The sailors aboard a tall Mexican ship that collided with the Brooklyn Bridge were engaged in a heartfelt ceremony known as “Manning the Yard,” which is a tribute to the host port.
On Saturday evening, around 8:20 PM, crew members from the Mexican Navy training vessel Cuauhtemoc lined up and released their arms while perched atop a 147-foot mast on the ship, according to NTSB officials.
Shortly after, the ship struck the historic bridge, resulting in some sailors being caught on the damaged mast while others fell back onto the vessel.
This unfortunate incident claimed the lives of two young sailors and left over 20 others injured.
Earlier last week, the Cuauhtemoc’s crew had demonstrated the “yards of the yards” tradition at sea, celebrating its arrival at the South Street port.
The sailors appeared precarious on the beams as they performed their salute. However, dismounting from the rigging can be tricky, and it seems that some of the cadets might not have been fully prepared before the accident occurred.
According to one crew member still on the ship, Mayor Eric Adams mentioned during an appearance on Fox 5’s “Good Day New York” that, “It can give you a real indicator of how high it is.”
NTSB representatives detailed on Monday how events unfolded quickly after the Cuauhtemoc was assisted out of Pier 17 in Lower Manhattan by tugboats.
“At 8:24 PM, the voyage data recorder indicated the radio had requested help from other tugboats near the Brooklyn Bridge,” investigator Michael Young shared during a press briefing.
After two additional requests for help, the ship’s mast struck the bridge at 8:24 and 45 seconds. By 8:27 PM, the ship had come to a halt.
Emergency response teams from both the NYPD and FDNY arrived by 8:30 PM.
The NTSB aims to provide a preliminary report on the incident within the next 30 days, though they cautioned that a complete investigation might take up to two years.
