Baltimore Bridge Wreckage Impacts US Military, Deployment Ships Trapped

New information has developed in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, as four support ships belonging to the U.S. military’s Ready Reserve Force are caught behind the wreckage of the destroyed bridge that collapsed after a mysterious incident where a vessel crashed directly into the load-bearing support of the bridge, leaving the military cargo ships unable to respond to any emerging threats they may be needed for. 

The Ready Reserve Force is considered essential for quickly deploying U.S. forces around the globe, so, these four ships being unusable is a consequential result of an already costly disaster.

The development is significant for several reasons, with one being the sudden reports of ships losing power and hitting or nearly hitting other important bridges in the country. And this specific incident, which resulted in the tragic deaths of six construction workers, has impacted the logistics of the U.S. military.

Upon the collapse of the bridge, all four ships were in harbor, with maintenance being conducted on two of the cargo ships.

Apart from the four U.S. ships, seven other cargo ships are trapped behind the bridge’s remains, not only causing economic damage, but also impacting the ability of the military to use those ships in place of the four Ready Reserve Force ships now left useless to any needs that may arise. 

The Daily Mail reports that defense experts have warned that the U.S. military, due to these circumstances, may rely on civilian cargo ships in the event of a crisis — but they can’t rely on these ones.

Efforts to remove the container ship that brought down the bridge are currently underway, with President Joe Biden visiting the scene and meeting with the families of the six deceased workers.

Given the heated situations across the world and the U.S. involvement in so many of them, it’s a terrible time to have our military ships trapped behind the wreckage of a destroyed bridge.