The concept for PORTS was born following two serious maritime accidents in Tampa Bay, Florida. In May 1980, gale-force winds blew the freighter Summit Venture out of the Port of Tampa shipping channel. The ship struck the Sunshine Skyway Bridge sending a 1,200-foot span into the bay, along with six cars, a truck, and a Greyhound bus, killing 35 people. Earlier that same year, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn collided with an oil tanker in the shipping channel, causing 23 deaths.
It was...