Disturbing video shot from the deck of the pilot schooner No. 5 Elbe immediately before her collision with the container ship Astrosprinter. It appears that the helmsman made the wrong maneuver at exactly the wrong time.
Kurz vor der Kollision mit “No. 5 Elbe” am 08.06.2019
Commentary from NDR.De: The video, which was obviously taken on board the pilot [schooner], shows the “No. 5 Elbe” on the northern and thus wrong side of the fairway sailing high upwind, already on a collision course with the freighter. Shortly before the accident, the command “hard port” is heard – the only right command to avoid the freighter. However, the people at the pilot’s powerful tiller push the tiller in the wrong direction and steer the historic wooden ship directly in front of the bow of the freighter. A fatal mistake.
Confusion over helm command v. rudder command?
Common sense should tell you that ship is not going to jump out of the way! That did not happen fast, they should have been on high alert long before contact. I feel bad for ship captain, he did not need that !
Right after first danger signal the helmsman is giving her right rudder. The camera shows her responding about 20 degrees before they put the helm down all the way to complete the kamikaze turn across the freighters bow. Looks like they were making about 5-6 kts with plenty steerageway. From here it looks totally avoidable but the schooner capt was obsessed with trying to meet port to port. I think they hired the wrong guy to run that vessel.
As a retired Master one appreciates Peter Bradford’s remark the “other ship” Master is usually forgotten about. The video also shows the importance of investigations and not rushing to conclusions by reading one’s crystal ball !
Good Watch