Marine Accident Report:
Ramming of the Eads Bridge by Barges in Tow of the M/V Anne Holly with Subsequent Ramming and Near Breakaway of the President of the Casino on the Admiral, St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1998.

This simulation depicts the event on April 4 1998, when a tow of the M/V Anne Holly was traveling northbound on the Mississippi River through St. Louis Harbor when it struck the Missouri-side pier of the center span of Eads Bridge. Eight barges broke away from the tow. Three of the barges struck the President Casino on the Admiral, a permanently moored vessel, causing eight of its ten mooring lines to break. The Admiral then rotated clockwise downriver, away from the Missouri bank. The captain of the Anne Holly disengaged his vessel from the six remaining barges in the tow and placed the Anne Holly's bow against the Admiral’s bow to hold it against the bank. About the time the Anne Holly began pushing against the Admiral, the Admiral’s next to last mooring line parted. The Anne Holly and the single mooring wire that remained attached to the Admiral’s stern anchor held the Admiral near the Missouri bank. No deaths resulted from the accident, 16 of the 50 persons examined for minor injuries went to the hospital for additional treatment. Total damages were estimated at $11 million.

  animation (ASF format; 824K)

This animation was developed using Army Corps of Engineers river data, videotape information, and eye witness testimony. The animation does not depict the actual weather or visibility conditions at the time of the event. The time duration for the animation is approximately 30x real time.