On Saturday evening, a collision the 90 metre long Mexican sail training ship "Cuauhtemoc" with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. Two crew members were killed in the accident and 19 others were injured. The ship was just leaving the harbour when it crashed backwards into the bridge at around 20:20. There were numerous cadets in the rigging. The upper sections of the ship's masts buckled in the collision. The National Transportation Safety Board has begun an investigation that is expected to take several months. One focus of the investigation is the role of the tugboat.
Course of the accident
At the time of the accident, conditions in New York Harbour were challenging. The tide had just started to rise and a strong current was pushing up the East River, while at the same time a wind of around ten knots was blowing. Footage from eyewitnesses shows that the assistance of a tugboat was called upon during the casting off manoeuvre. This apparently pushed the bow of the "Cuauhtemoc" towards the sea. The tall ship could actually have left the harbour with forward thrust.
However, the footage shows the ship hurtling backwards into the bridge at far too high a speed. This may have been due to the rising tide. However, stern water can also be seen flowing towards the bow, i.e. from a reverse gear engaged with presumably simultaneous thrust. This indicates that the captain may have lost control of the propulsion system.
Questions about tug escort
Experts are now also asking whether the accompanying tugboat turned away too early and whether it should not have remained moored or accompanied the ship until it left the harbour. However, it was apparently only used as a so-called "pusher" to push the bow around and was not firmly attached to the boat.
In later images, after the accident, the same tugboat is moored alongside the "Cuauhtemoc". It is unclear why it did not appear there earlier. Presumably it was a propeller-driven tug and not one with a so-called rotating POD drive, which would have been much more manoeuvrable. There would not have been enough time for the model used to reach the stern and stop the tall ship from there. Especially as nobody could have expected the "Cuauhtemoc" to have problems with its propulsion.
The further course of events
After the "Cuauhtemoc" drifted through the Brooklyn Bridge and lost its mast tips, it apparently ran aground shortly before the Manhattan Bridge and dropped its anchors at the same time. She was then pulled through the Manhattan Bridge by tugboat and is now moored at Pier 35. The Coast Guard has set up a 46 metre safety zone around the damaged ship to keep the stream of onlookers at bay.
The investigation
Investigations by both the US and Mexican authorities have begun. Results are not expected for months. The smuggling company has so far refused to comment publicly. New York State Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer is calling for the investigation to also look into whether the hiring freeze imposed by the Trump administration has had an impact on the US Coast Guard's staffing levels, security procedures and accident preparedness.
Victims and injured
Among the fatalities is 20-year-old América Yamilet Sánchez from Xalapa in the Mexican state of Veracruz. She apparently fell from one of the masts of the "Cuauhtemoc". The young woman was studying engineering at the Mexican Naval Academy. The second fatality was identified as Adal Jair Marcos, a 22-year-old cadet from Puebla. Marcos, who was in his third year of training at the Naval Academy, was considered a promising officer candidate. His family described him as a passionate sailor who had dreamed of travelling the world's oceans on large ships since childhood.
