The Mexican Navy ship that smashed into the Brooklyn Bridge likely suffered a mechanical failure before it lost power, police said. The gigantic Cuauhtémoc Training Ship, which stands 160 feet tall and had 277 crew members onboard, crashed into the historic New York City bridge around 9 p.m. on Saturday.
Two crew members—whose identities have not yet been revealed—died after falling from the ship’s masts onto the deck. Mexican Navy officials confirmed that 22 crew members were injured, with at least 11 in critical condition, as of Sunday morning. NYPD Special Operations Bureau Chief Wilson Aramboles said the ship likely struck the bridge due to “some mechanical issues.”
Incident Still Under Investigation
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“The captain that was maneuvering the ship lost, I guess, power of the ship,” Aramboles told reporters, noting that the details were still preliminary. A graphic video shared on X appeared to show the large ship losing power and coming to a stop in the water shortly before it reached the bridge.
Records show the ship left the Seaport in Lower Manhattan around 8:20 p.m., alongside a tugboat. Soon after, it was seen rapidly losing control and drifting backward toward the Brooklyn Bridge.
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The vessel was later seen drifting toward the Manhattan Bridge before NYPD and FDNY boats intervened to bring it under control. A senior city official who si part of the ongoing investigation told the Daily Mail that the ship had been heading in the “wrong direction” when it struck the bridge.
According to the official, the Cuauhtémoc was scheduled to stop at a fueling dock in Bay Ridge after leaving that evening, before continuing its journey toward Iceland.
“It was the current that took it under the bridge. It wasn’t supposed to be headed in that direction,” they added.
Captain Lost Control of Ship
The ship’s captain told investigators that he lost control after the rudder—an essential steering component located near the stern—malfunctioned and stopped working. “They had some sort of mechanical issue; they lost power, so without being able to use the rudder, they could not steer,” the official revealed.
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A transportation specialist told the outlet that the ship’s voyage data recorder will be key in finding out what really happened in the moments leading up to the crash.
The device is expected to shed light on the ship’s mechanical functions and pinpoint when power may have failed. It will also likely give investigators vital insight into the vessel’s “control input,” according to Mary Schiavo, a CNN transportation analyst and former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
On Sunday morning, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum sent her condolences to the families of the two crew members who lost their lives.
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“We are deeply saddened by the loss of two crew members of the Cuauhtémoc Training Ship, who lost their lives in the unfortunate accident in New York Harbor. Our sympathy and support go out to their families,” she wrote on X.
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The ship, originally built in Spain in 1982 specifically for cadet training, was visiting New York City as part of a campaign for next year’s Sail4th tall ship celebration, marking America’s 250th anniversary.
The stop is just the third in the vessel’s eight-month global journey, which allows Mexican cadets to gain hands-on sailing experience in destinations such as Jamaica, Iceland, Portugal, and beyond.
This year, the ship carries 175 cadets — the largest training class in the history of the Mexican Navy.
