Mexican ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge

[DaveBrown74]

How in the lord's name could this possibly happen? These masts weren't even close to being low enough to make it under the bridge. How can oversights this bad happen?


https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-bridge-collision-mexican-navy-ship-ca335dc85ebfbf981bc38516985461c8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqxVQ6rhis0

[LennG]

I saw the video this AM. From what I heard, the ship lost power. BUT why was it even there when it clearly couldn't get under the bridge?

[Kugs53]

Why did't they toss their anchors?
They were not getting under that bridge power or not.

[MightyGiants]

@DaveBrown74

From these links it appears to have been a loss of power.  While the ship had sails, it presumably had a motor as well.  It looks like it was backing out of the South Street Seaport, and instead of reversing engines and pulling forward away from the bridge, the engines failed, and the ship continued, and that's how it went under the bridge.  Because they were crew standing on the arms of the sails, there were so many injuries, and two deaths aboard the ship

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14724295/mexican-navy-vessel-brooklyn-bridge-crash-presidnet-statment.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14724375/brooklyn-bridge-ship-crash-cause-mexican-navy-sailors-dead.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490

[MightyGiants]

Why did't they toss their anchors?
They were not getting under that bridge power or not.

With so much of the crew standing in the rigging, I wonder how quickly the ship could have dropped anchor

[MightyGiants]

I will add, when you look at how the flag is flying, it appears the wind was also pushing the boat into the bridge

[Kugs53]

"With so much of the crew standing in the rigging, I wonder how quickly the ship could have dropped anchor"

How many people do you think you need to drop an anhcor?
I am sure that ship had multiple windlasses set up for free fall.
Someone just had to press a button.
I amn sure there is a lot more to it but there is something that is not being disclosed.

[DaveBrown74]

Also if the power was out, it seems to have only been some of the ship. There are lights on all the way up the masts just seconds before the crash.

Another thought is why was this ship in the East River at all, given its very obviously dangerous inability to get under at least one major bridge that it was sailing near. Just seems like a crazy idea from inception.

And if they were going to do this, where were the tugboats? Don't tugboats usually get involved in these types of situations?

I admittedly haven't done a deep dive investigation into this (have read three or four articles), but this seems like something that was completely avoidable and should have never happened. It looks like a lot of highly questionable if not foolish risks were taken here and that not enough protective measures were put in place.

[MightyGiants]

Also if the power was out, it seems to have only been some of the ship. There are lights on all the way up the masts just seconds before the crash.

Another thought is why was this ship in the East River at all, given its very obviously dangerous inability to get under at least one major bridge that it was sailing near. Just seems like a crazy idea from inception.

And if they were going to do this, where were the tugboats? Don't tugboats usually get involved in these types of situations?

I admittedly haven't done a deep dive investigation into this (have read three or four articles), but this seems like something that was completely avoidable and should have never happened. It looks like a lot of highly questionable if not foolish risks were taken here and that not enough protective measures were put in place.

From what I understand, the ship docked at the South Street Sea Port.   It's located just before the Brooklyn Bridge.   So it appears there was no plan for the ship to travel under the bridge.

"With so much of the crew standing in the rigging, I wonder how quickly the ship could have dropped anchor"

How many people do you think you need to drop an anhcor?
I am sure that ship had multiple windlasses set up for free fall.
Someone just had to press a button.
I amn sure there is a lot more to it but there is something that is not being disclosed.

Good point, although dropping the anchor is quick.  Setting the anchor to grab the river bottom,takes more time.

Dropping anchor on an old-time sailing ship involved a few steps and wasn't a quick process. The anchor was released, and the ship was then maneuvered to lay out enough anchor cable for a secure hold. The overall process could take several minutes, with the actual anchor drop itself being a relatively quick event.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
1. Approach and Preparation:
The ship would approach the desired anchorage at a slow speed, possibly using the ship's engines. The anchor would be ready to be dropped, and the crew would be prepared to pay out the anchor cable.
2. The Drop:
On command, the anchor would be released, typically by a crewman using a windlass or other mechanism to drop the anchor. The anchor would then plunge to the seabed.
3. Laying Out the Cable:
After the anchor hit the bottom, the ship would gently reverse its direction to allow the anchor cable to be paid out. This process would continue until the desired amount of cable (or "scope") was out, ensuring the ship was securely anchored.
4. Securing and Observation:
Once enough cable was paid out, the windlass would be locked, and the crew would monitor the ship's position to ensure the anchor was holding and not dragging.
Time Estimates:
Dropping the anchor itself: A few minutes.
Laying out the cable: 10-15 minutes or more, depending on the depth and the ship's size and speed.
Total process: Could take 15-25 minutes or more, including preparation, the drop, and laying out the cable.
It's important to remember that these times are estimates, and the actual time it took to drop anchor on a particular ship could vary based on various factors, including the size and type of ship, the depth of the water, the wind and currents, and the crew's experience.

[DaveBrown74]

The anchor point is one worth raising, although it may or may not have been something they could have feasibly done to prevent this.

To me, the bottom line is the East River is a crowded, narrow body of water with heavy currents. A boat of this size that cannot accommodate the clearances of even just one bridge should probably not have been in the river in the first place, and if it had to be, it should have had tugboat escorts as an extra safety precaution (common for these types of situations).

I get that one can always be a monday morning QB with a lot of bad things that happen, but this one really looks like it didn't need to happen. That's my impression anyway.

[Kugs53]

"Setting the anchor to grab the river bottom,takes more time"
What you are describing is the procedure for dropping an anchor.
This was an emergency situation.
Just dropping the anchors may or may not have slowed the ship down.
It was certainly a measure that should have been utilized.

[MightyGiants]

I saw a video of the ship post bridge as it hits the pier.  It looked to me like there was a churn in the water like the props were still turning.

https://x.com/lindyq2222/status/1923974595305939387?s=46&t=1vcQIN8GqF5J2oLdxEVEJQ

[DaveBrown74]

I saw a video of the ship post bridge as it hits the pier.  It looked to me like there was a churn in the water like the props were still turning.

https://x.com/lindyq2222/status/1923974595305939387?s=46&t=1vcQIN8GqF5J2oLdxEVEJQ

Agreed. Here's another look where you can really see it (second tweet).

Unless I'm seeing things that aren't there, this ship's propeller was running. Seems clear as day here.

https://x.com/Robit1p/status/1923945140248510540

[Kugs53]

So they were docked at Chelsea Piers, that is on the Hudson.
Years ago I docked at Chelsea Piers for an overnight, Jim Fassel was in the next slip.
Can't say he was overly friendly.
So why were they in the East River?

[MightyGiants]

So they were docked at Chelsea Piers, that is on the Hudson.
Years ago I docked at Chelsea Piers for an overnight, Jim Fassel was in the next slip.
Can't say he was overly friendly.
So why were they in the East River?

From what I understand, they were actually docked at the South Street Seaport for a few days, receiving visitors.   That's located just before you reach the Brooklyn Bridge