Hood Canal Bridge

Floating bridge across Hood Canal, Washington (state).

At a glance

Source	Author	Role	In one line
The Hidden Engineering of Floating Bridges	Wesley Crump	subject	This floating bridge in western Washington has truss spans for small craft and hydraulic lift sections for larger ships, sometimes opening for Navy submarines from nearby Naval Base Kitsap.

The Hidden Engineering of Floating Bridges — Wesley Crump (2025)

Source: Original · Readwise highlight

In February 1979, a severe storm caused the western half of the Hood Canal Bridge to lose its buoyancy. Investigations revealed that open hatches allowed rain and waves to blow in, slowly filling the pontoons and ultimately leading to the western half of the bridge sinking.

• Role: subject
• In the article: This floating bridge in western Washington has truss spans for small craft and hydraulic lift sections for larger ships, sometimes opening for Navy submarines from nearby Naval Base Kitsap. In February 1979 a storm let rain and waves in through open hatches and the western half sank, forcing a temporary ferry service for nearly four years while it was rebuilt.
• Why it matters: One of Washington’s two sunk floating bridges and the example for movable spans for navigation.