Investigators Reveal Timeline of Mexican Navy Ship Crash at Brooklyn Bridge

By Y.M. Lowy

Investigators have released new details about last month’s crash involving the Mexican Navy sailboat that struck the Brooklyn Bridge. The 297-foot-long vessel, Cuauhtémoc, was moving backward at over 6 mph when it hit the bridge. This accident killed two crew members and injured over a dozen people. Video from the scene showed the masts hitting the bridge, with some crew members hanging from the rigging.

The National Transportation Safety Board has released a report that outlines what happened, but has not yet discovered a specific cause. 

Local harbor pilots gave orders in English, which were then translated into Spanish and relayed to the crew. The ship was backing away from Pier 17 when it suddenly sped up in reverse and collided with the bridge just minutes later. Minutes before the crash, the captain reported that the ship’s systems were functioning normally. After a thorough inspection, authorities said the bridge did not sustain any serious damage in the collision.