Flying over a large capsized cargo ship, St. Simons, GA, 4K 60fps

[@AtomicSurf]

Here's the new, recent flight around what's left of the Golden Ray: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXyvpYCueJyjjM0

[@harmonchandler6164]

The cars haven't been removed yet and they won't cut between each lifting lug. It will be between a pair of lifting lugs, a 4 point lift system

[@jpdemer5]

The lack of ballast was one problem. The other was that the ship offloaded hundreds of compact cars and took on as many big SUVs, all on one upper deck. About 400 tons worth, with no attempt to re-distribute the extra weight to lower decks. The ship could have survived one condition or the other, but not both at once - it keeled over when it attempted a sharp turn in the shipping channel.

[@AtomicSurf]

Yes, I was amazed when I read how haphazardly the cars were unloaded and loaded without regard to weight and balance. I have a couple of design concepts for automated weight and balance calculators based on locations and types of vehicles on these ships if the industry is interested.

[@tesohn]

You are correct about the the ballast water being the main cause of this accident, however the reason these vessels do not take on the ballast water on in the port area is that the water is full of too many organics and silt from the marsh areas around the port area. This "dirty water" is too difficult and time consuming to clean out of the ballast tanks and will clog and ruin ballast pumps and valves. For the ship owners its better and cheaper to take on ballast water offshore, unfortunately in this case it was more costly due to the storm conditions at the time.

[@AtomicSurf]

They could have taken on ballast water before coming in. I don't think there are any draft issues in that harbor. I think the vessel owners pressured the Captain to keep the tanks empty to lighten the ship and save fuel.

[@MrStephenhut]

The cars haven't been removed, by the way.

[@MrJacobkick]

I was just there and the media confirmed the cars are still onboard.

[@daau9900]

Yes they are

[@DoyleFM]

And? 🇺🇸

[@TheQcskater88]

of course they are......how are the going to unload them??? magic?

[@Leviathan_actual]

@@daau9900 you are incorrect

[@diogenes5381]

Drone technology has opened up a whole new world for curious minds who are fascinated by engineering marvels like this. There is some good in the world when you choose to focus on creativity like this & ignore idiotic politics

[@AtomicSurf]

These things are very cool and help get new perspectives on places.

[@DoyleFM]

Drones are absolutely by-God uh-MAZING! Oh, and that sunk boat thing is cool too. 😁 🇺🇸

[@AtomicSurf]

Yes, I am amazed as well at what they can do compared to their cost.

[@willie3528]

It was pretty shocking back in July 2020 to arrive at St Simon for a vacation and see this ship lying on its side.

[@AtomicSurf]

I saw the bow section being towed south on a barge off of Palm Beach County a few days ago. It was pretty close to shore as the gulf stream must have been farther out that day. What a coincidence! The winds were a little too high or else I would have tried to fly it. That would have been great!

[@yasminwilson9780]

They’ve just completed the second cut so you’ll probably see the stern soon

[@freebird7284]

what is the depth of the water where it is? is it laying on the ground or floating?

[@AtomicSurf]

I am not sure. Others here have said it looks like it is in the mud and outside the channel. It looks like that to me too.

[@AtomicSurf]

I took a closer look at the video and I actually think it is mostly floating and definitely not firmly embedded in the mud. If you look at the waterline, there is no evidence of the tide rising and falling, which would be very evident after almost a year. There is only evidence of water splashing near the water line. If you look closely at the end of my USS Yorktown video, you can see exposed barnacles near the bottom of the hull above the waterline. That's because the Yorktown is deeply embedded in the mud and the tide rises and falls around it just like a non floating pier.

[@eseven2547]

Amazing footage thank you

[@AtomicSurf]

You're welcome. I just flew it again all cut open with the crane. Check the channel for the video.

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

The cars weren’t taken out. You can actually see them piled on top of each other when they carry a section away.

[@AtomicSurf]

Yes, that's covered in the description. Media reports at the time were that they were going to remove the cars. I don't have my own team investigating.

[@stanbrow]

Thanks, O wondered what ever became of this ship. Please keep us up to date. What a mess!

[@AtomicSurf]

Here's an update and new flight kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXyvpYCueJyjjM0

[@yasminwilson7420]

Last cut was completed early hours this morning

[@attn2020]

Anyone reply which of the items can be reused?

[@AirmanJH]

Nice quality footage. Too bad for all the misinformation.

[@AtomicSurf]

That information came straight from the news media, who reported multiple times that they were going to remove the cars first. I don't have my sources inside the salvage team. In the video description I corrected the part about the cars being removed a few months ago, so cheer up. Too bad you can't short sell it.

[@AirmanJH]

@@AtomicSurf It was actually a compliment. I assumed the misinformation was from other sources. Although I've never heard a member of the media suggest the cars were removed from the vessel. That would be quite impossible without completely removing the side of the ship. A few other points; it's Saint Simons, not Saint "Simmons". They are not cutting between each of those "rusty things". The cause of the wreck was improper loading, as testified to in early hearings. The vessel is extremely "seaworthy". Everyone was off the ship within 36 hours, not days. Again, I wasn't blaming you for misinformation. You just had bad sources. Have a nice day.

[@AtomicSurf]

The media was saying the cars were "going to be" removed, so several months later, I assumed they had been. There have been a few of these car vessels that have tipped over. I don't think they are very seaworthy, but it obviously would not have tipped over if the ballast tanks were full. It's also shocking that they do a bunch of unloads and loads without calculating the weight and balance effects. Combination effect: Vessel design with low margin, cars loaded without weight and balance calculation, empty ballast tanks.

[@zevc3591]

Thanks! Good work!

[@hardergamer]

Excellent drone cameraing

[@AtomicSurf]

Thanks 👍 Don't forget to subscribe if you want to see more like it.

[@tombryan1]

The cars will end up on Craigslist

[@steve1978ger]

new car, never driven, full interior

[@gregpeterman1102]

4000 cars? What kind?

[@brucemoyers1006]

Hyundai I believe.

[@AtomicSurf]

Hyundais and Kias mainly, but they mix and match in these ports. Some from Europe might come off at one port and some loaded from Georgia.

[@bradgibson4459]

I think they have a breakage on the cutting chain, just about every week. Over half the ship is still laying there.

[@AtomicSurf]

Yes, it's amazing how long the project is dragging on.

[@rescue.repair.reward]

Why does it appear to be in such shallow water? Do they know the reason why it capsized?

[@hcwcars1]

Thanks for the update

[@AtomicSurf]

No problem 👍 Don't forget to subscribe to see more.

[@elisabethmartin5883]

They haven’t taken the cars out except as they get each piece cut off they remove them

[@AtomicSurf]

Yes, I explain that in the video description. They were planning to take them out at one time per multiple news reports.

[@telliott3590]

Great video! Are the chains across the ship between the pairs of lifting lugs the actual chains that will be doing the cutting or are they just leaders to connect the actual cutting chain to get it around the bottom of the ship?

[@AtomicSurf]

I'm not sure. One of the other commenters here said they will cut between every two lifting lugs.

[@mdp4440]

These are anchor chains. They will be doing the cutting.

[@peggylindsey9704]

They are the cutting tools they are using to slice through the 8 slices and once they are sliced they will be out on a barge and taken to a recycling plant elsewhere. It takes 24 hrs to make 1 slice and it is very loud

[@paulharild2202]

The cuts will us an 8 in diamond rope/chain. The chains you see are chains used to lower the anchor brackets for lifting.

[@peggylindsey9704]

They haven’t taken the cars off yet. I live here that’s why they are going to start cutting in October

[@fw1421]

If they were able to reflate all but 2 if the warships in Pearl Harbor why can’t they raise this ship?

[@AtomicSurf]

They re-floated that big cruise ship in Italy too. I think that would be the better way to recover this ship.

[@vorant77]

@@AtomicSurf I would imagine it has a lot to do with the cargo. The automobiles would shift in a refloating that would make it dangerous, after all, that was another reason for it capsizing.

[@paulharild2202]

Can't refloat it because the bottom side of the ship is on the sand bars. So it would be like trying to roll it up hill. Too heavy and would stay grounded.

[@tesohn]

Did many soundings with a survey crew there in Pearl Harbor and its much deeper that the sandbar this ship is sitting on in St. Simons.

[@jaydusenbury1126]

The cars HAVE NOT been removed.

[@devinthierault]

Damn I wonder if any are still drivable

[@TheNorseman]

@@devinthierault read this, I think some of them are: www.news4jax.com/news/2019/10/26/new-photos-inside-the-golden-ray-cargo-ship/

[@yvonnebecker5677]

Interesting. I always get a No Fly Zone when I check Air Map. What platform are you requesting the flight under?

[@AtomicSurf]

"DJI's new geofencing also incorporates the principles of Section 384 of the recently-enacted U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act designating the final approach corridor to active runways at major airports to be "runway exclusion zones" for unauthorized drones. DJI customers should update their DJI GO 4 flight control app and aircraft firmware to ensure these improvements are implemented." www.dji.com/newsroom/news/dji-refines-geofencing-to-enhance-airport-safety-clarify-restrictions www.dronepilotgroundschool.com/dji-geo-2-0/ DJI used to use Airmap and went with this system which is more logical based on traffic patterns related to runways. For some reason, however, about a month after the flight, the St. Simons airport information disappeared from their database, but it used to have a 198 ft max flight zone near the western edge of where the Golden Ray is. I think it is is odd that there are two systems out there in use. Everything I have read indicates the DJI system is legal. I'm sure I'll hear from some Airmap fans now. I consult that one too.

[@Jen-rose76]

It breaks my heart to see ships like this. There so beautiful when there up right. Then this happens and they dump all kinds of pollution into the water. 😢😢 When they go down you can literally hear them cry. So sad.

[@IDABAYAREA650I]

*I believe it has good range because there is nothing to obstruct the signal like trees and buildings*

[@AtomicSurf]

Yes, about 5X more range with nothing obstructing the signal.

[@teisentr]

Great video What quad copter and cam are you using?

[@AtomicSurf]

Hello. I'm using a DJI Mavic Air 2 with the onboard 4K 60fps camera.

[@tesohn]

@@AtomicSurf You had very good flight time. CC....smooth out you yaw movements a little more or edit your vid in post. production. Good job was there this last Oct with my M2Pro but was not aware I could fly that close to airport. Do you have Part 107 cert.?

[@AtomicSurf]

DJI came out with new firmware since that video that automatically smooths out yaw and pitch if you set it to do that. My newer videos are smoother now. I was using DJI flysafe to determine where I could fly. Their restricted areas are more realistic (runway shaped) and based on U.S. law. There was a max altitude zone of 196 ft at the edge of where the ship was so I stayed below 170 ft. If the runway was aligned with the Golden Ray, I would have not been able to go there. I actually spoke to the FAA and they said this part of the flight was fine. Yes, I'm 107 certified.

[@DeremerStudios]

@@AtomicSurf Thanks for going into detail on this. Was it the DJI app that posted the 196ft ceiling or did you find that information somewhere else? I went through the comments here and couldn't find that answer.

[@robertbenitez5757]

Saludos desde la República dominicana 🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴

[@loriparker7755]

It is St. Simons, not Simmons.

[@AtomicSurf]

That's how I spelled it, St. Simons. Are you talking pronunciation?

[@loriparker7755]

@@AtomicSurf pronunciation. The footage is just awesome! I have been wanting to see a drone flyover for awhile and yours is great. I live in Bwk. and a couple of blocks away some of the cranes and barges are docked . Got some pictures. My husband and I were talking and I told him that drone footage over the cranes and gator trawlers would be awesome. Do you plan on coming back when it is being removed? Great footage

[@loriparker7755]

You should come and get footage of the VB 10,000, the huge that is cutting up the GR.

[@thablakester]

@@loriparker7755 I agree! This footage is beautiful!!! I'm surprised he got the FAA clearance to fly over that thing but hey, he managed to do it. :) I LOVED watching this video! Most of us who live here don't get to see these kinds of views and the view from the Pier on St. Simons or from down on the beach just doesn't do it justice.

[@AtomicSurf]

I'm glad you liked it. Don't forget to subscribe to see more.

[@OCEANCRAFTSMotionGallery]

Thanks for sharing this footage. Great tour. Fully watched. Sub and like🌈

[@LasVegas68]

How were you allowed to fly a drone over the wreck?

[@AtomicSurf]

There is not any no fly zone in place for this wreck. There is a max altitude zone near the wreck due to the St. Simons airport. Some official complained to the FAA about this video, but the FAA reviewed it and told me there were no violations in respect to the flight over and around the ship. The FAA owns the airspace. The FAA did suggest the flight over the pier might not be correct as that could be considered a crowd of people. The flight was conducted very carefully with pre-flight research.

[@LasVegas68]

@@AtomicSurf Very cool video. Maybe you can get a video when they start to cut that ship up?

[@AtomicSurf]

Possibly. Don't forget to subscribe.

[@AtomicSurf]

@@LasVegas68 Here's an update and new flight kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXyvpYCueJyjjM0

[@johnbrossette6165]

Hey please alert me when you get updates.my son is on the VB1000 crane that will be cutting up n lifting..would like to see if you do daily shots thanks very much

[@AtomicSurf]

Hello. I don't live in the St. Simons area, so I won't be able to do that.

[@thablakester]

I can update you. It will be here near the end of this month (September). I live in Glynn County and I see the ship every day. Right now the VB1000 is on Fernandina Beach, FL and it was supposed to already have come and done its job but the city decided to postpone it claiming (and I don't believe this for one nanosecond!) "the coronavirus AND Hurricane Season (which technically hurricane season isn't over until November 30th. Obviously, they wanted to keep tourists coming in during the Summer months and not disturb the uber wealthy donors of the County Commissioners BUT..."Coronavirus"... On behalf of Glynn County, do tell your son we're happy for the work he'll be doing. This has been an incredible tragedy and we'll all be glad when it is all over.

[@AtomicSurf]

Here's an update and new flight kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXyvpYCueJyjjM0

[@henryrivera8555]

Cool video!

[@Leviathan_actual]

I live here!!! ❤️

[@elisabethmartin5883]

And you didn’t see the piece of the ship in Palm Beach because the ship went South and around Key West to Louisiana

[@AtomicSurf]

I certainly did see the first piece being towed a few miles off of Palm Beach county. I had binoculars. If you are towing a barge from St. Simons, to around Key West, to Louisiana, right there on the route is Palm Beach County. It's on the map.

[@couttsw]

It looks like they will parbuckle it

[@tombryan1]

No, dual crane lifting with each crane taking 2 holds

[@kenchace8444]

The cars are still in it. See this link for further info www.maritime-executive.com/article/we-expect-fires-the-plan-for-golden-ray-s-removal

[@AtomicSurf]

Okay, thanks for the article link. The previous plan, reported in many articles, was to remove the cars first. I thought that's what they did.

[@premoview4957]

Good lighthouse video starts at 5:50

[@tomjones4318]

Are you all insane? These ships are going down everywhere. If car companies are willing to ship in such a risky manner you gotta wonder what the real value is of those cars. Am I the only human with a functioning brain today? *I'm no expert and I can see something is crazy here*

[@AtomicSurf]

Yep. The ship design itself is poor and leaves little margin. Plus, on this ship, they didn't even keep track of the weight and balance while they offloaded and loaded vehicles in various ports. It even got unstable for a while alongside the pier in Brunswick. Then, to top that off, the captain kept the ballast tanks empty, probably at the request of the shipping line management, to save fuel. Empty ballast tanks was the last straw.

[@BaldwinBay]

Captain made a seriously bad decision by not taking on ballast water. 🌊🚣

[@jillsmcfarland2001]

Or was it computer system inc ,blame captain story ?

[@NW-gi1cp]

Britannic: 👁️👄👁️WTF

[@kennethsmith8844]

This is an old video

[@AtomicSurf]

Really??? Did you know that the posted date is right on every video and it says June 24, 2020 for this one? So what exactly is your point? Did someone coerce you into watching by claiming it was brand new?

[@dafrasier1]

RoRo? roll on, roll off. My BMW M2 was on a boat when this thing rolled. European delivery, 286 laps on Nurburgring then on a boat. "08.08.19 Spin"

[@AtomicSurf]

I hope it's been replaced. In a couple of articles, they mentioned they don't even do a weight and balance calculation as they load and unload at different ports. I think someone should look into whether this shipping company pressures its captains to minimize the use of water ballast in order to increase fuel economy.

[@dafrasier1]

@@AtomicSurf no no no please read. Not that boat. a boat. It got to USA safe and sound. I had the Ships name and was able to track it as it came across Atlantic and through Panama Canal to West Coast port. no extra charge, part of European Delivery Program for BMW. Fun driving in Europe; Germany.

[@AtomicSurf]

OK. Good.

[@antis4748]

i see no trees but i hear birds

[@AtomicSurf]

You've never seen birds sitting on docks, light poles, cars, barges, or lighthouses? Isn't this better than the cheesy music that goes along with most drone videos? Don't forget to subscribe.

[@apacher6433]

Super!!)

[@AtomicSurf]

Many thanks! Don't forget to subscribe if you want to see more.

[@smartycummins2500]

You know you’re literally flying a drone right next to the airport... right?

[@AtomicSurf]

There was a max altitude zone near the ship with a max of 195 ft which I stayed below. The FAA reviewed this flight around and above the ship and found no issues. The height of the ship and the max altitude zones were researched before the flight and the flight was conducted very carefully.

[@AtomicSurf]

Not on the ship but yes regarding the fishing pier. I fly next to instead of over since then.

[@smartycummins2500]

Atomic Surf thank you for doing your research! I fly into that airport quite often and have actually circled over top the accident

[@AtomicSurf]

I never want to have any close encounter with manned aircraft, so I watch that carefully. My drone actually gets ADSB alerts (receive only) too and displays them on the map on my display.

[@smartycummins2500]

@@AtomicSurf ok now that’s cool that you’ve got ADSB in