A massive Mexican navy tall ship making a festive visit to New York slammed into the Brooklyn Bridge late Saturday — toppling its huge masts into the deck in a horrifying scene that left 35 injured including four critically, according to fire officials and sources.
A search and rescue operation was underway to pull people out of the water after one of the towering 147-foot masts on the Cuauhtémoc — which has a crew of 277, mostly cadets — collided with the bridge’s road deck just before 9 p.m., sources told The Post.
Sources said 35 people were injured, including four critically — including crew who were seen plummeting into the water, sources and witnesses said.
“The boat was coming under the bridge, and there were sailors on top of the boat, the sails hit the bridge and then people were falling off of the boat sails,” witness Elijah West, a toursit from Texas said. “I believe they were trying to do like a little show. It’s the Mexican Navy. It was crazy, though, yeah. We were standing under the bridge and we all started running. Then I saw people hanging from the sails. Police boats came around fast – about five minutes later.”
It wasn’t claer why it crashed but sources said there may have been a power loss on the ship, which did not have it sail unfurled.
Harrowing footage from the scene showed the high mast slamming the deck of the bridge and crashing dozens of feet below the deck. Other masts then appeared to go down after it.
Terrified onlookers standing under the bridge at a nearby park on the Brooklyn side could be seen bolting from the scene as the vessel headed for the recreational area.
“She’s about to crash,” one startled witness could be heard saying in the footage.
“Oh s–t!”
The mutilated ship is currently idle in the water while emergency responders work at the site. It’s expected to be moved to Pier 36, sources said.
Victims are being transported to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with those in critical condition being taken to a nearby hospital for additional treatment.
Fire officials warned motorists to expect traffic delays and road closures near New Dock Street & water Street in Brooklyn.
The vessel, built in Spain in 1982 with the sole purpose of training cadets, had been in the city as part of a promotion for next year’s Sail4th tall ship event, which celebrates America’s 250th birthday.
The stop is just the third in the vessel’s eight-month voyage around the globe, which offers the Mexican cadets the opportunity to flex their sailing muscles in environments like Jamaica, Iceland, Portugal and more.
This year’s class boasts 175 cadets, the largest class the nation’s navy has seen yet.
“The classes are getting bigger and bigger. We just keep getting more and more people!” said Lt. Sg. Hugo Calvario, the ship’s orthopedic surgeon.
“We had to leave almost 40% of the crew to take on more cadets,” he continued, meaning the trainees have to pick up the slack and take on more responsibilities.
The Post watched earlier this week as they skillfully climbed the dauntingly high ropes and stretched across the towers of the ship’s three masts to conduct what in English is known as “manning the yards” — a universal sign of respect that is done every time a ship enters a port.
It is expected to be one of 30 Class A International Tall Ships that will parade through the Harbor on July 4, 2026.
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