According to the New York Post, A Mexican Navy tall ship slammed into the Brooklyn Bridge, killing two and injuring 17 in a spectacle of chaos and mechanical failure. The Cuauhtémoc, a training vessel for cadets, lost power and drifted into disaster on Saturday night. Progressive dreams of global goodwill tours clearly don’t account for basic engine maintenance.
On May 17, 2025, around 8:30 p.m., the Cuauhtémoc, carrying 200 of its 277 crew, mostly cadets, crashed into the bridge’s road deck, shearing off its 147-foot masts. The ship, built in 1982 in Spain, was in New York to promote the Sail4th tall ship event for America’s 250th birthday in 2026. Mechanical failure left it at the mercy of the current, a stark reminder that even noble intentions can’t outrun physics.
The collision claimed two lives, including 20-year-old cadet América Yamilet Sánchez, and left 17 injured, two critically. “She’s about to crash,” an unidentified witness gasped in footage, capturing the horror as the masts toppled. Leave it to a woke celebration of “global unity” to end in tragedy when basic competence falters.
Elijah West, a witness at Brooklyn Bridge Park, saw sailors clinging to the collapsing sails. “People were hanging from the sails,” he said, describing a scene of panic as police boats raced to the rescue within five minutes. Yet, the swift response couldn’t undo the damage of a ship left adrift by its own failures.
First responders scoured the waters but found no crew members had fallen in, a small mercy in the chaos. The damaged Cuauhtémoc was guided to the Manhattan Bridge and now sits idle at Pier 16, with plans to relocate to Pier 36. One wonders if the Mexican Navy’s “commitment to personnel safety” includes functional engines.
Injured crew members were rushed to nearby hospitals, while the Brooklyn Bridge, sustaining only minor damage, has reopened. Fire officials warned of traffic delays near New Dock Street and Water Street, a headache for Brooklynites already weary of grandstanding events. Actions, as always, have consequences.
The Cuauhtémoc was on the third stop of an eight-month global voyage, with ports like Jamaica and Iceland on the itinerary. This year’s cadet class, the largest ever at 175, took on extra duties after 40% of the regular crew was left behind. “We just keep getting more and more people!” said Lt. Sg. Hugo Calvario, the ship’s orthopedic surgeon, apparently unaware that overcrowding doesn’t fix steering.
“We had to leave almost 40% of the crew to take on more cadets,” Calvario added, a decision that likely stretched the ship’s resources thin. The Mexican Navy’s statement admitted a “mishap” caused “damage to the training ship,” halting the cruise. Transparency is great, but competence would’ve been better.
“During the sailing maneuver… a mishap occurred,” the Navy claimed, as if a catastrophic crash were a minor hiccup. They’re now “reviewing the status of personnel and equipment” with local authorities. Perhaps they’ll also review why a 43-year-old ship wasn’t better maintained.
Ismari Romero, at Pier 17, recalled the joy before the crash: “We were celebrating… singing.” Then, she said, “a lot of people were screaming, a lot of people were crying.” The shift from festivity to fear underscores how quickly progressive photo-ops can spiral into disaster.
Aya Asan, a 33-year-old photographer, thought the ship might hit the park. “I saw people hanging there,” she said, describing the surreal sight of sailors dangling from broken sails. The woke obsession with symbolic gestures like tall ship parades ignores the real-world risks they entail.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Asan added, echoing the shock of onlookers as sirens blared. A tug boat eventually stabilized the Cuauhtémoc, but not before the damage was done. Maybe next time, they’ll prioritize function over fanfare.
Retired Navy Capt. Alfred S. McLaren was “dumbfounded” by the incident. “Why didn’t they use a rudder one way or another? One of the first things I would have done is drop my anchor,” he said. Indeed, his critique cuts through the Navy’s vague excuses, exposing a failure of basic seamanship.
Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed deep sadness over the deaths, a sentiment that rings hollow when her Navy’s negligence led to the loss. Originally, the Cuauhtémoc was set to join 30 Class A tall ships in the 2026 Harbor parade, a plan now in jeopardy. Clearly, good intentions don’t steer ships.
Ultimately, the crash is a sobering lesson in accountability, one that transcends borders. As the Mexican Navy scrambles to salvage its reputation, New Yorkers are left with the cleanup and the grief. Hopefully, future goodwill tours come with better engines and fewer cadets left to fend for themselves.
