>This post is still open to interruption
"the best spy will be everyone's best friend, not a shadowy figure in the corner." Stanislav Lunev.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Lunev
>It was intentional the captain wanted to hit the bridge support
There were two local pilots on board.
The United States Supreme Court summarized the Pilot's job in an 1851 opinion:
“A Pilot, so far as respects the navigation of the vessel in that part of the voyage which is his pilotage ground, is the temporary master charged with the safety of the vessel and cargo, and of the lives of those on board, and instructed with the command of the crew.”
https://www.mdpilots.com/what-is-a-pilot
What a pilot does . . .
By state law, every ship that enters Maryland waters must have a state-licensed pilot at its helm, steering massive ships from the sea into port. That means that every vessel bound for Baltimore must be met by a pilot at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, where she or he takes command of the ship. Throughout this voyage, pilots steer their ships through a 50-foot deep channel, with sometimes as little clearance between the bottom of the ship and the bottom of the Bay as three feet. Once the ship reaches the Key Bridge, a docking pilot takes over the helm and brings the ship into its berth in the Port.
Pilots are licensed for their work by the State of Maryland and governed by the Board of Pilots appointed by the governor. In addition to being excellent ship handlers, pilots must be completely familiar with local water depths, winds, tides, currents, and hazards such as reefs and shoals.
https://port.thinkport.org/workingattheport/explore/pilots.asp