Cuauhtémoc’s collision with the Brooklyn Bridge comes just 16 months after a massive cargo ship plowed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024.

The incident caused the 1.6-mile structure to crumble, plunging cars and people into the frigid water below. The Singaporean-flagged container vessel, named Dali, lost power, veered off course, and smashed into the bridge, killing six construction workers.

The Cuauhtémoc is not the first ship to hit the Brooklyn Bridge.

In 1921, the schooner Edward J. Lawrence hit the bridge while being towed beneath it. In 1935, a German freighter, Tirpitz, struck a steel girder on the bridge, bending three of the ship’s four masts. In 1986, a freighter from South Korea grazed the bottom of the bridge, The New York Times reported.

The voyage data recorder from the Mexican Navy training ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday will provide crucial information about what went wrong, one transportation expert told CNN.

The data recorder will likely provide investigators with information about both the ship’s mechanics, including any “control input” and when power may have been lost, said Mary Schiavo, CNN transportation analyst and former US Department of Transportation inspector general. It may also provide information about the river itself, such as the water’s depth and its currents.

Investigators may already have that information and be in the process of reviewing it, Schiavo said. They will also need to examine whether communication was lost at any point, she added.

Mexico will be involved in the National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the incident, Schiavo said, noting the US agency is used to performing large-scale, international investigations.

The Cuauhtémoc departed Acapulco on the Pacific coast of Mexico on the morning of April 4, according to a news release from the Mexican Secretariat of the Navy.

The mission was “exalting the seafaring spirit, strengthening naval education, and carrying the Mexican people’s message of peace and goodwill to the seas and ports of the world,” according to the release.

Plans for the voyage included calling on 22 ports in 15 countries in 254 days. The crew was scheduled to spend 170 days sailing and 84 days in port, according to the Mexican Navy.

Stops included various Caribbean destinations such as Kingston, Jamaica, and Havana, Cuba, as well as Mexican ports, New York, and cities in the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Iceland, the news release said.

The trip boasted the highest number of women in the crew, with 64 women and 213 men among the 277 members.

The navy said Cuauhtémoc has traveled the oceans and seas of the world for 42 years, with more than 43 generations of “Captains, Officers, Cadets, and Sailor personnel” on board.

The Mexican Navy ship had been docked at the South Street Seaport Museum for five days of public viewing prior to it hitting the Brooklyn Bridge, according to the museum’s website.

A spokesperson for the New York City-area Sail4th 250 events told CNN that the ship “welcomed dignitaries and media” as part of its New York stop on its global tour.

The sailing ship was expected to join the parade of international tall ships to celebrate America’s 250 anniversary on July 4, 2026, the spokesperson said, in what the event is calling “the largest-ever flotilla of tall ships from around the world.”

The Cuauhtémoc ship is a steel-hulled three-masted barque that’s around 300 feet long and 160 feet tall, according to a 2024 press release from one of its training cruises.

Government documents show the Brooklyn Bridge has a navigational clearance of 127 feet.

Video shot by bystanders on Saturday showed the Cuauhtémoc’s masts hitting the underside of the bridge and breaking as the vessel passed underneath, with pieces falling down toward the deck.

Two people have died and two remain in critical condition, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. Everyone is believed to be accounted for, officials said.

The Cuauhtémoc sailing ship was used for training by the Heroic Naval Military School, an elite military academy in Mexico, according to last year’s press release.

Mexico has referred to the ship as a diplomatic symbol of its country abroad.

The ship, as of last year, had visited 212 ports in 64 countries with 756,085 nautical miles sailed, the latter equivalent to making 35 trips around the world, the release said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum sent her condolences to families of the two crew members killed when a Mexican Navy sailing ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of two crew members of the Cuauhtémoc Training Ship, who lost their lives in the unfortunate accident in New York Harbor. Our sympathy and support go out to their families,” Sheinbaum said in a post on X early Sunday.

Sheinbaum said the Mexican Navy is supporting those injured in the incident, and that the Mexican ambassador to the United States and Mexican Consulate General were supporting the navy.

“We are monitoring the situation, and the Secretary of the Navy will continue to provide updates,” she added.

Mexico’s US ambassador was at the scene alongside New York officials late Saturday after the Cuauhtémoc struck the Brooklyn Bridge. The ship had been in New York as part of a global goodwill tour and was departing for Iceland at the time of the incident.

The Mexican Navy training ship that struck the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday was moved to a nearby pier to allow passengers to disembark, according to a law enforcement official.

About 250 people were still on the Cuauhtémoc after its masts struck the underside of the bridge, the official said.

The ship has since been moved to New York’s Pier 36.

Remember: The tall ship was departing from Pier 17 and heading out to open sea en route to Iceland when it struck the underside of the bridge, officials earlier said.

Video of the Mexican Navy training ship shortly after it struck the Brooklyn Bridge shows people hanging from at least one of its masts.

At least one person is seen clinging from a rope on the top-most rung of one mast, while several others on the top two rungs can be seen crawling to the center part of the mast. A few individuals can be seen climbing a ladder to reach those stuck.

On tall ships like the Cuauhtémoc, it is a ceremonial tradition for sailors to climb the masts and rigging when departing or arriving into harbor.

At least two people were killed in the incident, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The two individuals fell from one of the ship’s masts, a law enforcement official told CNN. They were pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital, the official said.

Officials said that nobody has been declared missing.

Flavio Moreira was walking with his family along the Brooklyn promenade when the Mexican sailing ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge.

Moreira said the area was busy with people enjoying the warm Saturday evening. At first, he enjoyed seeing the Cuauhtémoc tall sailing ship in the East River, he said.

“But it just kept coming closer and closer to us, and at some point, I was like, I don’t think that’s right,” Moreira told CNN’s Ben Hunt.

Moreira said there was “a bit of commotion” when the ship’s masts hit the bridge but “also a lot of people started recording like me because it was just such a surreal experience.”

From the shore, Moreira said he could see people on the boat struggling after the collision.

“We could see some people being kind of dragged. There was some, I believe it was some of the staff, they were on the top of the boat. And they were swinging around, back and forth as soon as the ship hit the bridge,” he said.

“The ship was just so close to us, so we could see all those people really struggling to just like holding onto something to… don’t fall from the boat,” he added.

More than 100 fire and emergency medical service (EMS) personnel responded to the scene where a Mexican Navy sailing ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday night, according to the New York City Fire Department.

The NYFD said in an email to CNN it received the call that a ship had struck the bridge around 8:39 p.m. on Saturday.

“Once the marine units arrived on scene, we knew, initially, we knew immediately that we had a serious incident with a boat striking the bridge,” Chief of Training Michael Meyers said in a FDNY post on X.

Dual command posts were set up on the Brooklyn and Manhattan sides of the river and marine units were assisting in the emergency response, Meyers said.

In its email to CNN, the department said personnel from 25 units was deployed, including 106 fire and EMS workers.

“The police, fire and EMS did a tremendous job of working together to get everyone off of that ship safe,” said Meyers.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

At least two people were killed and about 20 injured when a Mexican Navy training ship carrying 277 passengers struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York Saturday night, officials said.

Dramatic video shows the Cuauhtémoc’s masts hitting the underside of the bridge and breaking as the vessel passes underneath, with pieces falling down toward the deck.

What happened: The incident occurred around 8:20 p.m. local time as the captain was departing from New York’s Pier 17. The ship’s masts struck the bridge, breaking on impact and sending debris falling onto the vessel’s deck. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the ship “lost power” and struck the bridge. City officials earlier said “mechanical issues” may have caused the incident, but cautioned all information so far is preliminary. The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation.

Casualties: Mayor Adams said at least two people were killed in the incident. The two individuals who died fell from one of the ship’s masts, a law enforcement official told CNN. Nineteen people were injured, with two seriously, Adams said. The Mexican Navy said a total of 22 people were injured, 19 of whom were taken to hospitals.

The bridge: There was no visible damage to the Brooklyn Bridge, which was left structurally intact by the incident. Traffic was temporarily closed in both directions for about 40 minutes, but was later reopened. Inspections remain ongoing.

The ship: The Cuauhtémoc is a training sailing ship of the Mexican Navy and a diplomatic symbol of Mexico abroad. Known as the “Ambassador and Knight of the Seas,” the ship was in New York as part of a global goodwill tour and was en route to Iceland at the time of the incident. The Cuauhtémoc was built in Spain in 1981 and acquired by the Mexican Navy to train cadets and officers. It regularly takes part in major regattas around the world. It had been docked at the South Street Seaport in New York since Tuesday.

At least two people were killed when the Mexican Navy sailing ship Cuauhtémoc struck the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

“At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries,” Adams wrote on X.

The two individuals who died fell from one of the ship’s masts, a law enforcement official told CNN. They were pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital, the official said.

The ship has since been moved to New York’s Pier 36, the official added.

City officials earlier said “mechanical issues” may have caused the ship to strike the bridge, but cautioned all information so far is preliminary.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

Videos posted on social media show the moment the mast of a Mexican Navy training ship struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York Saturday evening.

The ship, bedecked with white lights and flying a large Mexican flag, can be seen sailing closer to the edge of Brooklyn Bridge Park when its mast strikes the bottom of the bridge, snapping at parts and falling onto the deck below.

Crewmembers of the ship, Cuauhtémoc, can be seen clinging on to the mast after the incident. Bystanders on the dock can be heard screaming and seen in the videos running away from the scene.

There appears to be no damage to the bridge.

The Mexican Navy training ship that struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday evening likely suffered a “mechanical issue” that forced the captain to lose power, police said in a news conference.

“The captain that was maneuvering the ship lost, I guess, power of the ship,” Chief Wilson Aramboles of the NYPD Special Operations Bureau told reporters Saturday evening.

Aramboles added that there were “some mechanical issues” that “probably” caused the ship, Cuauhtémoc, to strike the bridge.

Officials warned that the information provided is preliminary and subject to change. The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation into what happened.

The Cuauhtémoc was leaving New York and heading out to sea en route to Iceland when it struck the underside of the bridge.

Aramboles said a number of sailors were on top of the ship’s masts and were injured in the incident.

New York City’s famous Brooklyn Bridge was closed for about 40 minutes following the ship accident, according to a post on X from NYC’s official emergency notification system.

“The bridge is open at this time after our preliminary inspection,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during a news conference Saturday evening.

All lanes had previously been closed, the agency said on X at 10:06 p.m. ET.

By 10:48 p.m. ET, the bridge has reopened, the agency said on X while letting people know to expect delays.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said 19 people were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship carrying 277 passengers struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Four people have “serious” injuries, Adams said, adding “all passengers were safely removed.”

The Mexican Navy said a total of 22 people were injured, 19 of whom were taken to hospitals.

Adams said that city officials are working closely with Mexican officials on response efforts.

A Mexican Navy training ship struck the bottom of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York Saturday night, according to police and the Mexican Navy.

The sailboat hit the bridge around 8:26 p.m. and multiple people are being “aided,” a New York Police Department spokesperson told CNN.

A total of 19 people were injured, including four people with “serious” injuries, New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters from the scene.

“During the departure maneuver of the Cuauhtémoc Sailboat in New York, an incident occurred with the Brooklyn Bridge that caused damage to the Training Ship, temporarily preventing the continuation of the training cruise,” the Mexican Navy said in a post in Spanish on X.

“The status of the personnel and material is under review by naval and local authorities, who are providing support,” the post added.

New York emergency officials said they’re responding to an incident at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. “The situation is developing and details are not confirmed at this time,” NYC Emergency Management said on X.

This post has been updated with additional information.