SS AFRICAN NEPTUNE: COLLISION WITH THE SIDNEY LANIER BRIDGE AT BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA ON 7 NOVEMBER 1972 WITH LOSS OF LIFE. MARINE CASUALTY REPORT

On the evening of November 7, 1972, the SS AFRICAN NEPTUNE departed the State Docks at Brunswick, Ga. About 13 minutes later, the ship struck the Sidney Lanier Bridge at a point about 350 feet south of the channel centerline. Three sections of the bridge and 10 vehicles waiting to pass over the span fell into the river. As a result, 10 persons died and 11 were injured, and the bridge, part of U.S. Route 17, was closed to highway traffic for about 6 months. Repair costs amounted to about $1,300,000. Damage to the ship was relatively minor. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the collision of the SS AFRICAN NEPTUNE with the Sidney Lanier Bridge was (1) the failure of the helmsman to apply the correct rudder in response to two helm orders; (2) the failure of the third mate, master, and pilot to discover the first error; and (3) the delay by the third mate, master, and pilot in detecting the second error.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Prepared in cooperation with National Transportation Safety Board, Washington, D.C.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20594

  United States Coast Guard

  2100 Second Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20593
• Publication Date: 1974-5-22

Media Info

• Pagination: 41 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridges; Crash investigation; Crashes; Fatalities; Human error; Water transportation crashes
• Old TRIS Terms: Bridge collisions; Ship casualties; Ss african neptune
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Marine Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00057829
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: USCG-NTSB-MAR-74-4
• Files: NTIS, TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 19 1978 12:00AM