ACCIDENT OR CYBER ATTACK?

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93 Comments
Tim
Tim
March 26, 2024 9:52 am

It’s hard to say. Look at the vehicles zipping across the bridge right before the container ship hits the bridge.

Here’s something interesting. The ship had two Masters. One is a citizen of Ukraine!

Ivana Tinkle
Ivana Tinkle
  Tim
March 26, 2024 9:58 am

Ship would have been under control of the harbor pilot, not the ships captain.

Nemo will
Nemo will
  Ivana Tinkle
March 26, 2024 1:31 pm

The pilots don’t actually steer the ship, they just advise. Ultimately the captain has the com and is responsible but he normally doesn’t drive either. It’s not like driving a car everything happens very slowly.
Seems fishy? Why didn’t they drop the hooks? I don’t know about the black smoke. You can’t just back down and stop, it takes like a mile. Almost like it sped up.

Slippery Bob
Slippery Bob
  Nemo will
March 26, 2024 5:05 pm

Nemo, as you state it takes a lot to stop several thousand tonnes of container ship , dropping the hooks would have just snapped some chain. I suspect the black smoke was from the exhaust as the main engines were restarted, only for them to cut out again, resulting in loss of propulsion and steering.

Uncola
Uncola
  Slippery Bob
March 26, 2024 6:21 pm

No vehicles on the bridge. Very fortuitous timing. What were the odds?

Nemo will
Nemo will
  Slippery Bob
March 26, 2024 10:47 pm

The main engine and the generators are separate systems. You can’t just start the main like it’s your suburban, it takes time. They didn’t need the main anyway, only steerage because they had way. They rather obviously drove directly into the bridge. Ships pass under critical bridges hundreds of times daily and this doesn’t happen. I used to put the pilots on and off the ships, this is suspicious.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Nemo will
March 26, 2024 5:35 pm

If the harbor master is on board he is responsible. Captains do steer into the berth, never a helmsman.
If that ship sustains damage the Captain is relieved, and probably fired. Military ship ends his career.

Nemo will
Nemo will
  Anonymous
March 26, 2024 11:26 pm

The harbor master is a bureaucrat and was at home in bed. The harbor pilots are onboard, but not responsible for the vessel, they only advise. This boat was headed to sea not to berth. It should have been under the control of a steersman but it seems a hacker might have been at the wheel. When going to berth they have several tugs to assist. Sometimes they have tugs following when they leave if it is questionable navigation. This is not normal and should be questioned.

YourAverageJoe
YourAverageJoe
  Tim
March 26, 2024 11:20 am

Hopefully the three cops that make up the Baltimore Police Dept weren’t on it at the time.

BabbleOn
BabbleOn
  YourAverageJoe
March 26, 2024 1:26 pm

Looks like the pothole crew was. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride….

FWIW
FWIW
  Tim
March 26, 2024 11:42 am

Russia said it was ISIS.

hardscrabble farmer
hardscrabble farmer
  FWIW
March 26, 2024 11:52 am

comment image

This place has the best cynics on the web.

Mountain Rat
Mountain Rat
  FWIW
March 26, 2024 12:08 pm

You win the internet for today. Well played.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  FWIW
March 26, 2024 12:56 pm

The CIA said on national television that it was themselves and not the Islamic State.
Why attack Crimea when Baltimore is much closer!

Aunt Acid
Aunt Acid
  Anonymous
March 26, 2024 2:32 pm

A bridge is a bridge, right?

zappalives
zappalives
  FWIW
March 26, 2024 3:30 pm

Somehow…………..this is all Trumps fault.

Crawfisher
Crawfisher
March 26, 2024 9:55 am

I saw the same event, I’m not sure that was the first power loss event.

Perfect Stranger
Perfect Stranger
  Crawfisher
March 26, 2024 3:06 pm

I thought I was watching the crappy movie version of Atlas Shrugged.

Swrichmond
Swrichmond
March 26, 2024 9:56 am

Ship visibly veers into bridge pier

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Swrichmond
March 26, 2024 11:03 am

River Current.

gmpatriot
gmpatriot
March 26, 2024 9:56 am

Capt heard saying…turn…turn…turn…FUCK….we rota get routa here……

Anonymous
Anonymous
  gmpatriot
March 26, 2024 12:58 pm

lol

Anonymous
Anonymous
March 26, 2024 9:57 am

Steve Sailer & his Unz reader-posters on the disaster:

This Is Bad
https://www.unz.com/isteve/this-is-bad-2/

EXCERPT from Sailer:

“Personally, I would at this point avoid jumping to conclusions about how this must be an example of whatever is your favorite complaint, such as the Crisis of Competence or DEI or Crumbling Infrastructure or whatever you learned about the Port of Baltimore from watching the second season of The Wire.

“I also wouldn’t immediately rule out a 9-11-style hijacked kamikaze mission. If the harbor pilot were on the radio to the harbor master, we could know quickly whether that happened or not.” ~ Excerpt by Sailer

Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut
March 26, 2024 10:02 am

If it was intentional you would think they would do it during peak rush hour traffic with hundreds of vehicles on the bridge unless they are just idiots.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Eyes Wide Shut
March 26, 2024 10:03 am

Could it be a DEI/die scenario, such as these?

Part 1:

Diversity Bridge Is Falling Down, My Fair Lady

Part 2:

Diversity Bridge Is Falling Down, My Fair Lady

PCS
PCS
  Eyes Wide Shut
March 26, 2024 10:04 am

My thoughts exactly!

hardscrabble farmer
hardscrabble farmer
  Eyes Wide Shut
March 26, 2024 10:19 am

If the purpose was to create a mass casualty event, then yes, but if this was an economic hit, not so much.

Javelin
Javelin
  hardscrabble farmer
March 26, 2024 10:35 am

This is a major thoroughfare on the Baltimore beltway. Many trucks are prohibited from the tunnels so much of the goods from this multi-billion dollar port cross this daily.
Huge economic issues

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Eyes Wide Shut
March 26, 2024 11:05 am

If it was intentional, isolating Port of Baltimore is the goal.

Harrington Richardson
Harrington Richardson
  Anonymous
March 26, 2024 2:31 pm

173 ships a day. That’s a lot of cargo.

Aunt Acid
Aunt Acid
  Harrington Richardson
March 26, 2024 5:23 pm

plus a fuckton of containers or drive-offs and plenty of jobs.

NtroP
NtroP
  Eyes Wide Shut
March 26, 2024 1:05 pm

Suspicious as hell that they immediately deny that it is any form of terrorism…..

PCS
PCS
March 26, 2024 10:03 am

If this was a purposeful terrorist attack of some sort I think the perpetrators would have planned to hit this bridge during rush hour traffic for maximum loss of life. There were only a handful of vehicles on that bridge at 1:30 am. Imagine that thing collapsing at 7:30 am when there would likely have been dozens crossing.

Mary Christine
Mary Christine
March 26, 2024 10:05 am

rest of text

which can control anything from GPS data to engine revs and rudder control. If the lights on the ship went out and it rammed full speed, they may have been trying to reset the power and regain control. This could have also just be evidence of the hackers taking control of even the lighting systems (impeding the crews response to stop the ship by flashing lights). This threat profile has been known since at least 2014/2018/ 2022, since there are free white papers out there in those times alone (not to mention what cleared groups get to see). AIS data shows it sped up and changed course materially to hit the bridge support. (Purple line is original heading just before the bridge).

Ray Jason
Ray Jason
  Mary Christine
March 26, 2024 11:03 am

Hi Everyone,

The speeding up to hit the bridge does not appear accurate to me. The huge smoke billows from one of the stacks would indicate the captain going full astern at max power to keep from hitting the bridge. Also, it is clearly evident in daylight that he had dropped one anchor to also try and stop the vessel. When you see the ship’s lights go out that could also mean that he had lost steerage and propulsion.

I surely do not rule out some sort of cyber sabotage especially since all ships are so electronically controlled and vulnerable. Imagine a few decades ago someone being able to turn a car off from outside the vehicle. Crazy talk. But now it is indeed possible. Probably, the same principle.

If I was sketching a possible scenario, it might go like this: “Hello American CIA. You want to fuck with our innocent young people, well keep an eye on Baltimore tonight. We are thinking you have lots of other pretty bridges at seaports and they are very crowded at the rush hour, no?”

Here is a useful short video:

Ray

T4C
T4C
  Ray Jason
March 26, 2024 1:04 pm

Thank you Ray for that video and your input.

Mary Christine
Mary Christine
  Ray Jason
March 26, 2024 2:19 pm

The video is interesting, Ray. I get the impression he has no reason to believe the crew was inept or distracted or was necessarily complicit. If it was a cyberattack that caused the power loss, I’m wondering how the attacker would know when to attack and that the ship would hit the pylon?

Ray Jason
Ray Jason
  Mary Christine
March 26, 2024 3:28 pm

I believe it is basic video game level interception of the ship’s steering controls. Sitting in a van near the bridge with a few screens guiding it to its target.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Mary Christine
March 26, 2024 5:07 pm

I agree the loss of power operating in a restricted area turning and aligning for an exit to more open waters is potentially catastrophic . Well there it is !
The tracking by I assume AIS shows a poor alignment to exit the harbor under the Center Span without tug assistance !
The power loss set a scenario that was unrecoverable .
11 years mechanical maintenance on merchant vessels and 33 on medium to big yachts , electronics , generator , air conditioning and refrigeration . Installation repair and maintenance . We started a family and so working marine service on the Chesapeake I was home most every night !
Could the ship been hacked absolutely but I doubt the Captain , crew and pilot had anything to do with it !
Poor bastards could only watch it unfold horrified for those on the bridge

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Anonymous
March 26, 2024 6:08 pm

Ex Coast Guard search and rescue coxswain and boarding officer and I agree with you.

hardscrabble farmer
hardscrabble farmer
March 26, 2024 10:17 am

This is fine.

Container ships have always crashed into bridges.

FWIW
FWIW
  hardscrabble farmer
March 26, 2024 11:25 am

Since the US has no enemies, this is obviously just an accident.

The question I have is, was it a friend or foe?

When the Don shows weakness, the soldiers get ambitious.

MrLiberty
MrLiberty
  FWIW
March 26, 2024 11:43 am

Fried, foe, or insider (CIA, FBI, etc. – not that they are not foes).

Glock-N-Load
Glock-N-Load
  hardscrabble farmer
March 26, 2024 2:49 pm

Maybe it was a vaxident.

RedGranite
RedGranite
March 26, 2024 10:22 am

I read that there were 22 crew members, all from India.

Javelin
Javelin
  RedGranite
March 26, 2024 10:36 am

Hindu India or Muslim India?

RedGranite
RedGranite
  Javelin
March 26, 2024 11:20 am

What’s the difference?

Javelin
Javelin
  RedGranite
March 26, 2024 11:46 am

We haven’t been bombing Hindus for 25+ years?

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Javelin
March 26, 2024 1:01 pm

lol

Harrington Richardson
Harrington Richardson
  RedGranite
March 26, 2024 2:33 pm

Rags hate Hindus more than they hate us. Big difference.

Gaping sphincter
Gaping sphincter
March 26, 2024 10:31 am

Perhaps Nuland should have kept her disgusting Jew mouth shut. Putin’s first cyber shot across the bow. Can’t wait till they collapse the air traffic control system next.

hardscrabble farmer
hardscrabble farmer
  Gaping sphincter
March 26, 2024 10:36 am

We’ll know who was behind it by who they don’t mention.

suziecrittersnatcher
suziecrittersnatcher
March 26, 2024 10:34 am

The first salvo against the US has been sent. It was pretty apparent that the ship turned and then throttled up before contact.

Daddy Joe
Daddy Joe
March 26, 2024 10:38 am

Looks like they may have stolen the script right out of Obama’s movie–with some minor changes. O, I forgot, very few self-respecting TBP ers watched that cinematic signaling.

Horseless Headsman
Horseless Headsman
  Daddy Joe
March 26, 2024 1:56 pm

Didn’t see it. I suppose it was pretty similar?

Anonymous
Anonymous
March 26, 2024 10:40 am

Its clear The ship Lost power. until we Know WHY power was lost we do Not Know if it was a terrorist attack.

FWIW
FWIW
  Anonymous
March 26, 2024 11:32 am

I’m sure will know the complete truth by noon because President Sniffum, Gropem, and Biden is on the job. lol

Harrington Richardson
Harrington Richardson
  Anonymous
March 26, 2024 2:36 pm

These ships also have a backup power system in case of things like this. FUBAR of some type.

RedGranite
RedGranite
March 26, 2024 11:22 am

This is a MAJOR infrastructure hit.
The Port of Baltimore is the major port serving Baltimore and Washington DC. All of the shipping north of the bridge is now trapped in place. No other shipping can get in.

FWIW
FWIW
  RedGranite
March 26, 2024 11:50 am

Just think if it was the Chesapeake Bay bridge. It would close Baltimore and Philadelphia, and Phlly has a lot of naval infrastructure. Do you think the daily drone swarms interrupting operations at Langley AFB have anything to do with this?

suziecrittersnatcher
suziecrittersnatcher
  Administrator
March 26, 2024 12:31 pm

Well that’s not sketchy at all, maybe we need to send more aid so they will leave us alone.

Anonymous
Anonymous
March 26, 2024 12:53 pm

What a cruel doubt, isn’t it!
comment image

Rifles are the Cure
Rifles are the Cure
March 26, 2024 1:00 pm

Giant diesel engines belch huge smoke clouds when they restart.
Partial paralysis of control makes a nice cover story.
Did Maersk just receive the Tesla/Porsche/Onstar treatment?

gmpatriot
gmpatriot
  Rifles are the Cure
March 26, 2024 1:03 pm

Or FULL throttle applied in a HURRY

varnel
varnel
  Rifles are the Cure
March 26, 2024 8:53 pm

I was wondering, when did Boeing start building boats?

T4C
T4C
March 26, 2024 2:40 pm

Of course all this is above my pay grade so comments made here by those that actually work or are retired from this field about what LL said, have more weight. e.g. Sailor Ray Jason and the video he posted

Lara Logan@laralogan

Multiple intel sources: Baltimore bridge collapse was an “absolutely brilliant strategic attack” on US critical infrastructure – most likely cyber – & our intel agencies know it. In information warfare terms, they just divided the US along the Mason Dixon line exactly like the Civil War.

Second busiest strategic roadway in the nation for hazardous material now down for 4-5 years – which is how long they say it will take to recover. Bridge was built specifically to move hazardous material – fuel, diesel, propane gas, nitrogen, highly flammable materials, chemicals and oversized cargo that cannot fit in the tunnels – that supply chain now crippled.

Make no mistake: this was an extraordinary attack in terms of planning, timing & execution.

The two critical components on that bridge are the two load-bearing pylons on each end, closest to the shore. They are bigger, thicker and deeper than anything else. These are the anchor points and they knew that hitting either one one of them would be a fatal wound to the integrity of the bridge.

Half a mile of bridge went in the river – likely you will have to build a new one. Also caused so much damage to the structural integrity of the bottom concrete part that you cannot see & won’t know until they take the wreckage apart. Structural destruction likely absolute.

Attack perfectly targeted.

“They have figured out how to bring us down. As long as you stay away from the teeth of the US military, you can pick the US apart. We are arrogant and ignorant – lethal combination. Obama said they would fundamentally change America and they did. We are in a free-fall ride on a roller coaster right now – no brakes – just picking up speed.”

The footage shows the cargo ship never got in the approach lane in the channel. You have to be in the channel before you get into that turn. Location was precise/deliberate: chose a bend in the river where you have to slow down and commit yourself – once you are committed in that area there is not enough room to maneuver.

Should have had a harbor pilot to pilot the boat. You are not supposed to traverse any obstacles without the harbor pilot.

They chose a full moon so they would have maximum tidal shift – rise and fall. Brisk flow in that river on a normal day & have had a lot of rain recently so water was already moving along at a good pace.

Hit it with enough kinetic energy to knock the load-bearing pylon out from under the highway – which fatally weakens the span and then 50 percent of the bridge fell into the water.

All these factors when you look at it – this is how you teach people how to do this type of attack and there are so few people left in the system who know this. We have a Junior varsity team on the field.

Tremendous navigational obstruction. Huge logistical nightmare to clean this up. Number of dead is tragic but not the whole measure of the attack.

That kind-of bridge constantly under repair – always at night because there is so much traffic and they cannot obstruct that during the day. So concern is for repair guys who were on foot (out of their vehicles) working who may now be in the water – 48 degrees at most at this time of year.

When you choke off Baltimore you have cut the main north-south hazardous corridor (I95) in half. Now has to go around the city – or go somewhere else.

To move some of that cargo through the tunnel you may be able to get a permit but those are slow to get and require an escort system that is expensive and has to be done at night.

For every $100 dollars that goes into the city, $12 comes from shipping. Believe this will cripple the city of Baltimore at a time when they do not have the resources to recover.
1:23 PM · Mar 26, 2024

T4C
T4C
  T4C
March 26, 2024 2:57 pm

Should have had a harbor pilot to pilot the boat.

Don’t know why she says that. From what I understand there was one. This is why I question what she says if she didn’t know that.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  T4C
March 26, 2024 6:04 pm

A harbor pilot knows the harbor, not the ships power system. If they lost power what is the harbor pilot supposed to do?

Goat!
Goat!
March 26, 2024 3:42 pm

The short clip I seen earlier close up, that ship looked like it really made a tight turn to hit that pylon / support.

T4C
T4C
March 26, 2024 3:44 pm
Gaping sphincter
Gaping sphincter
  Administrator
March 26, 2024 4:18 pm

Funny shit

T4C
T4C
March 26, 2024 4:07 pm

She’s is the First Black Woman To Serve As Maryland Port Commissioner. In addition there is one black male Commissioner and 4 Whites on the Commission.

anon a moos
anon a moos
  T4C
March 26, 2024 4:28 pm

What could possibly go wrong!!!

Racist white ships maybe.

Anonymous
Anonymous
  T4C
March 26, 2024 6:02 pm

How do we know she is the first black woman if we can’t define woman or if a man before her now identifies as a woman?

T4C
T4C
March 26, 2024 4:31 pm

comment image

zappalives
zappalives
  T4C
March 26, 2024 5:13 pm

The MLK of course.

T4C
T4C
  T4C
March 26, 2024 5:17 pm
MrLiberty
MrLiberty
  T4C
March 26, 2024 11:26 pm

The George Floyd Bridge of course. Not MLK…he’s all about content of character and other shit they no longer care about.

T4C
T4C
March 26, 2024 4:32 pm

ℕ𝔼𝕆ℕ ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕆𝕃𝕋@NeonRevolt

Was DEI to blame for the bridge, or a cyberattack?

T4C
T4C
March 26, 2024 4:42 pm

comment image

hardscrabble farmer
hardscrabble farmer
  T4C
March 26, 2024 5:35 pm

Funny. About a week ago I was listening to NPR and heard a story about how important cyber security was for ports. They didn’t say why, just stated it as a fact and hailed this EO as being essential for protecting America’s shipping or whatever. I remember thinking what kind of cyber security do ports need that they don’t already have when it comes to their networks, etc. That stuff has been in place since 2001, it’s not like they just thought of it. It struck me as mighty odd, but then so does almost everything on NPR.

Now we know what they were prepping their listeners for.

T4C
T4C
March 26, 2024 5:15 pm
Aunt Acid
Aunt Acid
March 26, 2024 5:35 pm

WAIT! Craneyan master? Auntie’s got it: dictator, and dick piano-player, of Yewcrane follows through on a threat to Zhou Bai Din regarding that $60 billion promised in military aide which is not presently forthcoming from the Imperial City.

Nordstream v 2.0, suckers.

T4C
T4C
March 26, 2024 6:34 pm
Paragon
Paragon
March 26, 2024 6:44 pm

Hyperbolic propaganda clickbait. Don’t forget to donate!

Anonymous
Anonymous
  Paragon
March 26, 2024 7:02 pm

comment image

Original Dan
Original Dan
March 26, 2024 8:38 pm

Capt. Sum Ting Wong

Zulu Foxtrot Golf
Zulu Foxtrot Golf
March 27, 2024 5:12 am

That bridge identified as dominoes.

ZFG, out.

P.S. those trucks identified as acorns. Too bad there werent any cops around to put holes in a cruiser when they fell.