The Mexican Navy's training ship Cuauhtémoc, which collided with the Brooklyn Bridge last month, was moved across the East River to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for repairs earlier today, as reported by Gothamist. The relocation prompted the temporary closure of the southern stretch of the river to traffic, affecting NYC Ferry routes including Astoria, Soundview, South Brooklyn, and East River services.
The extensive operation to relocate the damaged ship was overseen by multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, which enforced a safety zone between the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, and according to ABC7NY, the NYPD, mayor’s office, and Mexican government coordinated efforts to ensure the transfer was smoothly executed, causing disruptions from approximately 6:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. but city emergency management officials reported that operations were successful with about 70 sailors being transported to the pier from the shipyard smoothly using MTA buses.
Crowds witnessed the tragic event on the evening of May 17, when the Cuauhtémoc's mast made a catastrophic contact with the iconic New York structure, resulting in the death of two sailors, Cadet América Yamilet Sánchez and Sailor Adal Jair Marcos, and injuring several others; fortunately, there were no casualties on the bridge itself. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been actively investigating the accident, revealing the Cuauhtémoc had been underway for less than five minutes at the time of the crash, and had distress calls made only 45 seconds before the impact, as ABC7NY reported.
Brian Young, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator, shared details of the timeline at a media briefing stating, "The Cuauhtemoc backed away from a Manhattan pier filled with cheering people at 8:20 p.m. on Saturday, U.S. officials said. Four minutes after the ship left, a radio call went out asking for help from any additional tugboats in the area, followed by other requests for assistance," just before the three masts of the ship snapped against the bridge and though the Brooklyn Bridge managed to escape major structural harm, officials confirmed that at least 19 of the ship's 277 sailors required medical treatment. The Cuauhtémoc, which was launched in 1982 and often used as a diplomatic vessel, had arrived in New York City five days before the accident as part of a global tour and had been welcoming visitors at the South Street Seaport, as ABC7NY noted.
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