Mexican Navy Tall Ship Crash Probed by NTSB

A preliminary NTSB report states that the Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc was moving backward, contrary to pilot instructions, when it struck the Brooklyn Bridge on May 17, 2025, resulting in two deaths and 19 injuries among crew members. Despite commands to proceed slowly forward, the vessel accelerated astern for reasons still unknown, causing its stern and all three masts to hit the bridge and leading to damage exceeding $500,000. Commands from the docking pilot were relayed to the crew in Spanish, but this did not prevent the accident. The incident was witnessed by bystanders and widely recorded on video, and left the ship in need of major repairs. Investigators are considering mechanical failure or communication breakdown as possible contributing factors, and a final report may take more than a year to complete. The Cuauhtémoc had just embarked on a long international training voyage at the time of the crash.