2003 — Oct 15, Ferry Andrew J Barberi hits pier, St George Terminal, Staten NY– 11

lornajarrettblanchard October 15, 2003

— 11 Memories of Staten Island. Staten Island Tragedies.

— 11 NTSB. MAR. Allision of Staten Island Ferry Andrew J. Barberi… 2005, Abstract, p. ii.[1]

— 10 Post Standard, Syracuse, NY. “Staten Island Ferry Crashes, Kills 10,” Oct 16, 2003, p. 1.

Narrative Information

NTSB MAR: “About 1520 on October 15, 2003, the Staten Island Ferry Andrew J. Barberi, owned and operated by the New York City Department of Transportation, was near the end of a regularly scheduled trip from Manhattan to Staten Island when it allided[2] with a maintenance pier at the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Fifteen crewmembers and an estimated 1,500 passengers were on board. Ten passengers died in the accident and 70 were injured. An eleventh passenger died 2 months later as a result of injuries sustained in the accident….

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the assistant captain’s unexplained incapacitation and the failure of the New York City Department of Transportation to implement and oversee safe, effective operating procedures for its ferries. Contributing to the cause of the accident was the failure of the captain to exercise his command responsibility over the vessel by ensuring the safety of its operations

“The Safety Board’s investigation of this accident identified safety issues in the following areas:

Actions of assistant captain and captain.
New York City Department of Transportation oversight of ferry operations.
Medical oversight of mariners.
Safety management systems.
Potential contribution of navigation technology to the safety of ferry operations.

“As a result of its investigation, the Safety Board makes recommendations to the New York City Department of Transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard, the States that operate public ferries, and the Passenger Vessel Association.” (NTSB. Marine Accident Report. Allision of Staten Island Ferry Andrew J. Barberi, St. George, Staten Island, New York, Oct 15, 2003. 3-8-2005, p. vi.)

Oct 16: “New York – A Staten Island Ferry slammed into a pier as it was docking Wednesday, killing at least 10 people, tearing off victims limbs and sending passengers leaping into the water, officials said. At least 43 people were injured.

“The pilot responsible for docking the vessel, fled the scene immediately after the crash, went to his Staten Island home and attempted suicide by slitting his wrists and shooting himself with a pellet gun, a police official said on the condition of anonymity.

“Authorities, after interviewing another crew member, were investigating whether the pilot was asleep at the wheel as the boat approached land, a law enforcement source said the 310-foot ferry, carrying about 1,500 passengers, plowed into the enormous wooden pilings on the Staten Island end of its run from Manhattan, reducing the front of the mighty boat to a mass of shattered planks, broken glass and twisted steel.

“The pilot, identified as Assistant Capt. Richard Smith, 55, left the scene so quickly that he left behind his keys, and was forced to break into his home, the law enforcement source said. He was rushed to the same hospital as many of the victims and underwent surgery.

“According to police officials, Smith appeared to be taking the boat in at a dangerous angle and a high speed. Yet when his captain yelled to him to correct the situation, one police official said, Smith did not respond. “He yells out to the pilot — “Richie!’ he yells to him — and he is unresponsive,. ” The official said “He is sitting down. He’s unresponsive. The captain goes over and tries to take control of the ferry and it hits the pier.”‘

“The crash happened on a windswept afternoon, with gusts over 40 mph and the water in New York Harbor was very choppy.

“`Everyone just jumped for their lives,’ rider Bob Carroll told TV Station NYI. ‘It was like an absolute horror….The whole side of the boat looked like an opener on a car.’

“Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at least 10 people were killed and 43 injured, making it New York’s worst mass-transit accident in nearly a century….

“The National Transportation Safety Board convened an accident investigation team, which will look at the weather, among other possible factors. The ferry’s crew is being interviewed and tested for drugs and alcohol….

“Approaching a mooring is a dangerous task especially for Staten Island ferries, which carry more than 3,000 passengers. Crew members must negotiate a narrow space, made especially risky in windy weather, as waves swirl against the dock, knocking the ship against the sides….” (Post Standard, Syracuse, NY. “Staten Island Ferry Crashes, Kills 10,” Oct 16, 2003, p. 1.)

Sources

Memories of Staten Island. Staten Island Tragedies. “1871: July 30.” Accessed 11-27-2010 at: http://oldstatenisland.tripod.com/s_i__tragedies.htm

National Transportation Safety Board. Marine Accident Report. Allision of Staten Island Ferry Andrew J. Barberi, St. George, Staten Island, New York, October 15, 2003 (NTSB/MAR-05/01). Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted 3-8-2005. Accessed 10-9-2015 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MAR0501.pdf

Oxforddictionaries.com. “Allide.” Oxford University Press, 2015. Accessed 10-9-2015 at: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/allide

Post Standard, Syracuse, NY. “Staten Island Ferry Crashes, Kills 10,” Oct 16, 2003, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=28606797

[1] Notes: Ten passengers died in the accident…An eleventh seriously injured passenger died 2 months later.”

[2] From maritime law this is when a vessel hits or collides with another which is stationary, or with a stationary object or structure. (Oxforddictionaries.com. “Allide.” Oxford University Press, 2015.)