Key Bridge Salvage 1

www.pedestrians...
On March 26, 2024, a container ship lost power and crashed into a main support for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, bringing down the bridge and blocking access to Baltimore's harbor. Six workers on the bridge died in the collapse. Efforts are underway to remove the wreckage and reopen the harbor channel.
Produced by John Z Wetmore, producer of Perils For Pedestrians.

[@markthomas1291]

Excellent Video. Thank you. No stupid commentary...We can see with our own Eyes whats going on....Well done to the Salvage Teams and inparticular to the divers who can only see their hand infront of there faces....As per the last worker to be found...I guess they know where he is but its too dangerous for the crew to remove him..just yet....Outstanding work from everyone involved

[@HobbyOrganist]

By now the body is bloated and coming apart, and with all the turbulance and stuff happening around with the clam shell dredging and all the rest, they'll never find the body, at best pieces maybe.

[@bobdickerson3434]

What everyone whose commenting on the slow progress needs to understand, those girders of the bridge are massive. The water is extremely murky and divers can only see at best two feet in front of them. In addition, cutting those girders so that they don’t rotate and cause more problems is imperative. They are removing containers off the ship, and the plan is start removing the bridge on the bow of the ship and to move the ship within the next week or so.

[@richleeson2160]

Key board experts, I have been following this since it happebed, I am not an expert neither am I in the US,, but I listen to what has been said, and one of the information was that the bridge on the deck is the last thing to be removed... after its been assessed in the best way possible, as the steel will still be under great stresses from other steels and road decks laying over other steels

[@petermcgreevy6386]

if it takes 6 months and the new structure hasn't been built or engineered so then it doesn't matter the time. I'm sure all angles have been taken into account and back ground work would be on schedule for the new structure

[@bobdickerson3434]

@@petermcgreevy6386 The day the bridge fell, the rebuilding plans for the new bridge were started. Maryland and the Transportation Department started contacting firms to start drawing up plans to rebuild. So, I'm pretty sure when all the debris is pretty much cleared away, construction of the new bridge will start.

[@MS-37]

Thanks for this video. The size of everything involved is insane

[@bradfordjhart]

It's really hard to get a scale for it. Just thinking about each one of those containers Is the size of a truck.

[@constructionwatcher5381]

Great video, John. Thanks for getting this. It's so much better than most of the footage we see on this. The swarm of cranes around the bridge is amazing, as is that bunch of huge shears in the scrap yard.

[@jwhite9825]

They have done a fantastic job. Everyone was probably very depressed when the bridge fell, but superhuman spirits came to the rescue.

[@mikebudd2235]

Well done John has to be the best video we have seen so far..

[@Dave_9547]

Outstanding video coverage of the scene of the salvage operation.

[@albertvieira6635]

❤ please keep the videos coming you're doing a great job I give you a double thumbs up and I'm watching from Massachusetts double thumbs up

[@carmensmall932]

TYVM for the excellent coverage of ALL the teams working on this. The close up view is amazing and shows the enormity of all aspects. The machines at the salvage yard brought to mind huge dinosaurs foraging for food. This whole operation appears to be well coordinated . Thanks again.

[@raymason5779]

Best coverage I’ve seen so far. Great picture of bridge with crushed containers giving proper perspective. Plus the amount of steel already on the debris barge shows just how well the demolition is going. If only they had another Chesapeake 1000.

[@KB-gs8zi]

Hey John !!! WOW !!! Very impressive & Thanks for the ride & video !!! 👍👍👍👍👍 Still NO word on the last Construction worker ??? Waiting to see the bridge removed & the Dali floated back to the dock !!!

[@HobbyOrganist]

By now the body is bloated and coming apart, and with all the turbulance and stuff happening around with the clam shell dredging and all the rest, they'll never find the body, at best pieces maybe.

[@Dakotaj53062]

Thank you for a quality video. It was a big bridge and a massive project. Be safe

[@charcushman9507]

The city did give the job to a private company, and it is being done fast but safe.

[@1947maco]

As I understand it the city did NO SUCH THING !! They can't & the whole scenario it is under the control of the unified command & masterminded by the US Army Corp of Engineers!! This is way too expensive for any city to repair & or remove.....They are only a small part of a Unified committee set up to see this thing thru !! The monies to do this is being provide by the federal government !! Any future settle from lawsuits & insurance companies will likely be many many years away & will not be sufficient to do the above !! Remember a new bridge also has to be built & it would likely also bigger/better than the old key bridge

[@glennjohnston9735]

Great video, John. Your video is able to catch activities that can't be captured in their entirety by still photo images. Because Gus "The Claw" moves at such slow speed, you can see it working on your video whereas you can't on my photos. (19:29 -- 23:11) The same goes for the scrap salvage by the "dinosaurs" over at Tradepoint Atlantic (30:58 -- 33:36). Finally, the guys with the cutting torches hanging 130 ft in the air in a basket shows the immensity of the project and the danger inherent in the job. (50:03 -- 51:20) As I said, "Great job!!!"

[@JohnZWetmore]

Thanks.

[@itsallspent]

Thanks for the video. I have a better understanding of the work being done.😊

[@westsparks6844]

Best video on KZbin. Clear and precise. Much better than that STL channel that has about 10 old foggies hogging the chat and think they know everything

[@williamerdman3349]

Considering the size of the debris and how carefully it must be cut up I think the crews are making really good progress. Dealing with hundreds of tons of twisted iron and not hurt anyone takes a lot of care and planning.

[@countrytxrose]

Thank you for this video, I'm seeing pictures of things I've not seen before & your video so clear. Job well done sir keep up the good work.

[@johnschneider3082]

WOW this view gives us a much better idea of the scale of the damage. Even with a zoom lens the workers are small in comparison to the size and dimensions of the bridge wreckage. The NEWS coverage doesn’t really offer much of the scale, they tell us how long the section that collapsed is but until you get a view like this,numbers don’t do it justice.

[@joshowen9054]

removing a collapsed bridge must be the most hazardous job out there. those metal components have pressure on them so when you cut a section, the whole component may start moving unexpectedly which is huge hazard for workers. plus working under water with this context must be even more hazardous. quite an insane job to do, engineers must evaluate carefully any action. the forces on these sections are completely different than during the construction process.

[@louisebrown2887]

The size of those steel beams are unbelievable

[@profiskipinternational4402]

the efforts with this huge amount of salvage equipment are mind boggling. the daily costs must be ex-orbitant, I estimate can easily be between 20-50 million daily, as the rent fees and running costs / day of all these gigantic mashineries, its on board crews, land-supporting teams etc. ... are out of this world. Anyhow ... nothing to complain. We humans have the tendency to think in gigantism like building such bridges or gigantic container ships, and if something goes badly wrong, the consequences are gigantic too. May the lost souls R.I.P, and most important, all the teams working on this project, keep safe and sound.

[@workingunderwater]

Good Work John. Interesting channel I just subscribed. Where you on the Key Bridge Recover Team??

[@JohnZWetmore]

No, I wasn't involved in the recovery. The Joint Information Command took the media out on a boat a couple of times a week.

[@mr.shannon6137]

Great coverage! The best footage I have seen so far. Thanks for taking the time to share it with everyone.

[@thomasnaylor7193]

Thanks for this terrific footage. The perspective is much more revealing than the telescopic lenses used for the live-streams, Also, the scene beginning around 31:00 is almost other worldly.

[@shanecastillo9313]

#JohnZWetmore Thanks For the video keeping us up Dated

[@wallyfronzaglio372]

I'll bet there's stolen cars and trucks in some of those containers it was headed out of the country

[@iliaivanov5055]

Най-доброто видео до сега ! Браво !

[@lawrencejneuser8801]

The Dali looks like a ship that has got less than a year left before scrap. They should not release this ship back to its owners.

[@richardspengel5360]

Tech question: how are the claw's hydraulics supplied? I don't see any hose(s) from the crane.

[@subitopoco]

If you look between the claw and the crane mast you will see the hydraulic lines suspended by a cable coming from the crane mast. The lines are lowered and lifted with the claw.

[@richardspengel5360]

@@subitopoco Thx. Must be a challenge keeping them out of harm's way.

[@fredhunter7129]

Easy to be an expert sitting in a chair at home respect for the divers, a tremendously dangerous job

[@charliegould5865]

Only an idiot would question why it’s taking this long to clear the debris. They just don’t understand the sheer size and weight of that metalwork. Or maybe they think Superman is real and will fly in and lift it all out in one go!

[@malcolmsmith4695]

thanks for vidio ,good to see just what his involved

[@ErikDaugaard]

Great, thanks.

[@dawnmitchell6368]

How did you get exclusive footage from a US Coast Guard RBM?

[@JohnZWetmore]

The Joint Information Center takes media out to the site a couple of times a week.

[@a-fl-man640]

i would think the hardware is a significant part of the load. how many nuts and bolts did they use, wow.

[@leifjohnson617]

The workers on this site have two speeds: slow and slower!!!!

[@JoeLinux2000]

Very clear pictures

[@justinfufun5483]

Your demolition experiences coming to the fore. You knew exactly where to go and when. Great condensed action compared to most other footage.

[@MikeJones-rk1un]

I'm wondering what kind of things are in those containers.

[@yasnac7576]

Great video keep up the work. I'm an old Chesapeake Bayer myself. Kind of reminds me of when they were building the second span of the Annapolis bridges. All the cranes all around. Mega mega lifting of the bridge sections. Even the construction of the piers we would watch back in the '70s. Hope they put a nice big bridge up there and protect it with abutments that are away from the bridge so this doesn't happen again. And it could.....

[@AgricultureTechUS]

Couldn't agree more, it's like unlocking the secrets of the universe.

[@c3c44u]

I cannot even process being a Crew member and waking up to that mess everyday. You would have to feel like such a Loser.

[@ren-uz2mz]

Thanks for the views, still hard for some to grasp how massive a task this is...

[@matelanmungal9807]

LIKE PILING START FOR THE NEW BRIDGE

[@RonSchmidt-wr5he]

Awesome videos sir kudos to you every day !!!!

[@JohnZWetmore]

Thanks.

[@user-zd8of3lm4z]

I see all these cranes but no movement, ????

[@markverloop8890]

I still don’t why. they didn’t build a barrier around the pillars of the bridge.

[@ScrappinlizziArt]

How many lanes was this bridge? just curious.

[@sleuer66]

4

[@brianbarnes6523]

2 each way

[@UQRXD]

Best video so far. Thanks.

[@BruceWSims]

I might have misunderstood earlier reports. Am I to understand that the DALI is actually sitting on the bottom of the channel? Was there a breach in the hull or was this part of the overall electrical failure? Anybody know?

[@constructionwatcher5381]

The bow is on the bottom because it's out of the channel, and because of the weight of the bridge parts on it. You can see the bow is low in those shots where the red band on the hull at the water line is visible -- there is less red showing at the bow than at the stern.

[@RonSchmidt-wr5he]

Massive equipment all the around the bow great pictures

[@wendy-annmaher2917]

Wow! The red bucket is doing such a great job 👍🇿🇦

[@subitopoco]

At 23:50 there appears to be a band/rope saw contraption cutting through the steel beams. Is that what I'm seeing and is that the constant humming noise? I haven't heard anything about that machine yet.

[@JohnZWetmore]

Yes, that is a diamond wire saw being used to cut the steel beams. Much of the noise is the engine of the boat I am on.

[@craighanson2983]

They still haven't moved that pile of ship yet?

[@marcplucinski8846]

All you arm chair workers apparently have never done work like this. Its dangerous work at every level! Its not like working at McDonald's which seems to be where you probably work.

[@pauldillinger2286]

Will the Dali be fixed and used again as a container ship?

[@louisebrown2887]

You have to be very careful with every piece taken off lots of danger

[@louisebrown2887]

The container ship must be going to be return to the pier to unload

[@gfl1957]

Looks like you went out at lunch time when no work was being done.

[@bobogilvie4472]

Great video THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING THE PUBLIC TO SEE THE DANGEROUS JOB THOSE PEOPLE HAVE.

[@williammenchen7562]

We want to see the bridge come off the Dali and you keep moving the camera to other things! Whoever is directing the camera doesn’t know what’s going on!

[@lanimulrepus]

Good job!

[@billwienecke3683]

Great vidieo

[@louisebrown2887]

Enjoy your videos

[@frankhocker1724]

glad you could make it

[@ChrisBullock1978]

I personally think they should remove the entire bridge and redesign the entire bay area so this does not happen again

[@darylreimer2161]

How do they control the hydraulic of the claw?

[@richardkimball991]

hoses to the hydrolic pump

[@petrusvandermerwe-ln7vs]

thz make picture clearer uk greetings

[@davidclarke7728]

Most of the crane’s sitting doing nothing , one man cutting on the girders be ther for ten years, poorly managed

[@michaelaubart5309]

You can tell they on t&m

[@Shipspotting_Vietnam]

WOW,great tour!!!

[@mike9119]

it would look a lot better without the bridge and with a tunnel instead

[@user-bs5gp1le5o]

Интересное видео.Информативно .

[@blair2798]

Mayve if the containers were removed from the ship, it would rise some and make it easier to pull it off the bridge.

[@jimw1615]

The Key Bridge girders are resting on top of the bow of the Dali and pinning it in place. The girders and other Key Bridge debris will be removed before the Dali can be moved. We know the Dali floats with a full load of containers. It is not the container weight that has Dali "in the mud".

[@karlhacki6890]

So many cranes idle

[@freighter1097]

Well since you are likely an expert on maritime salvage and cranes, you should just roll down there and tell everyone to leave. You got this.

[@RobertLake-mf2qt]

I guess others have likely made the same comment, but the Dali to me looks like it is overloaded with containers making pilot visibility hampered in tight areas. There needs to be a better-established limit on such transport. Aside from stated power failures, the vessel does not appear seaworthy from a physical standpoint.

[@matelanmungal9807]

That boom on Weekes crane is an outdated angle boom just be safe good work guys also a real outdated crane looks like BIG BLUE CRANE BE SAFE GUYS

[@louisebrown2887]

Going to cost millions of $ to rebuild

[@louisebrown2887]

Huge sums of money just for the clean up many many tons of scrap steel there

[@Isuzu81]

I wonder if they've considered using shape charges to cut some of that steel. Be safer.

[@Isuzu81]

I'm so glad I suggested this. They must have read it. I find out today that they're going to blow the truss that's weighing down the bow. It's definitely the way to go, for safety and effectiveness.

[@Isuzu81]

My suggestion really paid off today. Glad I could help. I would say no charge, but there was a charge. Several in fact.

[@JohnZWetmore]

Here you go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3TNoml3a7Z5pKc

[@roberthenderson4466]

A BRIDGE TO NOWHERE.......

[@wthorwirth]

Recovering pieces with a bandsaw, by crane? at 18:50

[@JohnZWetmore]

A diamond wire saw, cutting through steel girders and concrete. The crane keeps workers out of harm's way if things shift as cuts are made.

[@UQRXD]

19:00 What are the spinning things? Fans?

[@JohnZWetmore]

That is the top part of a Diamond Wire Saw, being used as an alternative to acetylene torches for cutting the steel bridge beams off the boat. You see the rotating pulleys for the tungsten carbide and diamond cutting wire. You can see a shot of it hanging in the air at kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHS6dnmJiMaEnKM

[@UQRXD]

@@JohnZWetmore Thank you.

[@funlovingJohn]

Wonder why it takiing so long, no workrs in the video

[@bradjtrains]

This is not easy. Its not as simple as lifting the trusses. Lots of planning and coordination is involved. You dont want any fires or any salvage workers killed. Not to mention, the weather here hasnt been very cooperative. Heck, theyve gotten alot done in the 3 weeks theyve been working. The ship will be gone this week and the channel fully reopened by the end of the moth

[@marcplucinski8846]

Workers who do you think is cutting the trusses and operating the cranes, setting chockers? The sheer size of this work makes men look small, as far as how long it will take well they have safety issues to address, like not getting killed on the job, not breaking equipment, this is not working at McDonald's!

[@danvanhoose6783]

A worker was shown torching.WPA crews .

[@BruceWSims]

I have a really hard time with a lot of chatter I am hearing. Not sure who these folks are but apparently they don't appreciate how events such as this are organized. With a busy waterway such as this...especially one crucial for Defense Department considerations, there is not a lot of wiggle-room for an "oppsss". Do it steady.....do it safe....and you get it done, right?

[@JohnMatthews-hq1sv]

Containers on ship deck 9,aloft on land 4,aloft

[@mattharvey8712]

Bravo.......they haven't got the bridge off ship.......I don't get it........cheers

[@GH-uh3oc]

. More that likely, once body #6 is retreived, they can perhaps be more aggressive in moving the DALI away.

[@freighter1097]

Well since you are likely an expert on maritime salvage and cranes, you should just roll down there and tell everyone to leave. You got this.

[@heewl12]

Работы там сейчас, чтоб весь металл поднять, очень много...

[@ericharris4834]

Cannot see enything being lifted by the cranes or guss

[@beverlyweber171]

most of the work is being done underwater. very slow and dangerous. nothing can move topside until cut apart below

[@jimlawson121]

You can have the same bridge(hardened) in 2026 or a pretty one in 2034.

[@VelcroElGato]

Why don't they start taking containers off of the ship? I'm sure some of my Amazon crap from China is on there that I am waiting for.

[@RSole9999]

Do you live in Sri Lanka? That's where the Dali was heading to.

[@pepawg2281]

The containers need to stay on the ship. Its being moved to Norfolk for unloading and repairs. If they unloaded in Baltimore, the ship would ride too high on the water to pass under the Chesapeake Bay bridge at Annapolis.

[@toddchevalier1714]

So sad

[@BudoReflex]

It does seem slow. I suppose I am so far from anything expert on the subject, it is silly to say that. Somehow though, it seems very slow.

[@Pushy8366]

People need to use common sense there is bodies in their that still need to be recovered ya just don’t go rip snorting through the stuff. I do a lot of storm cleanup from floods to tornadoes and believe me when you find a body of someone’s loved one buried in rubble it makes you very sad

[@johanea]

How slow it is going. Should this be Japan, a new bridge would already be under construction. A bridge ready if China, but it would only last for 3 months before collapse.

[@MrOly0001]

in the background is a pile driver

[@annhenry793]

Charles L Please. You are not making any sense.

[@brentfarrow8125]

If the city had given this job to private companies it would have been done by now,to much red tape and time spent for everyone to decide what to do.

[@Pamudder]

This work is being done by private companies, under contract to the US Army Corps of Engineers.