OK, to balance out my conspiracy theory on the hard right turn of the ship into the bridge support, I've done more reading. It seems high tide was about 5 hours prior to the collision, so the current was flowing outbound. The crew is alleged to have dropped at least one anchor to slow the ship's travel. If that anchor on the bow caught enough to drag, the current would carry the stern out toward the channel, achieving the same apparent hard right turn. The momentum of the ship, in addition to the current pushing it, would carry it forward into the support column.
Does that get me off the conspiracy theorist list now?
Does that get me off the conspiracy theorist list now?