Debris collection onsite after Bay Bridge struck
Nov. 7, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO – A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers debris crew is onsite collecting large sections of a bridge fender system that broke this morning after a container ship struck the Bay Bridge.
The large pieces of wood that are being removed pose a hazard to navigation for recreational and commercial ve
ssels.
Debris collection of hazards to navigation in the San Francisco Bay and its tributary waters is a keymission of the San Francisco District.
On average crews remove 90 tons per month of drift material and clear all areas, fairways, channels, and shipping lanes used for vessel navigation.
The Corps started this work in 1942 after a tragic accident involving a seaplane carrying Navy Admiral Chester Nimitz. While trying to land in the bay, the plane crashed into floating debris and sank, killing the pilot. Nimitz escaped serious injury and shortly thereafter the Corps began its drift collection mission.