FIRE IN THE HOLE! | Baltimore to Blow the Key Bridge Off MV Dali 

My uncle used to say “most problems can be solved by application of a sufficient amount of explosives.” He was Navy UDT.

Those bridge workers are the accidental unsung heroes of this tragedy. The Maryland State Troopers were able to shut down traffic so quickly because they were sitting at the ends of the bridge to slow down traffic for the bridge workers.

@2:04 - The ship is certainly down at the bow because of the 4000 ton truss on it, but that’s not the only reason. They’ve actually purposefully ballasted forward (and even filled some of the forward voids) to keep it nose down and hopefully keep it grounded when the charges go off. Hopefully that means when the weight suddenly comes off it’ll stay down and not have the bow swing towards the channel, and they can do a controlled refloat when ready and they know the path is clear.

As an engineer, I would contend that as much (or more) engineering expertise goes into controlled demolition than the original design.

This is the best decision for the safety of the work crews. Heavy structures twisted and at odd positions are very difficult to understand the loads and stresses. Steel under stress/ load can do unexpected things, when the steel is cut and the load/ stress changes. Large structures also have an enormous weight, which can squash a person like a bug. No need to add to the death toll. No need to make an already dangerous job worse.

Great photography! Thanks for taking the time to share those images.

Americans working together. Can't beat it ! Brings tears.

You answered my question at the end. In the beginning you were dubious about the Unified Command. It’s a good man the can put his hand up and say they were wrong. Pleased that the bridge workers families are now able to get some closure. As always an accurate and informative piece, thanks Sal.

Americans send out their heartfelt thanks to all of those who are involved in the removal of the damaged bridge and the construction of the new bridge. Please be safe, everyone!

Amazing progress with the salvage operation. Excellent update Sal.

Those men, and the bridge maintenance they were doing, was the reason only six people died in this accident. If they had not been working that night, the police would not have been onsite to close the bridge before the ship hit it. We'll never know just how many lives were saved because of them.

God Bless the 6 lost lives!!!...:& their families...RIP!!! 😔✨

Juan Browne of the Blancolirio channel brought me here.

Sal using his platform to recognise all the workers, including those six people killed in the bridge collapse and the crew of the Dali but also the people out laying(?) buoys, unglamourous but necessary and useful work. I come for the shipping news, but I stay for the humanity.

Thanks for your awesome coverage. I'm a Navy Brat and I just wish my Dad could have watched this...He'd be glued to the screen. 😉

EVERY time you talk about the bridge on the Dali, I think you are talking about the ship's bridge, not the road bridge. It just lasts a second but it jolts me. Why would you want to blow the . . . Oh, yeah, that bridge. I've been watching this from the beginning and it still gets me every time.

The phrase you thought you'd never use in shipping "It's time to blow the bridge." But then, who ever thought we'd have a 4 lane major bridge laying on a cargo carrier in the middle of the United States.

Controlled Demolition, one of the premier companies in the world, will be doing the blasting of the weakening cuts being made. This will sever all the cuts to make more manageable pieces of the superstructure. More work for the giant claw. BTW Controlled demolition is a Phoenix Maryland company.

I had the pleasure of working under Captain O'Connell in Boston. He is a very reserved , and astute Officer. The CG and the Port of Baltimore are fortunate to have him as the COTP. As always Sal great video, thanks for what you do.

Shout out to Practical Engineering for talking about Sals channels.

Sal is one of the finest lecturers in the world. Better still, few people realise that he is also related to Flat Eric.

All workers are essential. You are the very best, Sal!

Those really are superb photos. Beautiful photography. Thanks for showing these to us Sal. 👍🏻🇬🇧

Thank you for these updates. Good to hear that all the casualties have been recovered. Great to hear facts not spin.

Such beautiful pictures, thanks.

"Kaboom?" "Yes, Rico, kaboom."

worked at a large scrap yard. saw lots of bridge trusses that were cut by demo charges. for stuff that big ,it's safer to use cutting charges. THEN use the big grappel and cranes.

Little booms? No big booms? Boom enthusiasts are giving this 2 out of 5 stars.

The pictures are Amazing. Glad all the workers have been brought home 🙏🙏

Linear shaped charges are like magic. It's just an extruded triangular copper sleeve filled with serious puddy. They'll cut through like 3"+ of steel with, like you said, a very large fire cracker amount of fanfair. They form a line explosively formed penetrator and literally unzip whatever they are up against. They are also directional and short range, so very little overall impact. The blast blankets are just there to catch the copper and steel spatter really. Instant, simultaneously fired cutting torches🤘

Thanks for the shout out to the CG ATON crews! The most under recognized mission in the CG.

I am glad that you keep reiterating 'Closure' that's very important . Also I think that using 'cutting charges' is the most rapid way of clearing the wreckage from the Dali . The safety radius will probably range between 500 to 1000 Meters and will occur during hours of low traffic and Human activity. Keep up the great work Sal!

Amazing recovery & salvage operation. Thank you for providing insight to this Airman (yours truely). 'Terrible events make us stronger and gives the older generation of Seamen the chance to show the younger/next generation of Seamen what it takes to plan, survive and successfully recover from a disaster. Seeing this event makes me ponder: Why don't High School Education & Career Counselors at least brief if not push students toward the U.S. Coast Guard, Merchant Marine or Military Academy(s) and/or to the civil engineering and operational skills education provided freely by all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. ... God bless the fallen highway workmen: It appears that they were mostly first generation immigrant citizens, which is respectfully impressive and should give all of us a moment of "pause, reflective thought and inspiration" for a part of of what makes the USA unique, strong and very very special.

Sal, I'm glad you were able to give good news here. To those folks working on the Dali, the bridge, reopening the channel and recovering the loved ones, Thank You.

Another great product Sal! I do have to agree with you that my first impression of the unified command for this project was skeptical at best, I am extremely impressed on how smoothly this has gone and proud to see ALL of our skilled engineers, divers and operators who have made it happen.🎉🎉🎉

Thanks Sal. Glad all ur videos so clear. ❤ from South Africa

Thanks for the update

I amazed at how much has been done so quickly. Congratulations to all involved and thank you Sal for your insight and explanations.

Thank you for keeping us posted with the progress.

Thanks for the informative update. We sail out of Baltimore in June.

I know right? Photos are amazing. I'm grateful for the info about and photos of the Dali's captain. Plus the regular updates on the FBI investigation

I thought I saw Burl Ives in one of the pictures! Fantastic coverage, every morning as soon as the pot is hot I look for you on You-Tube and Majorcan Mullet. In my 37 years sailing on the Chesapeake I went under the bridge on the way in and always took my guest to show them the red white and blue buoy.

I wish Peace and Comfort to all the Families and Friends of those who Lost their Life. My Condolences to all of You.

Best Coverage online!!! Thanks, Sal!

The Dali Crew: Was a piece on a Baltimore network today about the crew. It seems when the FBI raided the vessel, they took all the crew's phones and computers...and kept them. So those poor guys are having trouble accessing their bank accounts to pay their bills etc. Apparently, they are mostly Indian so I at least hope the Indian Embassy is intervening on their behalf, but there was no mention of that. Sheesh, that sorta sucks. Can't post links but the write-up was on the WBAL online news site, if anyone is interested.

Marylander here. The bay is literally in my back yard. I really appreciate your videos!

Love the work you do, respect from Manchester (UK) :)

Good news Sal. Months after finding your channel and taking in your amazing content, I am now comfortable properly pronouncing your surname. 😄

You are the man! NC represent! And I loved you in Breaking Bad.

You do a great job with ths stuff. Excellent, easy to follow narration. Kudos, Sal.

Sal, thank you for your excellent sharing of this monumental task! Searching for missing personnel is an arduous task on land with collapsed buildings here hamper by debris in water. A very dangerous situation exists for the searchers. No issue on being critical about 1 chief running the show. We are all taught that way. I am amazed of the extend of headway made by all parties involved.

Recalling the exploding whale. Explosives to remove the bridge - what could possibly go wrong?

"You Were Only Supposed To Blow The Bloody Doors Off ..."

Great content Sal! May the men lost in this horrific event rest in peace!🙏

Amazing that the knowledge and expertise exists to analyze, plan, and execute a controlled demolition project of this size and complexity on the water. I tip my hat to ALL of the personal involved

Gotta love shaped charges, useful stuff.

Great report!

The "Little Puffs of Smoke" is actually the lead paint being pulverized so make sure you are upwind if you're going to watch it in person.

The orange blast points are interesting. Looks like they are going to chop it up into "tiny" (40'-100') pieces, at least near the boat. All of those cuts are going to take a long time. I wonder if the cuts are going to be "simultaneous" or if there is going to be a noticeable delay built in.

Thank you for keeping us updated. 🙌🇺🇸🕊🕊🕊

I'd love to see a comparaison of an after 6:06 picture, after demo, v.s. the simulation, for scientific reasons, of course...

This demolition plan is some high tech stuff. Nothing simple or risk free about it. All these parties are true heroes to accomplish all that has been done in such a short time!

Have truly enjoyed your commentary and insite on this tragedy, thanks so much!

Glad to hear from you. ❤

more like: Fire in the Hold !!

great shirt with map of Hawaiian Islands.

You're videos are educational and easy to follow. Just fantastic!!

Excellent update, thank you sir! PS - production value solid :)

Once the bridge is removed and the ship can be docked, will cargo removal be the first step order of business? Just wondering what happens to that cargo in the filled containers after such a long period of time, ie does it become property of the various insurance companies, does it default back to the shippers, is it forwarded on to the intended port of call on another vessel? Given the amount of cargo these ships can move, there is probably a lot of paperwork involved after an incident like this.

I wonder what will happen to the Dali when the weight of the bridge section suddenly is removed. Does it come up from the bottom and what would be the side effects of that sudden movement?

Thanks for the update, Sal. Thanks for all you do.

Thank you for the update.

When? Can I watch?

Is CDI going to do it. They have the best videos.

Excellent reporting, Sal! Been interested in this topic since Captain Philips, the n EverGiven and now this! Your perspective is sexond to none!! Thanks

Hi Sal, did you know two of the ferry boats from the Chesapeake Bay the Gov. Nice and the Gov.Oconner were sold to Washington State and ran across Puget Sound for about another 50 years. Thank you for your great work keeping us up to date around the world.

Blow it off? Crazy man, crazy. That sounds like Army EOD.

ZeroDay Vulnerabilities need to be better protected by the ship’s ETO. I’m not blaming the crew for this exploitation but tune up your security.

Very good coverage! Thank you Sal!

Thanks for the update Sal.

I found your channel shortly after this horrible accident. Growing up on Cape Cod (not far from WHOI, and directly across the canal from MMA) I’ve always been interested in maritime history and the industry in general. I’ve been following along with your coverage and I really appreciate your knowledge and insight. Thanks Sal!

As a woman, who loves boating when I was younger, still would if I had acess to one! This bridge recovery keeps my interest up! Sounds like alot of all you guys are doing a fantastic job reporting this news! And I want to thank each and every one of you! Great job to all involved!

Great episode Sall!! You're awsome n great pics also. Thankyou n all!!

I'm a volunteer on a dive SAR team. Doing any search and rescue/recovery is tough enough, doing so under water is even harder. Doing it under water with sharp metal all around is insane.

Thanks for your honesty to praise the work of the Unified Command. I also was sckeptical of a concept that I have seen fail at times because no one wanted to take responsibility and authority together. Perhaps it is the administrative lingo that kept me aback. in anycase it is important to give praise when praise is due.

Glad to hear that all of the lost souls have been recovered.

Amazing what shaped charges can do. Pretty amazing what the Army Corps of Engineers can do in conjunction with all of the salvage companies and their trained crews.

Thanks so much for the updates.

Thanks Sal. I thought 10 days was too soon. The step by step is fascinating. Thanks for the new bridge projections, too!

Cleanup is going surprisingly well

you sure can't beat American engineering. hats off to all you guys involved.

The mind boggles at so many things to be considered. So much skill. Great photos.

You're the best! I always love your content and the Minorcan Navy's.

Thanky Cap'n Sal....

Love how you give credit the various people.

Now if it were around April Fools a sneak peak video about the planned demolition then embedding the famous old footage from Washington of them “removing” the beached whale would make an excellent satirical April Fools joke about the planned use of controlled demolition. But alas it’s May and it’s a serious topic so excellent coverage, as always.

Thanks for the video. I appreciate more your fabulous narration of what is happening and what is planned.

Using shaped linear shaped charges you can cut through beams pretty cleanly. They are used to sever drill pipe in oil wells all the time.

Thanks for the update Sal

Thanks for the updates on this tragic accident. Much appreciated.