Federal investigators have released new information regarding the tragic incident that occurred last month when a Mexican Navy tall ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. The sailing vessel, named Cuauhtémoc, was moving backward at a speed exceeding 6 mph when the collision occurred on May 18. The incident resulted in the deaths of two crew members and injured more than a dozen others in a dramatic scene along the waterfront.
While the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has yet to establish the cause of the collision, they have issued a preliminary report that highlights key details leading up to the crash. It is expected that a final report may take over a year to complete.
Among the findings detailed in the preliminary report, investigators noted significant damage to the ship, including scraped paint on the left side and a bent rudder positioned sideways. Furthermore, local harbor pilots engaged in maneuvering the Cuauhtémoc communicated commands in English, which were subsequently translated into Spanish for the crew. However, the report does not attribute any conclusions to this information or its connection to the collision.
Just over an hour before the accident, a sea pilot boarded the 297-foot-long training ship at approximately 7:02 p.m., followed by a local harbor pilot around 7:45 p.m. The ship’s captain assured the pilots that all propulsion and steering systems were functioning properly.
As the sequence of events unfolded, the Cuauhtémoc was untied from the dock at 8:16 p.m. Three minutes later, the tugboat Charles D. McAllister assisted in maneuvering the ship away from the pier. The docking pilot instructed the vessel to move backward, a command acknowledged by the captain, who then had it translated into Spanish for a crew member on a lower deck.
This crew member relayed the orders to those operating the navigation bridge, allowing the commands to be executed. Between 8:20 p.m. and 8:22 p.m., the ship proceeded backward and cleared Pier 17. Following this, the docking pilot signaled for the ship to move forward very slowly.
However, as the tugboat pushed against the front right side of the Cuauhtémoc, the rear of the vessel began to swing towards the Brooklyn Bridge. Upon receiving instructions from the docking pilot, the tugboat ceased pushing, reversed, and attempted to maneuver towards the back of the ship.
During the final moments before impact, specifically between 8:23 p.m. and 8:24 p.m., the ship’s backward speed almost doubled. When the Cuauhtémoc collided with the bridge, it was recorded traveling at a speed of 5.9 knots, roughly equivalent to more than 6 mph.
The tragic collision resulted in the deaths of two members of the Mexican Navy, and while previous reports indicated that the ship lost power and mechanical function prior to the incident, the exact cause remains unconfirmed. Eyewitnesses captured the moment the ship’s masts, embellished with lights, crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge. Shockingly, crew members were seen dangling from the masts after the collision.
In light of the incident, New York authorities reported that the bridge itself sustained no serious damage as a result of the crash.
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