NTSB goes aboard Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtémoc to interview crew about Brooklyn Bridge crash
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board went aboard the Mexican naval ship Cuauhtémoc Tuesday to interview remaining crew about the ship's deadly crash into the Brooklyn Bridge.
The NTSB also gained access to the ship to check if there are any data recorders holding pivotal evidence of how the crash occurred.
'Today members of the NTSB team met with Mexican officials aboard the Cuauhtémoc,' the NTSB said Tuesday night. 'The meeting was very productive and the team looks forward to continuing to work with the Mexican Navy and government in gathering critical information about the bridge strike event.'
New York City's Office of Emergency Management spokesman, Aries Dela Cruz, said officials are wrapping up their damage assessment with Marine Surveyors and contractors accessing the ship. The Cuauhtémoc hasn't sustained any damage to the hull, which would allow it to be moved off Pier 37 with tugboat assistance, officials said.
The Cuauhtémoc has remained docked off Pier 37 as work crews shore up the ship's three splintered masts. The ship is expected to be towed to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where it will be dry-docked as the investigation continues, OEM officials said Tuesday.
The decks of the boat are being secured for possible wind and rain Wednesday and Thursday that would halt the boat from being towed. The Cuauhtémoc is expected to move to a dry dock facility by Sunday, Dela Cruz said.
'NTSB's investigation into the incident is proceeding diligently. … We commend the vital support from NYPD, who are providing video surveillance footage to assist the investigation,' Dela Cruz added, noting: 'City Hall is playing a crucial role in facilitating coordination with various agencies and Mexican officials.'
The Coast Guard and the NYPD were flying drones over the ship to check exterior hull damage Tuesday, the agency said. The ship cannot be moved until a full assessment of the damage is completed.
Two crew members died on the ship when its masts snapped off upon impacting with the underside of the bridge Saturday night.
Crew members on the masts were left dangling in the air by their harnesses after the East River crash, but no one ended up in the water.
With Fleet Week scheduled to begin Wednesday with a parade of U.S. and Canadian naval vessels sailing into New York Harbor, an interagency task force met at 10 a.m. Tuesday to discuss the next phase of the Cuauhtémoc investigation, city officials said. Participants included officials from the Coast Guard, the NTSB, the city Office of Emergency Management and the mayor's office. A second meeting was scheduled for the afternoon.
Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday denied reports that tensions were high between crew members and first responders in the moments following the crash.
'My team was telling me someone stated there was some type of tension,' Adams said at his weekly briefing in City Hall. 'I don't know where that came from. Everyone was extremely receptive and collaborated well, so we were able to get (the injured) to immediate care.
'No one was in anyone's way,' added Adams, who came aboard the boat Saturday night with FDNY, the NYPD and members of the Office of Emergency Management.
Adams was supposed to tour the Cuauhtemoc a few days before the crash while it was docked at Pier 17, but his schedule changed and he wasn't able to make it.
'There were 277 people on that vessel. That could have been a real tragedy if it wasn't for the fast response on the New York side,' Adams said of the first responders.
While they work on gaining access, NTSB board member Michael Graham asked anyone who has video of the crash to reach out to investigators at witness@ntsb.gov.
Earlier Tuesday, the NTSB conducted interviews with eyewitnesses and did an inspection of the Brooklyn Bridge, officials said.
Before the collision, the ship was sailing against the river's tide and facing 10 mph wind. The NTSB will focus on what mechanical issues and conditions in the river may have led to the crash.
The agency will also be checking tugboat protocols in the East River after officials expressed that a tugboat taking the ship away from Pier 17 at South Street Seaport should have towed the vessel farther away.
Video of the incident shows a tugboat racing to catch up with the ship as it drifts in the wrong direction.
After leaving the pier, the ship accelerated backward, ultimately reaching a speed of about 6 knots. 'At 8:24 p.m., the VHF radio broadcast was sounded requesting assistance from other tugboats in the area of the bridge,' investigator in charge Brian Young said. That broadcast was followed by additional calls for assistance.
'At 8:24 and 45 seconds, the vessel's masts struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge,' Young said.
Investigators are still trying to determine exactly why the ship began to accelerate backward.
The bridge avoided serious damage and was never at risk of collapse, officials said.
Adams on Tuesday speculated that the East River's harsh tides could have played a factor in the crash.
'We don't know what happened here, (but) our currents and tides are very strong,' Adams said. 'People don't realize that people fall in the river by the Statue of Liberty and find themselves in the Bronx somewhere.'
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday the boat would likely be repaired at a New York shipyard and returned to the Mexican Navy.
Many of the crew members from the ship returned to their home country on Monday.
The ship was heading for Iceland when it drifted into the East River span, which is about 30 feet lower than the ship's masts. It was supposed to head south to refuel in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, before heading out of New York Harbor and was never meant to sail under the bridge.
Crew members were harnessed to the masts for the ship's traditional departure performance at the time of the collision.
According to the FDNY, at least 19 of those aboard were treated for injuries, with 11 initially in critical condition. Only two victims remained hospitalized Tuesday, with the Mexican government arranging for their families to fly to New York, according to city officials.
The Navy plans to bring the crew of the Cuauhtémoc to Sunday's Fleet Week Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, officials said.
The deceased were identified as America Yamilet Sanchez, 20, and Adal Jair Marcos, 23. They have been repatriated to Mexico, where a vigil for Sanchez was held.
The Cuauhtémoc arrived in New York last week as part of a global goodwill tour. It had been docked at Pier 17 and was open to visitors.
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