Officials are investigating what caused a Mexican Navy tall ship to veer off course and strike the Brooklyn Bridge on May 17, killing two sailors and injuring more than a dozen others on board.
Videos shared online captured the training vessel Cuauhtémoc sailing toward the iconic bridge, which connects the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan. The ship’s 147-foot masts, which were shining bright with decorative lights, couldn’t clear the arched bridge and were sheared off upon impact.
Naval cadets dressed in white uniforms could be seen dangling from the ship’s crossbeams. Meanwhile, bystanders at one of the suspension bridge’s bases, located near New York City’s South Street Seaport, fled in terror.
Of the 277 on board, two were killed and 22 were injured, including three who were seriously hurt, the Mexican Navy said on social media.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the @SEMAR_mx training ship Cuauhtémoc incident at the Brooklyn Bridge, the U.S. Ambassador in Mexico said in a post on X. “We are monitoring closely and are in touch with the Government of Mexico via @SRE_mx to provide support as necessary. You have our full support.”
What caused the crash?
The cause of the collision is under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board launched a “go-team” to the site.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the Cuauhtémoc lost power just before crashing into the bridge at about 8:20 p.m. ET. Decorative lights remained illuminated on the ship’s mast as it struck the bridge.
The crash came a little over a year after the Dali, a 984-foot-long cargo ship, lost power while departing Baltimore’s harbor and smashed into the Key Bridge, killing six people and destroying critical infrastructure.
Ship was heading the wrong direction
The training ship arrived at New York’s Pier 17 and was open to the public to visit from May 13 to 17, according to the Mexican Consulate in New York.
The Cuauhtémoc was supposed to head south out of the New York Harbor and on to Iceland, but it went the wrong direction and sailed under the bridge, officials told The New York Times and the Associated Press.
The Brooklyn Bridge, a popular tourist attraction that was completed in 1883, sustained no major damage, New York City transportation officials said. Traffic reopened in both directions after a preliminary inspection.
What is the Cuauhtémoc?
Cuauhtémoc is a 300-foot long, steel-hulled three-masted barque launched in 1982, according to a recent fact sheet from the ship’s handlers. The ship, named after the last Aztec emperor, and her crew are a diplomatic symbol of Mexico abroad, according to the fact sheet.
Contributing: Gabrielle Banks and Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY; Reuters
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mexican ship headed wrong way before deadly Brooklyn Bridge crash
The post Mexican ship was headed the wrong way before crashing into Brooklyn Bridge, killing 2 appeared first on USA TODAY.
