Washington State Ferry aground

[Jeff Thomas]

https://www.king5.com/article/news/loca ... 6d860fcf6e


MV Walla Walla ran aground off Bainbridge Island. Doesn't sound like any one is badly hurt, but their Saturday night is messed up for sure. They saying the announcement over the PA system was "we've lost all power and steering, brace for impact." Not want you want to hear. People on the boat are saying it hit pretty hard.

[David Newton]

The question then becomes: if they'd lost all power how was the PA system still working?

[jemhouston]

I'm pretty in my three trips to the Seattle, I've taken that route four times. Going on the ferry is a must do for my Seattle trips.

[Jeff Thomas]

Next time you come up, holler. In addition to the ferry, if you haven't been there you need to visit one of the coast defense forts. My wife will tell you that I will accept any opportunity to do that.

[jemhouston]

Fourth trip is hold until Seattle gets less crazy.

[Micael]

The question then becomes: if they'd lost all power how was the PA system still working?

Probably not all power, but that which was required for propulsion control. Ships usually have an emergency battery circuit for alarms and such beyond the one which runs off the generators.

[David Newton]

Yeah, but they said "all power". That means all electrical power of any kind, backup batteries included. That might well not have been what they meant, but it's what they actually said. Far, far, far too often we see careless phraseology like that distorting what people say. It's an extremely bad and lazy habit and it's very detrimental to things when it happens.

[Jeff Thomas]

I've only heard of that version of the announcement from one passenger that managed to get the attention of the media. In other words it is very possible nobody in authority actually said that.

The good news is everybody got off OK, and they got their cars back the next day. I'm hearing reports that most of the ones that had to get to the east side of Puget Sound drove the long way around.