Reminiscenses of the Staten Island Ferry

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

I used to live in Staten Island, a stone's throw from the ferry terminal. It was a great time in my life, I was working at the Coast Guard station on Governor's Island, I had freedom to roam the harbor at will and free transportation back and forth to work.
I knew a lot of the guys that worked on the ferry, they were very friendly to the Coast Guard guys, since we regulate them. I hope none of them get jammed up in this mess.
I was suprised by the ammount of damage to this boat. This thing is made of serious steel for heavy duty use. Many times I have hung over those rails where people now lay dead and were mutilated.
I don't know how many people have an idea of the size of this thing.
The Barberi is 300 feet long, and, unlike the other ferries of that size, does not carry cars.
Lots and lots of passengers, day in and day out. Very safely, too. Through ice, storms, wind, rain, fog, snowm, and blistering heat 24/7/365.
How this happened is a mystery to me too.
The wind, being strong from the west today, should have set the ferry more out to the harbor. Perhaps that is what saved them from an even bigger disaster. It appears the ferry struck a dock which is usually used for off-duty vessels, not the actual slip. As I said, the wind would be coming from shore straight down that dock. Go figure.
I grieve for the dead, pray for the injured and the crew, who must be going through tremendous recriminations now.
New York can't just catch a break, huh?

[Sequoia]

1. I'm sorry

and now I heard that the captian tried to commit suicide. Poor people who were hurt and died. So very sorry New York, prayers to you.

[BurtWorm]

4. Sounds like the pilot had problems

and was intending to crash the ferry into the port. Something went wrong with him just before the crash. The whole story is painful.

[Awsi Dooger]

2. I took the Ferry two months ago

And this really is stunning. If any mass transit ride I've ever been on seemed so tranquil and free from possibility of disaster, it was the Staten Island ferry. I was on the top back right for most of the journey, then relocated to front right near the end. Exactly where the collision came.

Usually while visiting NY I will just get on the Ferry because it's too late in the afternoon to visit the Statue of Liberty, but I want a little trip on the water with wind in my face. Then I'll walk around Staten Island for an hour or two, grabbing a sandwich or pizza at one of the little shops, before returning via the Ferry.

[dreissig]

3. The Barberi

The Barberi is one of the "new" ferries. It doesn't have a screw, it has something like webbed feet. It bounces as it moves over the water, something the engineers were unable to correct. It took a special technique to be able to read a newspaper on board the Barberi.

I do not know the facts of what happened, but this is what I speculate: The boat was headed towards the dock at its usual speed but this time it did not go into reverse as it's supposed to. Maybe the Barberi's unique propulsion system failed. Instead it clobbered the pier next to the dock. These boats are very heavy and they have a lot of momentum.

The boat's master is going to prison because his blood will test positive for alcohol. The City is very unforgiving when there are fatalities. He's totally ruined because the City will put the entire blame on him, even if the fault was the propulsion system that failed to go into reverse.

About 10 years ago a train driven by a train operator with cocaine traces in his hair went off the track at a place notorious for derailments. The City claimed the train operator was operating at a reckless speed because of cocaine. He's now in prison.