Baltimore bridge collapse

[trevskoda]

Except they wouldn't have been "manual". Even back in the 1970s all the machinery was controlled by a mix of electronics and compressed air (trust me, I got my marine watchkeeper's certification back then) and, although it was possible to control stuff manually, we never did -- and in any case it would have taken longer to get from the machinery control room to the local machinery controls than the time available to the Dali.

We go back further here.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

 

[Pudsey Bear]

It's happened before it seems.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Ship owner in Baltimore bridge collapse agrees to pay $102 million for cleanup

The owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse have agreed to pay more than $100 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department

abcnews.go.com