Also on today’s menu:
Former Laconia Official Faces Child Porn Charges
Civil Rights Violator Agrees To Court Settlement
The US Coast Guard has suspended its search-and-rescue efforts for the six workers still missing after a cargo ship that had lost power rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore MD, causing it to collapse. A mayday signal from the ship allowed officials to shut down most of the traffic on the four-lane bridge before the 95,000-gross-ton vessel plowed into a bridge piling, causing multiple sections of the span to bow and snap in a harrowing scene captured on video. Eight construction workers who were repairing potholes fell into the 48-degree waters of the Patapsco River. Divers were able to rescue two of the workers.
Why did the ship lose power? “GeraltsDadofRivia” speculates on Reddit:
What I think happened was
Main ship service power (which I will separate from the single screw/propulsion system because I don't know if they had separate ship service generators or an alternator on the main propulsion diesel) goes out. Various reasons for this from crew failing to follow standard operating procedures, generator/alternator failure, switchboard failure, etc.
Emergency diesel generator kicks in. When engines are run at low loads and/or infrequently you tend to get black soot build-up in the exhaust, and if it had been a while since they performed a carbon burn there could have been significant soot. This explains the black smoke rather than a fire. 2a) pilot tried to regain control of the ship, possibly trying to correct to starboard
Power fails again, also unclear why. Could have been poor maintenance of the emergency power system (diesel generator, emergency switchboard), something related to the crew standard operating procedure (e.g. failure to prime emergency fuel pumps), or a design flaw (e.g. tying the emergency power system to the bow thruster when it isn’t sized to provide that much power). When the power failed it caused the hydraulic steering system to over-correct, putting it on course to hit the pylon. Without power the pilot could not change course or reverse the main propulsion engine in time to stop.
I think what’s a little lost here in the discourse is how much manual work there is to run the ship systems. Engines and generators require significant seawater cooling, so the crew needs to ensure all of the seawater valves are open prior to turning on the engines. Fuel pumps need to be primed, chillers need to be turned on, etc. all in proper sequence. This is documented for/by the crew in Standard Operating Procedures, which they are required to follow. Failure to follow the SOP can cause catastrophic failure, or inadequate SOPs can result in degradation of the equipment over time. Same with failure to follow maintenance schedules or improper maintenance schedules. Not blaming it on the crew but just highlighting how much work goes into running and maintaining the ship, and how regulated that is.
Discussion: The bridge lies in a major traffic corridor between New York NY and Washington DC. President Joe Biden Jr. pledged that the federal government will foot the bill for the repairs, saying, “I’m directing my team to move heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as humanly possible.”
Former Laconia Official Faces Child Porn Charges
Police in Sanford ME have charged Dean Trefethen, 70, a former Laconia city planner, with possession of child sexual assault images. An affidavit on file at the York Judicial Center states that Laconia Police Detective Jonathan Howe alerted Samuel Bennett of the Sanford Police Department that the city’s internet technology department had discovered that an unauthorized drive had been attached to Trefethen’s city-owned laptop computer on April 27, 2023. Opening the drive, the worker saw image files with explicit names and notified authorities.
Howe obtained a search warrant to remotely review and preserve the files, leading the city to escort Trefethen from Laconia City Hall. He subsequently resigned from his position.
Sanford police obtained a warrant to search Trefethen’s home, seizing multiple devices, including a computer, flash drives, and a cell phone. They arrested Trefethen on March 5, charging him with possession of sexually explicit material, a Class C offense which, upon conviction, could lead to a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of $5,000.
Discussion: Trefethen has cooperated with authorities, acknowledging his possession of the material. His attorney, John Webb, said, “We’ve cooperated with the Sanford Police Department. We have turned ourselves in when they asked us to turn ourselves in. We haven’t seen any evidence in the case; when we get the evidence, we will evaluate the evidence and decide where to go from there.”
Civil Rights Violator Agrees To Court Settlement
In accordance with a consent decree in Hillsborough County Superior Court between the Attorney-General’s Office and David Van Tassell, the man accused of violating New Hampshire’s Civil Rights Act, RSA 354-B, received a civil penalty of $2,000 with all but $150 suspended for eighteen months if he participates in behavior or mental health counseling and complies with all recommendations, and he participates in implicit bias or racial sensitivity training.
The court found that, on July 29, 2023, Van Tassell had left an anonymous note on a truck with Mexican pride symbols, stating, “You are worse than a Purto [sic] Rican, you should be shot.”
To keep the court from imposing the remainder of the $2,000 civil penalty, the consent decree orders Van Tassell to avoid further Civil Rights Act violations for eighteen months, and to avoid approaching within 350 feet of the victim’s home, place of work, and the Walmart at 725 Gold Street, Manchester, or contacting the victim or immediate family members.
Discussion: Expressions of ethnic, racial, sexual, and religious sentiment are protected by the US Constitution. People are free to hold their own beliefs and cherish their heritage. Those with different beliefs and backgrounds should respect those rights. The country needs to come back together, rather than exploiting differences.