Is it true that red falcon overspeed?

Answer 1

Speed of the vessel approaching Town Quay

As Red Falcon proceeded to the north of an imaginary line from Hythe Pier, through the Weston Shelf buoy to the Weston shore, she entered an area in which the Southampton harbourmaster required vessels not to exceed a speed over the ground of 6 knots without his permission (Southampton Harbour Byelaws 2003 7(1) (c) (i) refers). The vessel's speed at this time was 12 knots. The harbourmaster had not given the vessel, or the others on this route, specific permission to exceed the general speed limit, but it should be noted that these vessels have routinely operated through this area at speeds in excess of 6 knots for many years.

As Red Falcon approached Town Quay, her chief officer remained at the controls, it being part of their usual routine for him to conduct this berthing of the vessel.

As the vessel passed the outer end of Town Quay, the chief officer transferred the control to the starboard bridge wing console and began to reduce the forward pitch of what, he assumed to be, both the Voith Schneider units. In fact, with the units desynchronised, he was only reducing the pitch on one of the two units, while the other, forward unit, remained operating at full ahead pitch. The chief officer had routinely reduced the vessel's speed at this location in the past and was, at this stage, looking at the various visual marks on Town Quay, which he used to judge when to turn the vessel towards the linkspan.