Honestly, New York City has seen some weird stuff, but watching a massive, three-masted tall ship reverse straight into the Brooklyn Bridge wasn't on anyone's 2025 bingo card. It happened on a Saturday night in May. May 17, to be exact. One minute, people were eating dinner in DUMBO and snapping photos of the sunset; the next, they were hearing the sickening "crunch" of 160-foot steel masts snapping like toothpicks.
The ship was the ARM Cuauhtémoc, a gorgeous sail training vessel from the Mexican Navy. It had been docked at South Street Seaport for a few days, letting tourists wander the decks and basically acting as a floating piece of Mexican culture. It was supposed to be a "goodwill tour." It didn't end with much goodwill.
The Night the Mexican Ship Hit the Brooklyn Bridge
It was about 8:20 p.m. when the Cuauhtémoc started its departure. The ship was headed for Iceland next. There were 277 people on board, many of them young cadets just learning the ropes of professional seafaring.
As the ship backed out from Pier 17, something went south. Or rather, the ship went north. It was supposed to turn and head toward the open sea, but instead, it started picking up speed in reverse—going the wrong way toward the bridge.
Why the Masts Snapped
If you've ever walked the Brooklyn Bridge, you know it's high, but it’s not that high for a ship with masts that reach 50 meters (about 160 feet) into the sky. The bridge clearance is about 135 feet.
Math isn't your friend here.
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When the ship hit, the results were devastating:
- The main mast, foremast, and mizzen mast all struck the underside of the bridge.
- The top sections of the masts—called the topgallant and royal yards—collapsed instantly.
- At the time of the impact, the ship was moving at about 6 knots (roughly 7 mph). That sounds slow until you realize it’s a 1,800-ton steel-hulled ship.
The worst part? Tradition. When these tall ships leave a port, the cadets often "man the yards." This means they stand on the horizontal spars of the masts, sometimes hundreds of feet up, to wave goodbye. When the collision happened, several cadets were still up there.
What Went Wrong? (The Mechanical Mystery)
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Mexican Navy spent months looking at this. Initially, Mayor Eric Adams mentioned a "mechanical mishap." Basically, the captain reported losing power or control of the rudder.
However, investigators noticed something weird in the videos. There was a wake behind the ship. This suggests the propellers weren't just "coasting"—they were actively pushing the ship backward.
"It does indicate that the ship is coming astern and actually driving itself toward the Brooklyn shore and the bridge," one maritime expert noted during the early briefings.
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Whether it was a "blackout" where the controls froze in reverse or a simple, tragic human error in communication between the bridge and the engine room, the result was a runaway ship that a single tugboat couldn't stop.
The Human Toll
This wasn't just a "fender bender" with a landmark. It was a tragedy.
Two young cadets lost their lives that night: América Yamilet Sánchez, only 20 years old, and Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos, 22. América was an engineering student at the naval academy. She fell from the masts when the impact occurred.
Nineteen other sailors were injured. Some were left dangling from their safety harnesses high above the East River as the masts crumbled around them. It took the FDNY and NYPD Harbor Units to get everyone down and stabilized.
Is the Brooklyn Bridge Safe?
This is the question everyone asks after a 300-foot ship plays bumper cars with a 142-year-old bridge.
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The short answer: Yes. The NYC Department of Transportation did a full inspection. They found minor scrapes and some damage to the "traveler rails"—the little tracks underneath the bridge that workers use for maintenance. But the actual structure? The massive stone towers and the cables? They didn't even flinch. The bridge was designed to handle way more than a training ship's masts.
What Most People Get Wrong
You'll see people online comparing this to the Baltimore bridge collapse with the MV Dali. Honestly, they aren't even in the same league.
The Dali was a 95,000-ton container ship hitting a support pylon. The Cuauhtémoc was a "lightweight" in comparison, and it hit the deck of the bridge, not the supports.
Also, despite what some early social media posts claimed, the ship didn't sink. It was towed back to a pier in Manhattan (Pier 36) for repairs and for the NTSB to begin their investigation.
Practical Takeaways from the Incident
If you're a maritime enthusiast or just someone who follows NYC news, there are a few things to keep in mind about how these accidents change things:
- Tugboat Requirements: Expect stricter rules for "escort tugs" in the East River. One tugboat wasn't enough to pull the Cuauhtémoc back once it started its reverse surge.
- Ceremonial Procedures: The tradition of "manning the yards" in tight, high-traffic waterways is being heavily scrutinized. It’s a beautiful sight, but when things go wrong, the cadets are incredibly vulnerable.
- Bridge Maintenance: The traveler rails on the Brooklyn Bridge are being repaired through 2026, though traffic on top of the bridge hasn't been impacted.
The Cuauhtémoc eventually returned to Mexico for a full refit. It’s a sad chapter for a ship that was built to represent "peace and goodwill," but it’s a reminder that even in a harbor as modern as New York's, the water and the wind still hold the upper hand.
For the most accurate updates on the final NTSB report, you can check the official NTSB Marine Accident database using the incident date of May 17, 2025.