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Five injured when ferry hits jetty in Hyannis
By adamg on Sat, 06/17/2017 - 10:13am
The Coast Guard reports 55 people - five of them with injuries - had to be evacuated from the Steamship Authority ferry Iyanough when it hit a jetty in Hyannis harbor and wound up on the rocks around 9:30 p.m. on Friday.
A Coast Guard helicopter transported five injured passengers, then returned to lift up 10 other passengers who couldn't navigate the slippery rocks on which the boat wound up.
Six people, including the ferry’s captain, engineer, and Coast Guard marine inspectors remain aboard Iyanough. A tugboat and a commercial towboat company are also on scene.
The Coast Guard will work with the Steam Ship Authority to assess Iyanough’s damage, and ensure safe navigation in the area. The cause of the grounding is under investigation.
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Comments
Talk about embarassing moments
Was the captain's name Hazelwood?
Today's Massachusetts History Lesson
Mind boggling
Injured toll up to 13 per more recent reports, but all have been released from the hospital.
This is an insane accident. The breakwater out there is by far the largest and most prominent navigational hazard in the water (it's a freaking half-mile long!!), and the captains on that route should all know where it is like you know where your home's light switches are in the dark. Judging by the pictures, they weren't particularly close to the end either, because in pictures you can't see the light beacon that's out there at the tip. A friend who used to ply his trade in Hyannis Harbor said they're lucky they didn't scrape bottom if they were that far off course. I cannot wait to find out how on earth this happened. It's truly mystifying.
Reasonable seas, not low tide
It will be interesting to see what if any mechanical failure may have caused or contributed to this. Low tide at 11:42 pm, 0.9 feet.
With the rainstorms, it may have been a visibility issue? But the captain and crew should be familiar with the currents and the location of the jetty.
Ferry aground
I suspect that swirly girl is right about mechanical or electronic issues.
The boat didn't turn. The boat didn't slow down.
The flying term for this is "controlled flight into terrain".
Just Guess, but ...
Just as aircraft, ships have: (a) autopilots that guide the vessel along a path defined by their navigation system, and (b) navigation systems based on GPS.
Aircraft autopilots 'kick out' (disengaged) when under pre-defined difficult conditions. The pilot then has to deal with the situation. The overwhelming majority do so.
An important factor in being prepared to deal with such situations is that U.S. aircraft pilot must 'hand fly' a significant number of landings -- 50% recently.
One wonders: Did a similar situation occur at Hyannis Harbor? Was the captain prepared?