 | | 11:46 - The landing stage still afloat. |
You can drive under or over the River Mersey on the way to work. Perhaps you walk the dog on its banks or take off on your holidays from Liverpool John Lennon Airport right on the shore. It's easy to take the Mersey for granted and regard the river as being purely benign. But the sinking of the Landing Stage at Liverpool's Pier Head is a stark reminder of the power of the Mersey.
I was there when it sank, and it was a surprisingly emotional experience. I arrived at the Pier Head at about quarter to twelve and the southern end was raised high into the air. Walking round the Mersey Ferries office I saw the northern end was largely underwater already. The tide was very high and small waves lapped over the River defences soaking the shoes of careless bystanders.
 | | 12:19 Starting to slip under the Mersey. |
For half an hour or so the landing stage seemed to be steadily sinking, then just before one o'clock it steadied itself and held position for a while. Then at about twenty past one it was moving quickly again. I kept an eye on a CCCTV camera mounted on the landing stage, using it as a reference point to track it's descent. It didn't take long to vanish and soon I was looking for another marker. Suddenly there was a rushing noise from the passageway leading down to the landing stage from the pier head, as the river water surged in. A dozen or so seagulls perched on the roof took off as one and abandoned ship. Not much later there was a load groan of metal under tremendous stress and the security staff and members of the emergency services on hand ordered us all to move back. A small crowd had gathered to spend their lunch break watching the landing stage go under. Everyone seemed to be snapping pictures with digital cameras or mobile phones.
 | | 1:46 All that remains visible at the end |
Now it was only a matter of minutes before all that remained above water was the peak of the landing stage's canvas roof. As the descent slowed down again I turned to look at the clock on the face of the Royal Liver Building and noted that the sinking happened at 1:46. I'd been there for just two hours. I was surprised to learn this isn't the first time this landing stage has sunk. In 1976 the existing landing structure was rusting badly, so this new one was built. During it's opening weekend an inspection port was left open and it sank. Fortunately it was successfully raised and found to have suffered no significant damage. Soon it was back in use and it stayed in service until today when the Mersey took it over once more. | 
