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Admiralty Law Keyed to Maraist
Farrell Lines, Inc. v. Jones
Citation:
530 F.2d 7 (1976)Facts
On November 7, 1972, at 9:36 PM, the Steamship AFRICAN NEPTUNE departed from Brunswick, Georgia, and proceeded down the East River. The vessel needed to make a 50-degree turn to port to navigate through the 250-foot wide draw of the Sidney Lanier Bridge. The bridge crew consisted of two pilots, the master, a watch officer, and a helmsman. As the vessel approached the bridge, the pilot ordered a 20-degree left rudder, but the helmsman erroneously turned the rudder 20 degrees to the right. Although the error was detected shortly afterward and emergency measures were taken, the vessel struck the bridge at approximately 9:49 PM, killing ten people and injuring ten others. The district court found that Farrell’s procedures were inadequate, citing insufficient personnel on the bridge, the watch officer’s dual responsibilities, and improper positioning of the rudder angle indicator, which prevented prompt detection of the helmsman’s error.
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