Mexico’s Navy Chief Issues Statement Following Accident
When the Cuauhtémoc, Mexico’s iconic naval tall ship, collided with the Brooklyn Bridge last Saturday night, the world watched in stunned disbelief as towering masts splintered like matchsticks against one of New York’s most famous landmarks.
But even more chilling than the dramatic footage of the crash—showing sailors desperately clinging to rigging as their vessel’s superstructure crumpled—was the calm silence that preceded it: no distress calls, no last-minute alarms, only a quiet request for support that now echoes ominously in hindsight.
According to Mexico’s Navy chief, Admiral Raymundo Morales, the Cuauhtémoc was being maneuvered by a port pilot who had very little room—or time—to halt the vessel before it reached the low clearance of the bridge.
The ship, docked a short distance from the span, found itself in a critical window where decisions and seconds collided. Whether all preventative measures were exhausted remains a question U.S. investigators are now meticulously dissecting. As Morales put it: “We cannot speculate at this time.”
The toll: two young cadets lost their lives, and more than twenty others sustained injuries, several of them serious. But amidst the tragedy, a sliver of hope—none of the 277 people onboard were thrown into the river. And despite the chaos, the crew maintained enough control to avoid a broader catastrophe.
Now the Cuauhtémoc, once a celebrated ambassador of the Mexican Navy and victor of prestigious sailing competitions, is under scrutiny. Built in Spain in 1981, the vessel has long been a symbol of maritime pride, not just for Mexico but for the global sailing community.
That legacy now pauses, awaiting the findings of a month-long investigation that will look into possible mechanical failures and the precise role of the assisting tugboat.
President Claudia Sheinbaum and Admiral Morales emphasized full cooperation with American authorities and the ship’s insurance investigators. Meanwhile, two cadets—still hospitalized—are expected to recover, and the bodies of the fallen have already been returned to their families in Mexico.