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Could also have been a large wake hit him just as he arrived close to the dock.
New York harbor is famous for 'tsunami type' wakes from especially all the smaller 'fast' catamaran hulled ferry boats crossing and crisscrossing one another; when these boats come off a plane or semi plane ... all hell can break loose.
Its not all that unusual for a NY harbor fast ferry boat to occasionally get 'slammed' up against a dock because of the wakes. Usually they 'front load' off the bow and with the engines engaged to 'keep tight' against the dock. This particular boat usually docks along its side.
This was the Atlantic Higlands, NJ to Wall Street ferry and NOT the Staten Island Ferry which has made news before. Apparently this particular ferry has also been in previous accidents.
The linked article says that it may have been traveling close to 12 - 14 knots when it hit the pier. The pier they use is at the bottom of the East River which has a substantial current. I'm going to guess that if they shifted into reverse then the tranny did not engage. New York City ferry crash leaves 85 injured - CNN.com
Gives added emphasis to the old saying: "Always approach the dock at the speed with which you intend to hit it."
The AH Ferry (Seastreak) is one of the fast ferries too. I dont think it front unloads and docks up the East river at Wall St and 35 St. We have seen them many times when we travel up the East River
Gives added emphasis to the old saying: "Always approach the dock at the speed with which you intend to hit it
I was on a Toronto island (slow, but larger) ferry that hit a dock. It sounded like the driver was trying to get the transmission into reverse and it just would not go. I seem to remember three distinct attempts before we hit the dock at perhaps 3 knots. No significant injuries but there could have been since people were standing on stairs waiting to get off. Add an equipment failure to the vagaries of the East River.
I would bet on prop control failure depriving capt of reverse, or enough reverse. But we'll see.
New reg coming, I would think--"stay seated till vessel is stopped, don't line up early at the exits" or the like. Downtown New Yorkers will hate this..
is there any video of the actual accident? all I saw was unloading. Seems like they would have cameras at the docks. Perhaps they just have not released it.
We do it bigger here and don't hurt anyone although one guy on those floats had to run for his life.
Our news stories about the NYC crash sounded a lot like some we've had here - failure of the reversing gear - that's what it was in the attached clip. Changing from waterjets to props in what was by all accounts an already troubled boat sure sounds like the source of the problem in some way.
These high speed feries look like comets on my digital radar screen, they move so quickly. I have more angst when they are buzzing around you than the SI Ferry even though they blow their horns at you and try and run you over.
Dave
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