A large, towering ship, used as a training vessel for the Mexican Navy, made a stop in New York City as part of the upcoming Sail4th tall ship event, slated to commemorate America’s 250th birthday.
But it had a big problem on Saturday as it appeared to sail right into the Brooklyn Bridge, taking out its masts in the process.
Warning for graphic language:
BREAKING: Mexican Navy training ship Cuauhtémoc crashes into the Brooklyn Bridge. pic.twitter.com/AwmMI9kTHi
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) May 18, 2025
Multiple people were injured when the tall ship’s masts crashed onto the deck.
Emergency responders were engaged in a rescue effort to retrieve individuals from the water following a collision involving one of the ship’s immense 147-foot masts, which typically carries a crew of 277, primarily composed of cadets, with the bridge’s road deck just before 9 p.m., according to sources briefed by The Post.
Witness Elijah West, a tourist visiting from Texas, recounted the incident, stating, “The boat was passing under the bridge, and there were sailors positioned on top of the boat. The sails made contact with the bridge, resulting in individuals falling off the boat’s sails. I gather they were attempting some sort of display. It was the Mexican Navy. It was quite chaotic; we were standing beneath the bridge and suddenly started to run. I observed people dangling from the sails. Police vessels arrived swiftly – approximately five minutes later.”
They are looking into whether there was a loss of power on the ship.
Another view of the Mexican tail ship crashing into the Brooklyn Bridge pic.twitter.com/XVmwRYxFaI
— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) May 18, 2025
Here’s a clip of the cadets who were on the ship on May 13.
Mexican navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc gives New Yorkers a preview of Sail4th event celebrating America’s 250th birthday pic.twitter.com/rcQoMdJQza
— New York Post (@nypost) May 14, 2025
This is a developing story, so we will keep you updated.
