On the evening of 17 May 2025, a momentous accident occurred in New York: the Mexican sail training ship "Cuauhtémoc" collided with the famous Brooklyn Bridge. Two crew members of the Mexican navy were killed in the collision and 19 other people were injured. A total of 277 people were on board the 297-foot-long training ship at the time of the accident. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has now published initial details on the course of the accident.
Course of the accident
According to the preliminary report of the NTSB The accident began at around 20:16 when the "Cuauhtémoc" cast off from Pier 17 in Manhattan. In addition to the crew, a sea pilot and a harbour pilot were also on board. The captain assured the pilots that the ship's propulsion and steering were working perfectly. The time of departure was chosen to coincide with the slack water period at 20:11, when the current is at its weakest. The weather conditions were good, with westerly winds of 10-15 knots and clear visibility.
At 20:19, the tug "Charles D. McAllister" assisted in casting off. The harbour pilot gave commands to reverse. These commands were translated into Spanish by the captain and passed on to a crew member on the lower deck. He then relayed the instructions to the crew on the bridge, where they were carried out. Between 20:20 and 20:22, the ship moved backwards away from the pier.
The "Charles D. McAllister" began to press on the starboard bow of the "Cuauhtémoc". The stern of the "Cuauhtémoc" began to swing in the direction of the Brooklyn Bridge. At the command of the docking pilot, the "Charles D. McAllister" stopped pushing against the ship, backed away and manoeuvred along the starboard side towards the stern of the "Cuauhtémoc".
When the ship was clear, the harbour pilot gave the order to stop and then to proceed very slowly.
Between 20:23 and 20:24, the vessel's astern speed increased from 3.3 knots to 5.1 knots and the harbour pilot requested assistance from a nearby tug.
Collision with the bridge
When the "Cuauhtémoc" hit the bridge, it was travelling backwards at 5.9 knots (about 11 km/h). The upper sections of all three masts collided with the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge one after the other. The mizzen mast struck first, followed by the main mast and finally the foremast. After the collision, the ship continued to drift backwards under the bridge. The stern crashed into a quay wall on the Brooklyn side of the East River. The "Cuauhtémoc" moved with its port side along the quay wall, whereby its speed decreased. At around 20:27, the ship finally came to a standstill on the quay wall east of the Brooklyn Bridge. The crew dropped both anchors shortly afterwards.
At around 8.30 pm, boats from the New York police and fire brigade arrived and began evacuating the injured. Late in the evening, the ship was towed to Pier 36 in Manhattan.
Both pilots and the captain of the tug were tested for alcohol and other drugs, all results were negative.
The NTSB emphasises that the investigation into all aspects of the accident is ongoing. The agency is examining the propulsion system, the operational control system, relevant crew experience and training, and operational policies and procedures. A final report determining the cause of the accident could take more than a year to complete.
Damage to the "Cuauhtémoc"
Upon examination of the vessel, investigators found damage including scraped paint on the port side and a bent rudder that had been turned sideways. According to a preliminary assessment by the New York City Department of Transportation, no serious structural damage was found on the Brooklyn Bridge. There was only damage to a maintenance platform and minor scratches in the paint of a bridge span.
The damage to the ship is estimated at over 500,000 dollars.
Background of the "Cuauhtémoc"
The "Cuauhtémoc" is a sail training ship of the Mexican Navy, which is used to train sea cadets. Built in 1982, the three-masted steel ship is powered by a 1,300 hp diesel engine connected to a right-handed controllable pitch propeller. The height of the ship from water level to the highest point was reported to be 158 feet (about 48 metres). The ship set off from Cozumel, Mexico, on 3 May 2025 on a 254-day training voyage with 22 planned port calls in 15 countries. After a four-day stay in New York City, the "Cuauhtémoc" was to sail from Pier 17 to an anchorage in Brooklyn for bunkering before continuing its journey to Reykjavik, Iceland.
