Mexican Navy ship crashes into New York City's Brooklyn Bridge

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28. Let's dispel the notion the ship was trying to sail under the bridge. They weren't and wouldn't.

The NYTimes says that they left Pier 17 and were to motor South into N.Y. Harbor “with a stop on the Brooklyn waterfront to refuel before heading onward to Iceland. Instead, at about 8:30 p.m., the Cuauhtémoc was apparently headed in the wrong direction, never intending to sail under the Brooklyn Bridge, said a spokesman for the city’s Office of Emergency Management.”

Information will emerge in the investigation. In the meantime please resist the pulse to scold. These are real sailors, under competent command, and I think it’s more of a mechanical failure than anything. I can’t believe it was a mistake in navigation or anything like that. To a sailor or boater, a huge priority is always to be sure of clearances and to avoid the terrible event of colliding with anything.

I live on Roosevelt Island n NYC, smack in the centerline of the East River, and the waters and tide flows are quite powerful, reversing several times daily. It’s a big challenge for boaters. Will be following this closely!