Shocking video footage captured the moment that a Mexican Navy vessel sailed backwards into the iconic Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. Tragically, the crash claimed the lives of two Mexican sailors and injured many more. NTSB investigators are currently examining exactly how the huge masted ship crashed into the 142-year-old NYC bridge.  

Video shows the Cuauhtémoc striking the Brooklyn Bridge with its tall masts, killing two crew members and injuring many others

The internet is positively brimming with videos of airport mishaps and head-scratching highway crashes. However, every once in a while, a crash so bizarre and shocking happens that it dominates headlines. Like the recent incident involving the tall Mexican Navy vessel, the Cuauhtémoc, and the storied Brooklyn Bridge. 

Remember, this is New York City. A massive sailing ship with huge, streaming Mexican banners wasn’t going to sail by undetected. As a result, there’s no shortage of videos capturing the moment that the Cuauhtémoc smashed into the bridge on the East River. From the west and east sides of the bridge, cameraphone videos show the illuminated masts crashing into the bridge and snapping back, causing extensive damage and killing two sailors. 

A look at the numbers explains a bit about the tragedy. At the tip of its tallest mast, the Cuauhtémoc is about 160 feet tall. Up against the bridge, it didn’t stand a chance. The Brooklyn Bridge has a 127-foot deck above Mean High Water, the average tidal high-water level over almost two decades. The math simply doesn’t add up.

So, how did the skyward masts of the Mexican Navy vessel hit the bridge? Well, Cuauhtémoc was sailing in the wrong direction. According to CNN, the Cuauhtémoc was Iceland-bound from NYC’s Pier 17 at the time. However, a “mechanical malfunction” contributed to the vessel drifting backward into the New York City landmark. You can check out the video of the harrowing incident below.