SAPELO ISLAND, Ga. – Records obtained by News4JAX show there were issues with the gangway in Sapelo Island prior to the collapse that killed seven people in late October.
Emails released by the Department of Natural Resources show officials were made aware of a loud popping noise and other issues that were found.
Recommended Videos
The gangway collapsed in late October killing seven people, four of whom were from Jacksonville.
The News4JAX I-TEAM recently reported that in December 2023, an inspection was done by Crescent Equipment Company and it did not report any issues.
“We found no areas of concern to any of the three gangways. All welds visible from the topside are properly placed, and no signs of fracturing were present,” the president of the company wrote in the report. “We did a very close inspection from the bottom side to determine that none of the tack welds that secure the decking legs to the cross member have fractured beyond the few that were originally reported.”
The president ended the report by recommending officials have local personnel visually inspect the gangways “periodically and after any severe weather.”
RELATED | After state officials release records on Georgia dock collapse, expert says gangway ‘should hold 40 people easily’ | UNF engineer says finding who made the materials may help determine cause of Georgia’s gangway collapse
With the help of a UNF engineer, News4JAX went through the gangway collapse records.
In May 2022, records showed a different story from one of the gangways.
An email chain released by the DNR from May 25, 2022, shows the DNR Sapelo Island Manager talking about a loud popping noise.
“I have received two separate reports that Monday/Tuesday of this week there was a crowd of people on the 80′ aluminum ramp at Marsh Landing when a very loud ‘pop’ or ‘crack’ noise was heard. The reports come from UGA employees that are regular riders. We’ve checked the topside welds and are planning to get in a boat and look at the underside welds but I wanted to make you aware of this,” he wrote.
As the email thread continued, the project manager of Centennial Contractor Enterprises, the contractor for the Sapelo Dock Project, stated that someone had inspected the gangway and dock to identify any potential problems, and referred to his report.
“I inspected the bottom of the large gangway this morning as the tide was going out. I did see a few hairline cracks in welds on the deck planks and did notice one crack that seemed to be completely through approximately 15 to 20 foot from the ferry float. I did not see any issues that would make me concerned for the structural integrity of the gangway,” the person who conducted the inspection wrote. “I asked one of the first-hand witnesses to the loud ‘pop’ (Randal with UGA) to describe what he heard and where. He described a loud pop that sounded to him like a weld popping and walked me to the location. It was approximately 15 to 20 foot from the ferry float and on the southern side; exactly where the one weld had cracked completely through.”
Later, the person who made the inspection report said, “I suggest we reinspect the gangway in a few months to see if there is any additional weld failures and if so, decide what corrective actions should be taken.”
News4JAX reached out to DNR officials about the email thread and asked what exactly was done after receiving the reports of the cracks and if there was any work done before the December 2023 inspection.
At the time of this publication, we hadn’t heard back.