Mexican Training Ship Strikes Brooklyn Bridge — What Happened?

A Mexican naval training ship, the Cuauhtémoc, collided with New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge during its global goodwill tour. This incident resulted in two fatalities and multiple injuries. The ship had set sail from Mexico with a crew of 277 and was bound for Iceland after docking briefly in Manhattan.

Authorities say the Cuauhtémoc experienced a mechanical failure that caused it to lose power and drift in reverse toward the Brooklyn side of the East River. Its 158-foot-tall masts exceeded the bridge’s 135-foot clearance, leading to a severe impact that snapped several masts and caused chaos on deck.

Victims identified in the crash include cadets America Sanchez and Adal Maldonado, both of whom had been training on the ship for nine months. The Cuauhtémoc, built in Spain in 1981, is a vessel dedicated to naval education and international outreach, having visited over 20 countries as part of Mexico’s diplomatic missions.

Investigations are still ongoing to determine the full cause of the crash, but early reports point to steering failure and difficult water conditions as key factors.