MEXICAN NAVY ATTACKS NEW YORK CITY, REPELLED BY THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

By Bob Walsh

 

 

OK, that is a modest exaggeration.  The Mexican navy training ship Cuauhtemoc was visiting New York on a good-will visit and was docked at pier 17, just below the Brooklyn Bridge.  She is what is called a "tall ship", a 3-masted steel hulled barque.  The masts are 160 feet tall.  The ship is less than 50 years old.  The bridge has a clearance of 127 feet, depending on the tide.  The ship drifted backwards into the bridge.  It was preparing to leave and apparently the tug lost power or the ship herself lost power or something else went wrong.  At least 2 people were killed and at least 18 injured on the vessel.  They closed the bridge pending an engineering examination.  

The NTSB and the Coast Guard are investigating.  This is the sort of thing that really isn't supposed to happen.  Though it wouldn't be the first time.  Roughly 100 years ago a six-master crashed into the bridge.

CNN has already announced that the accident was the fault of Donald Trump and DOGE personnel cuts.  Letitia James office already announced a lawsuit against Donald Trump and the DOT for not providing protection against bridge collisions.  (I just made up the contents of this paragraph.  That doesn't mean it isn't correct.)