The ARM Cuauhtemoc sail vessel was visiting New York in preparation for the 250th anniversary of America’s independence in 2026.
A sail training vessel of the Mexican Navy collided with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday evening.
Video from the scene shows the ARM Cuauhtemoc’s three tall masts, decorated with lights, toppling after they struck the underside of the bridge’s road deck.
The New York Post cited fire officials and its own sources as saying that multiple members of the ship’s 277-person crew had been injured. The newspaper also reported that rescuers were pulling people from the water. Multiple sailors were stationed on the masts when the vessel struck the bridge.
New York Mayor Eric Adams later told reporters that at least 19 people were injured, including four in critical condition.
“The status of the personnel and material is under review by naval and local authorities, who are providing support,” the Mexican Navy said on X.
According to the Latin Times, the barque’s crew likely misjudged the height of its 171-foot masts in relation to the bridge’s 127-foot clearance at high tide.
Fabien Levy, a spokesman for the mayor, said there appeared to be “no signs of structural damage” to the bridge.
In an absolutely stunning modern metaphor a ship blaring Mexican music and flying a massive Mexican flag just got destroyed by the Brooklyn bridge.
Can’t make it uppic.twitter.com/AUJy0q3oFB
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 18, 2025
The vessel was on a goodwill visit in preparation for an international parade of sailing ships in New York Harbor marking the 250th anniversary of America’s independence next year.
Another view of the Mexican tail ship crashing into the Brooklyn Bridge pic.twitter.com/XVmwRYxFaI
— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) May 18, 2025
Sink-o de mayo 😕
Imagine IF they had nuclear subs….
Reminds Me of the General Belgrano
Many of the crew members aboard the ARA General Belgrano were young conscripts
The ARA General Belgrano was an Argentine Navy light cruiser that was originally commissioned as the USS Phoenix by the U.S. Navy
It saw action in World War II before being sold to Argentina in 1951
During the Falklands War, the General Belgrano was torpedoed and sunk by the British nuclear-powered submarine HMS Conqueror on May 2, 1982
The attack resulted in the loss of 323 lives, accounting for nearly half of Argentina’s military deaths in the war The sinking was controversial because the ship was outside the 200-mile exclusion zone declared by the British at the time of the attack.
The Belgrano was struck by two Tigerfish torpedoes, causing severe damage
The event remains one of the most debated moments of the Falklands War, with arguments over whether the attack was necessary or if it hindered peace negotiations
Another enduring Thatcherite legacy now slowly engulfing consuming and scuttling the UK as it slips beneath the murky waters of its own demise past and failure
First mate: “How high is that bridge?”
Captain: “Hauhai you say? I thought it was the Brooklyn bridge.”
Bridge? What bridge? No bridge here.