barge, lucky I saw the tow cable when I tried to go around it. That put us square in the path of a cargo ship, and one of my engines suddenly quit. had to climb out on the engine and whack the power pack with a wrench, we got out of there just before the 6′ tidal wave a cargo ship makes going 25mph hit us.
Fun times.
The pilot wasn’t paying attention. A little beyond the Golden Gate is where all cargo ships/cruise ships take on pilots when they go into the bay. Then again, like anything else, do at your own risk.
All spandex wearing Brandon voters. Count on it.
@Uncle Al – Yes, pilots are still a thing, but more often than not they come aboard when a ship is entering an unfamiliar port. Departing ships, the pilot will often leave just minutes after the ship in question has left the pier and is in the specified traffic lane. I imagine the cargo ship in this news article was outbound from San Fran or Oakland.
One dangerous issue my boat encountered personally was a cargo ship under autopilot in the restricted waters of the Persian Gulf. We were training with special forces (pre-9/11 days) and had to maneuver rapidly out of the way when a coastal tanker moved right through where we were operating and did not respond to lights, the ship’s whistle, or radio hails. Our bridge was at the same height as the tanker’s bridge and our captain could see right into their pilothouse. Not a single sailor present! No one manning the helm manually. They just activated their autopilot and went to bed.
Bicyclists of the sea.