The Tasman Bridge Disaster (Explainer)

This video takes a look at the Tasman Bridge disaster of 1975.
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SOURCES:
• ‘Bridge of Sighs’, TIME Magazine (1976), viewed 10 September 2021, web.archive.org/web/200703111...
• ‘SS Lake Illawarra’, Wikipedia (1976), viewed 10 September 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Lake...
• ‘Hobart, Tas: Bridge Collapse’, Australian Government - Attorney-General's Department (2006), viewed 10 September 2021, web.archive.org/web/200710071...
• ‘Tasman Bridge disaster: 25th anniversary memorial service’, Emergency Management Australia (2001), viewed 10 September 2021, web.archive.org/web/201203170...
• ‘Tasman Bridge Disaster’, City of Clarence (unknown year), viewed 10 September 2021, www.ccc.tas.gov.au/community/...
• ‘SHIPWRECKS OF TASMANIA’, Encyclopedia of Australian Shipwrecks (unknown year), viewed 10 September 2021, oceans1.customer.netspace.net....
• Tasman Bridge Construction (1965), KZbin (2018), • Tasman Bridge Construc...
• Tasman Bridge Reconstruction (1978), KZbin (2014), • Tasman Bridge Reconstr...
PHOTOGRAPH SOURCES:
• Archives Office of Tasmania
• Wikimedia Commons
• Roads Australia
• ABC News
• CarsGuide
• Australian Maritime Museums Council
• eHive
• Pinterest
• Our Other Blog: Two Sisters and Two Points of View
• Our Tasmania
• Flickr
• ConsultANZ
• Vintage Everyday
• Vector Stock
• Google Maps
• The Mercury
• Hobart TAS
• Pixabay

[@possumbold]

I had an appointment for a driving test at 9pm the morning after the Lake Illawarra hit the bridge. I heard the bridge had gone down and could see it from my window. My driving instructor wanted me to drive past the bridge so that he could have a good look at it. I kept my eyes firmly on the road and got my license. I remember one of the cars balancing over the edge was a two door hatch. He’d stopped before the edge after seeing the taillights in front of him go down. Someone then bumped into him pushing him that little bit further over. The driver couldn’t try to get out of the driver’s door because it was rocking each time he moved. He ended up crawling over to the back and out of the back window. Interestingly one of the two drivers had only one arm but the photo that was in The Mercury gave him an extra arm. So many people claimed to have just missed going over the bridge that night - something like the population of Hobart said it had been a close call. One of the men who went over the bridge was on the way home from visiting his terminally I’ll wife. They decided not to tell her that her husband had gone through the gap. She died within days and wasn’t ever aware of his fate. I still wonder whether that was the right thing to do - perhaps it was the most compassionate given her semi comatose state. RIP all those affected that night.

[@remotewall]

how truly terrible for all.

[@jabba7746]

Great video information wise, but as a suggestion on future videos like this perhaps using a different sound effect to the 'cymbal punchline' between your transitions would be a better idea.

[@CallumJJones]

Hi Jabba. Thanks for the feedback! :-) If there’s anything else you think I could do to improve my videos, please let me know.

[@HailAnts]

Yeah, in America that's called a 'rimshot' and it was used to emphasize a comedian's punchline (though now it's only used sarcastically)..

[@gilcromeens3788]

I arrived several weeks after the crash. We had to drive far north then cross on some type of military inflated floating bridge. It took about 90 minutes to get to the other side.

[@daggydiva4589]

KZbin recommended me this while I was going over the bridge a few weeks ago

[@materockk1579]

You ok now ?

[@daggydiva4589]

@@materockk1579 yes I’m fine

[@ireneyerman1137]

I worked for ANL when this happened and saw many files related to the incident. From memory the ship ended up in 20 feet of mud.

[@boofalooaloo6875]

dunno why youtube suggested this video for me .. but im glad it did .

[@tezza8061]

Same

[@danielbaldry]

Great Video. IT is a very interesting part of Hobart/Tasmanian History. It is a little over cautious that traffic on the Bridge has to stop for all piloted ships going underneath it still to this day.

[@normcummins2719]

The Bailey bridge was constructed slightly downstream of where the Bowen bridge stands today. You can see on the eastern shore the man made abutment for where the bridge was built.

[@Jim.Thunda]

Two months prior to this l was driving over this bridge just before the crest l said to my wife, imagine if we got to the top at 100 k and there was no more road, it a long way to fall. You can't see anything just before the crest . The night the ship hit the bridge l was watching TV and decided to go for a drive to see a cousin on the eastern shore, l didn't get there, the bridge went down 40 minutes before l got to the exit.

[@martinjenkins6467]

I remember this around the time or a bit later, I was only 6 at the time. I hate tall bridges , imagine going Over. I've never been to Hobart.

[@thunderball421]

the tasman bridge was built as a 4 lane bridge before the collapes it now as 5 lanes the walkway were extend out so they could make the 5th lane

[@barrydyer6543]

I was working in Tasmania at the time the ship hit the bridge

[@MovieMakingMan]

I’ve seen many ships that ran into bridges. Why don’t bridge makers install pairs of huge concrete barriers at least 100 yards on each side of bridges? That would prevent ships from hitting bridges because first they’d have to navigate through the concrete barriers. It would be a lot cheaper building huge barriers than paying to rebuild bridges and paying for all the lawsuits that follow disasters like this.

[@jandrews6254]

Not mentioned is traffic is stopped when a ship is passing under. Just in case.

[@phil4977]

It’s amazing it’s still 1975 in Hobart-the place that time forgot. Half asleep on a constant basis.

[@danielbr92]

Be quiet Phil

[@Wal123New]

@@danielbr92 😂

[@tayhut]

Nice video. I was told a number of years ago that the ship was off course because it was ahead of time. Due to this cut power or at least slowed to take a wider arc before continuing under the main span but due to the fact that it was a single screw design and possibly tidal factors was unable to get back on course. Interesting.

[@remotewall]

i had almost forgotten this. i was just a child at the time.

[@tasosdiaforetico7377]

That was great and concise, much appreciated.

[@CallumJJones]

You're welcome. :-)

[@megs4193]

Brilliant job, I Respectfully hit the like button which I see as the doorbell into somebody else's work and happily subscribed 😀 👍.

[@CallumJJones]

Thank you! 😁

[@68dart]

Awesome , Thanks CJJ

[@CallumJJones]

No worries. :-)

[@Imperfectcell13]

informative! but I have to ask, why a rimshot as a transition noise?

[@CallumJJones]

Thanks. :-) Using a rimshot as a transition noise seemed like a good idea when I was editing the video. But I realise now that it is simply annoying. Definitely won't be using it again.

[@wolfiespup9085]

i went over the Tasman Bridge and its amazing site

[@samueljesse2179]

Tasmania should be connected to the Australian mainland with a tunnel or bridge

[@CallumJJones]

CORRECTION FROM A VIEWER: “They didn’t try to go through the other span. What happened is they realised that the leading lights weren’t in line they had to correct. The ship over corrected so they corrected again at this stage they ordered full sea speed to gain control. Realising they have lost total control and were heading through the other span they ordered full reverse. The stern began to swing around and the ship sheared off the pylons. The reason the ship sank so fast is they had the hatches open ready for discharging the cargo.” ANOTHER CORRECTION FROM A VIEWER: "Pelc didn't 'decide to pass through one of the smaller columns'. The ship had issues with steering all the way from Port Pirie and when they were coming up the Derwent, they realised they weren't in line with the central navigation lights. They tried a number of manoeuvres to correct it, but they were being dragged up river by a strong current. Even by trying to ditch the vessel up on the bank or dropping anchors, it was too late. There were rumours that Pelc was drunk, but these were disproven." Comments will be removed if they are: • defamatory or otherwise unlawful; • intentionally false or misleading; • an infringement of intellectual property rights, including copyright. Brief quotes with correct attributions are exempt; • abusive, offensive, or obscene; • inappropriate, off topic, repetitive, or vexatious. Your comment will also be removed if it compromises the privacy of any person. Endorsements of commercial products and services will be removed. A couple of style points: 1. Lowercase letters are quieter and softer on the eyes. Upper case words are the equivalent of shouting. Comments that have been typed in 'shouty caps' will be deleted. 2. Use a spellchecker in your browser before you post a comment. Alternatively, compose your comment in a word processor, run the spellchecker, and then cut and paste it into this thread. A surprisingly high proportion of comments have one or more spelling errors. I don’t expect perfection but I would appreciate it if you can tweak your comment at your end rather than rely on me to do it.

[@timewatch9907]

How come your channel only has 1 subscriber your vids are so good

[@megs4193]

As a Tasmanian thank you!!!!!!! 😀🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊👍🌻.

[@ianraper4304]

Interesting. As Tasmanian-born I guess I have a special interest in all things from Tasmania. In 1993 we took a Derwent River River cruise which went from Constitution Dock to Wrest Point and the Cadbury Factory then back. Our host on the tour gave an excellent account of the Lake Illawarra disaster. The impact of the disaster on the eastern suburbs cannot and should not be understated - including access to the airport. A minor addition to your commentary is that when the captain realised the ship was not correctly aligned the over-corrections began but a combination of speed and tidal current helped to do the rest. In a way it reminds me of the iceberg and the Titanic - the Titanic tried to avoid the iceberg but sadly failed. Final point - there were 5 motorists killed and 7 seaman aboard the Lake Illawarra who died as well. Nowadays there is a pilot light installed to help guide ships through (this was in 1993 - whether it remains some thirty years or so later is another matter). Also there are a number of other videos available on KZbin on this subject (the Tasman Bridge / Lake Illawarra disaster) as well as in Wikipedia.

[@sovietonion72]

This reminds me of fascinating horror.

[@andrewh9613]

The old hq Monaro and fb special just hanging there over night😲

[@AWF1000]

i probably wouldn't have been born if my dad went into the water that night. he went over it not long before the crash... i would hate to imagine how scary it would have been for the victims.

[@samueljesse2179]

What is your accent Kiwi or South Australia?

[@CallumJJones]

Neither. I have a health condition that makes it difficult for me to produce clear speech.

[@Garryswrld499]

I’m from Tasmania and this was a great video

[@CallumJJones]

Thanks! Glad you think so. 😊

[@Igloo3471]

Not quite factually correct. Pelc didn't "decide to pass through one of the smaller columns" - the ship had issues with steering all the way from.Port Pirie and when they were coming up the Derwent they realised they weren't in line with the central navigation lights, tried a number of manouvers to correct it but they were being dragged up river by a strong river current. Even by trying to ditch the vessel up on the bank or dropping anchors, it was too late. There was always rumours that Pelc was drunk but that was disproven.

[@CallumJJones]

Thanks for the correction. I've incorporated it into my pinned comment.

[@enghailetechonline8138]

Just watching westgate bridge

[@Sacapuntas69]

How deep is that channel?

[@bendover9411]

The Johnny Carson symbols are cheesy

[@stephenjames1443]

Is that a Tasmanian accent I hear from narrator??

[@CallumJJones]

Yes, I'm a Tasmanian.

[@jandrews6254]

He has a lisp.

[@pjamajones8304]

A mix of Tasi Kiwi and Olde ye English.....

[@edxr6949]

I'm from tassie and i didn't even know the ship sank and is still there

[@captain-chair]

Same, I didn’t even know it sunk, I thought they were just very cocky sailers who did tons of damage and probably got massive fines. Unsurprisingly I had only heard about it from parents when going over the bridge since I am a Zoomer. I love history and now I am wishing history KZbin has more Tasmanian content, cause we sure have a lot of it.

[@edxr6949]

@@captain-chair There's heaps of tassie history on youtube. Look up batman bridge, Launceston in the 60s ect life then looked amazing!!! even the 90s. 2022 SUCKS

[@captain-chair]

@@edxr6949 It seems like the past couple years keep trying to one up themselves don’t they. I am too young to have seen Tasmania’s decline, I see what we have today, but I hear that we were really screwed over by the deindustrialisation of the west.

[@edxr6949]

@@captain-chair Absolutely mate.

[@captain-chair]

@@edxr6949 I just noticed your profile picture is a car, not a problem, it's just one of the many signs that your an Aussie, lol. Yeah I definitely need to make up for my lack of knowledge on my own state, it's hard to focus on little o'l Tassie when I could be watching the history videos on the Byzantine Empire or the World Wars, especially when the Tasmanian press is dying to stay relevant in this age. Do you have any recommendations aside from this channel (Which I am now subscribed), because history is fun. I am not completely ignorant, I know things but I know very little aside from what I have learnt at Port Arthur, Zoo's, and some long dead Aristocrat's homes.

[@keith63ply]

How did that ship captain not end up in prison? I read the bit down below, about how it supposedly happened. It didn't sound like he got punished at all, and that's a damn shame. All that loss of life because he decided not to pay attention at a time when he needed to the most.

[@carlv8168]

Maybe, with any luck, he was one of the 7 that drowned, so he wouldn't be facing any court inquiries or prosecution and disciplinary action!