New York and federal officials have begun an investigation into why a Mexican Navy ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday. About four minutes after the Cuauhtémoc left Pier 17 with the intention of traveling south, the vessel drifted in the wrong direction and its soaring masts struck the iconic 142-year-old structure. The accident left two sailors dead and more than a dozen crew members injured. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Sunday announced that a “multidisciplinary” team is conducting a safety investigation.
The NTSB said it will provide an update during a media briefing on Monday afternoon.
On Sunday, New York City Emergency Management held an interagency meeting about the crash with the mayor’s office, fire department, police department, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Economic Development Corporation, and the MTA.
Commissioner Zach Iscol also met with a representative from the vessel’s insurance underwriters to ensure all recovery actions “proceed responsibly and transparently,” according to NYC Emergency Management.
Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of Transportation said there were no signs of structural damage to the Brooklyn Bridge.
“We are praying for everyone on board and their families and are grateful to our first responders who quickly jumped into action, ensuring this accident wasn’t much worse,” Adams said in a post on X after the accident. “Following our preliminary inspection, we can confirm that the bridge sustained no damage and is now open to the public.”
The 300-foot-long Cuauhtémoc was built in Spain in 1981 and then acquired by the Mexican government for use as a training ship at an academy of the Mexican Navy.
The ship set sail from Acapulco on April 6, intending to spend eight months making stops around the world, including in Jamaica, Portugal, Spain, and more. The ship was docked in Lower Manhattan for four days, from May 13 to May 17, open to the public for tours of the unique vessel.
On Saturday night, the ship left Pier 17 to head south out of New York Harbor and bound for Iceland as its next stop. NYPD officials said the ship likely lost power as it departed, and strong currents and winds made it drift north, striking the Brooklyn Bridge four minutes after departing.
However, a maritime expert told the Times the ship’s propellers may have been running in reverse as a tugboat attempted to escort it out of a pier.
As part of a sign of respect when a ship enters a port, sailors were “manning the yard,” or standing evenly spaced on the yards holding the sails. Several videos of the crash showed the three 147-foot masts snapping, with sailors hanging from the rigging ropes on the broken masts.
Two of the 227 people on board were killed, and 22 people were injured. The victims of the crash were identified by Mexican officials as América Yamileth Sánchez Hernández, 20, and Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos, 23.
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated.
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