Topic starter
15/05/2011 6:48 am
Greetings From Baton Rouge ,
Today , there was yet another casualty brought on by this years record Spring Flood ! At approximately 12:30 , the ARTCO owned and operated triple screw and 10,500 hp , diesel tow boat , M/V American Pillar , with thirty loaded grain barges collided with the upper Baton Rouge Hwy. Bridge on the Lower Mississippi River !
The M/V American Pillar was south bound and had just flanked around Wilkenson Point and was being assisted by another and smaller light tow boat to navigate through the upper bridge , when it is believed that the " head " of the American Pillar's tow was caught by the up stream eddy that was working on the right descending shore and just under Wilkenson Point ! Then it is believed that the American Pillar lost control and collided with the upper bridge's left hand pier and ultimately damaged and partially sunk a number of barges and then remainder of the tow of barges were then sent floating free down through the Baton Rouge harbor !
Fortunately , the free floating barges were rounded up by other tow boats in the area and no other damage ensued !
It was also reported that there was no signs of pollution and no loss of life but this is just another example of how difficult and dangerous it is to navigate the river system under these extreme and adverse conditions !
It also makes me wonder once again just why does the Corps Of Engineers wait to start draining the river BEFORE it reaches such record levels by opening all the spillways and by strategically blowing holes in the levee system ?? Why wait for disaster to happen with the boats and people that work the river and the ensuing economic distress when the process of draining the river could have started much sooner with all the models and predictions that the Corps Of Engineers have at their disposal ??
Just Food For Thought !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
NOBRA 70
15/05/2011 3:22 pm
Ted, I'm guessing they are aiming for balance. Yes, the economic devastation is/will be real, but the devastation to property in other areas must be addressed as well. With this much water, everyone has to make sacrifices. And, as you and most others on this board know, this is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that this bridge has been hit by a tow. With this incident happening coming out of a flank, and with an assist boat, it likely was not as bad as it could have been due to the speeds involved and so forth. I'm sure there will be plenty of grief to go around by the time this is all over with. Let's be thankful no one was hurt and that these were not single-skin oil or chemical barges.
15/05/2011 4:17 pm
Deja Vu All Over Again
During the Great Flood of '73, the worst flood on the Mississippi River, at that time, since the Flood of 1927, I was on the J.PAGE HAYDEN, now the JERRY TINKEY, 6140 HP, with almost as large a tow as the ill-fated AMERICAN PILLAR had. A hot-shot 25-year-old pilot from Federal Barge Lines was at the sticks, and as we were rounded Wilkinson Point, the Skipper, Captain Bill Davis, warned Mr. Know-It-All to "be sure and keep the head of the tow out of the eddy working below the point."
Without fail, the greenhorn pilot failed to heed Bill's advice, and quicker than I can tell it, the tow swapped ends and the head of the tow was where the stern of the HAYDEN should have been. And to everyone's surprise, the crackerjack Federal pilot ran away from the controls and jumped up next to me on the Lazy Bench!
Cap'n Bill, who was known to "make a tow talk", calmly stepped up between the levers, put the engines in reverse, smoothly went through the bridges stern-first, flipped the tow around, and handed the con back to the boy pilot who never again bragged he was a Federal Barge Line pilot for the rest of his time aboard.
That experience later saved my buns on the P. A. DENNY at Marmet Lock, on the Kanawha River, when the DUNCAN BRUCE washed the DENNY off the river wall and sent her heading for the Guard Wall at a potentially fatal pace.
Topic starter
15/05/2011 6:43 pm
Great Story !
Capt. Don !
Great story and just don't you wish you had a camera or for that matter some other recording device !
My point is with the Corps Of Engineers is simply wait for near catastrophic river levels BEFORE anything is done !! They knew this river was coming and they wait , and wait , and wait even longer ! Would it not make more sense to start draining the river early so that these dangerous river stages are NOT reached , for EVERYONE's benefit !! A wise man once said , " Timing Is Everything " , so why wait till the river is about to breach a levee before anything substantial is done to correct the situation ??
Capt. Bob , your point is well taken about everyone must make sacrifices and we all have but No. 1 - the people that farm and live in a recognized and government owned flood plain all knew the risks and THEY chose to live and work in this location ! No. 2 - just think of the negative economic impact that this Spring Flood and the Corps delay to rectify the situation has not only on the states adjacent to the river but for that matter the entire country as well ! No, 3 - what major corporation will come to ANY state located on the river and see first hand that the Corps Of Engineers will not address the river flood situation BEFORE the river threatens to breach a protective levee that they are planning to build behind ?? Does any of this make good safety and economic sense ??
Furthermore , where is the outrage by the public at large that this government , both Federal , State and even local has so chose to put us all in harms way and to jeopardize not only private property but our very lives as well ! Furthermore , why gamble with the WRATH OF MOTHER NATURE ??
Maybe I am missing something , but even before I held any Coast Guard license , we were preached to about safety in general and then we all see first hand that the Corps Of Engineers waits for nearly the last minute to do anything about the impending situation !
Just Food For Thought Folks !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
NOBRA 70
Shipyard Sam;25958 wrote: During the Great Flood of '73, the worst flood on the Mississippi River, at that time, since the Flood of 1927, I was on the J.PAGE HAYDEN, now the JERRY TINKEY, 6140 HP, with almost as large a tow as the ill-fated AMERICAN PILLAR had. A hot-shot 25-year-old pilot from Federal Barge Lines was at the sticks, and as we were rounded Wilkinson Point, the Skipper, Captain Bill Davis, warned Mr. Know-It-All to "be sure and keep the head of the tow out of the eddy working below the point."
Without fail, the greenhorn pilot failed to heed Bill's advice, and quicker than I can tell it, the tow swapped ends and the head of the tow was where the stern of the HAYDEN should have been. And to everyone's surprise, the crackerjack Federal pilot ran away from the controls and jumped up next to me on the Lazy Bench!
Cap'n Bill, who was known to "make a tow talk", calmly stepped up between the levers, put the engines in reverse, smoothly went through the bridges stern-first, flipped the tow around, and handed the con back to the boy pilot who never again bragged he was a Federal Barge Line pilot for the rest of his time aboard.
That experience later saved my buns on the P. A. DENNY at Marmet Lock, on the Kanawha River, when the DUNCAN BRUCE washed the DENNY off the river wall and sent her heading for the Guard Wall at a potentially fatal pace.
16/05/2011 1:03 pm
I'm just glad it was not my decision to make. Yes, The People did ask for these protections after the devastating floods of the 20's and 30's. Yes, the folks who live in these floodways know they may have to move, and I have been telling people that since all the uproar started, first with the New Madrid Floodway and now with the Morganza. Politics is a nasty business. You can never please everyone, yet I believe most politicians really do try to do what they believe is best for all concerned.
Everyone will deal with the situation as best we can. I think that the actions taken by the Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard and the various industry groups will show our commitment, as a country, to a balance of safety, the continuation of commerce and the safety and concern for those in smaller communities that will be affected by the opening of these floodways in these very busy areas. Don't forget, too, the economic impact of the floodwaters in Morgan City, a real hub for both the Louisiana seafood industry and the offshore drilling industry.
Again, I'm glad it was not my decision to make.