Today marks 48 years since the Lake Illawarra struck two piers of the Tasman Bridge in Hobart, causing over 100 meters of the bridge to collapse into the Derwent River below.
Four cars that were on the bridge at the time fell into the river, leading to the deaths of five people. In addition, seven crew members on the Lake Illawarra, which was hit by falling debris and subsequently sank, also lost their lives.
Miraculously, the occupants of two cars that were left dangling on the edge of the bridge were able to escape the accident.
Casualties could have been much higher had the accident occurred at a time when more people were on the bridge. The collapse of the bridge left Hobart split in two, with residents on the eastern shore cut off from the rest of the city.
In response, ferry services were put into place to connect the two shores, and a temporary bridge was built by December of that year.
A court of marine inquiry found the master of the Lake Illawarra guilty of misconduct of careless navigation and suspended his certificate of competency for six months.
Rebuilding the Tasman Bridge, which officially reopened on October 8, 1977, cost approximately $44 million, with funding provided by the federal government.
The disaster left a permanent reminder of the accident, as only one of the two piers was replaced, carrying two spans instead of the original three.
