Massive sailing vessel collides with Brooklyn Bridge in dramatic NYC crash caught on camera

May 20, 2025, 08:49 PM

I'm a fan of these tall ships as national naval training vessels. My avatar for decades has been the Libertad, the Argentine Navy training ship, leaving the harbor in Dakar, Senegal under full sail in 1968. Brings back memories.

July 01, 2025, 11:48 AM

PASig

The NY Post has an updated artice today:

Mexican navy ship inexplicably went backwards before deadly crash into Brooklyn Bridge: officials

quote:

After four days in port at Pier 17 in South Street Seaport, a sea pilot boarded the Cuauhtémoc and a local docking pilot arrived to guide the vessel safely out of the pier. Weather conditions were smooth and visibility was clear, the report said.

The docking pilot gave directions for the Cuauhtémoc to move its rear, “which were acknowledged by the captain, translated to Spanish, and relayed to another crewmember on the deck below,” the NTSB stated.

The vessel began to back out of Pier 17 and the Charles D. McAllister, a tugboat, was ordered to reposition the ship so that it would be facing the ahead direction.

“Once clear of the slip, the docking pilot gave a stop command, gave a dead-slow-ahead order” and ordered the McAllister to push the right side of the Cuauhtémoc so that its rear was facing the Brooklyn Bridge.

That’s when the navy ship suddenly picked up speed from 3.3 knots to 5.9 knots — similar in speed to miles per hour — and slammed into the iconic, heavily-trafficked bridge as horrified witnesses watched...

July 01, 2025, 02:05 PM

CPD SIG

quote:
Originally posted by PASig:
The NY Post has an updated artice today:

Mexican navy ship inexplicably went backwards before deadly crash into Brooklyn Bridge: officials

I will qualify this statement by saying:
I’m not a professional, but I know enough to get me in trouble.

Boats, ships don’t just “inexplicably” go in reverse.

Something causes boats to move. Current, wind, motor…
Even with its sails down, everything above the water line catches wind in some manner, causing it to move. Im not saying that’s what happened, but SOMETHING caused that ship to move.

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July 01, 2025, 02:16 PM

PASig

quote:
Originally posted by CPD SIG:
quote:
Originally posted by PASig:
The NY Post has an updated artice today:

Mexican navy ship inexplicably went backwards before deadly crash into Brooklyn Bridge: officials

I will qualify this statement by saying:
I’m not a professional, but I know enough to get me in trouble.

Boats, ships don’t just “inexplicably” go in reverse.

Something causes boats to move. Current, wind, motor…
Even with its sails down, everything above the water line catches wind in some manner, causing it to move. Im not saying that’s what happened, but SOMETHING caused that ship to move.

I am starting to wonder if there was a communication issue, the article said the American tugboats were giving the orders which were translated into Spanish. Maybe someone screwed up what they thought they heard?

July 01, 2025, 02:42 PM

CPD SIG

^^^ That’s a possibility.
Gap in communication could be a factor as well.

Sometimes you need things to happen/get done NOW!
But lag in communication- you tell me, I translate on the radio, that captain gets the (possibly wrong) message…