Two crew members assigned to a Mexican Navy training ship were killed and 20 aboard were injured following a late Saturday collision between the tall ship and the Brooklyn Bridge, according to a statement from the service.
The masts of tall ship ARM Cuauhtémoc (BE-01) struck the underside of the 142 year-old bridge while underway on the East River, according to a statement from the Mexican Navy. Of the 20 injured 11 are in critical condition and nine are stable, according to the statement.
Following the collision, the injured were taken to Pier 16 in Manhattan for triage before being treated in local hospitals.
Local officials said that around 8:20 p.m., the 1,662-ton three-masted training ship suffered an unspecified mechanical failure ahead of the collision with the bridge. Video of the collision shows the training ship sailing backward. Cuauhtémoc is equipped with a diesel engine capable of moving the ship at 7 knots, according to Jane’s Fighting Ships.
The training ship was moored at Pier 17 just south of the Brookyln Bridge, had been hosted by the South Street Seaport Museum since May 13 and was preparing to depart for Iceland, according to local officials.
Cuauhtémoc was underway with 277 people aboard, including 147 cadets from Heroica Escuela Naval Militar, according to a report in Mundo Deportivo. The cadets were on an annual cruise aboard the training ship, which left from its homeport in Acapulco on April 6, according to the report. Cuauhtémoc was at the start of a 15 nation tour that included Jamacia, Cuba, Iceland, France and Scotland.
