MOUNT PLEASANT , S.C. (WCIV) — Visitors aboard the historic destroyer U.S.S. Laffey got an unexpected scare Thursday when the ship’s access walkway — known as the “brow” — detached from the pier at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. About 30 guests and volunteers were on board at the time. First responders from Mount Pleasant Fire Department helped safely escort everyone off the ship. No injuries were reported.
What Happened?
According to Patriots Point Chief Operating Officer Chris Hauff, the brow did not break or collapse, it simply moved beyond its extension range as the ship shifted in the water. “Nobody was hurt. The brow just went from off the ship into the water on a hinge. It didn’t break,” Hauff explained.
The incident happened as guests were learning about the Laffey’s role in a historic 1945 kamikaze attack during World War II. The ship, which is permanently docked as a museum, naturally moves with wind and water conditions. “That brow has different hinges and wheels so that it can move depending on where the ship goes along with the ship,” Hauff said. “Yesterday it moved a little farther away than the brow can extend, and the brow came off the ship and just hinged down into the water.”
Hauff noted that officials are still determining exactly what caused the ship to pull slightly farther from the pier. “We’re trying to determine what caused the ship to pull away from the pier a little bit more. It could have been the heavy winds. It could have been a wave that pushed it off, but it’s typical that it moves back and forth and a brow lays on the deck so that it can go up and down.”
Rescue Response
Because the brow is the only way on and off the ship, some visitors were temporarily stranded. Out of an abundance of caution, museum officials called in the fire department to oversee the evacuation. “We did have some people stranded on the ship because there’s only one way on and off with that brow,” Hauff said. “We thought the best, most safest route is to call the Mount Pleasant Fire Department and ask them with their expertise with safety to make sure that we get everybody off the ship safe.”…