Planning underway to repair Mexican navy ship after deadly Brooklyn Bridge crash in New York City
LOWER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Planning is underway to repair a Mexican navy ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend, killing two cadets.
NTSB investigators were given permission Tuesday by the Mexican government to board the naval teaching vessel ship Cuauhtémoc.
Investigators boarded the crippled vessel at 3 p.m., nearly three days after the crash, and met with Mexican officials to gather critical information about the bridge strike.
They are determined to figure out why the ship accelerated backwards, directly into the Brooklyn Bridge with 277 sailors and naval officers onboard. Nineteen were injured and two cadets were killed.
Investigators will examine the ship's mechanics -- and they have a long list of people to interview.
They have refused to speculate on the cause.
"We need to interview the tug pilot, the tugboat pilot, the harbor pilot, we'd like to the captain of the ship and there's a lot of other some other crew members we want to do, but we haven't had that chance," said NTSB Board Member Michael Graham. "And again, we are not determining a probable cause, and we're not going to speculate about one because we haven't gathered enough information yet. We're just at the beginning of gathering the factual information."
A spokesperson from NYC Emergency Management offered some updates on the ship, including details about damage, and when repairs could begin.
They said the initial damage assessment is nearing completion, and "Marine surveyors and contractors, including specialists from Mexico, have accessed the ship and confirmed that there is no damage to the hull that would prevent its movement from the current pier with tugboat assistance."
NYCEM says they are closely monitoring the weather, and says the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday will "likely necessitate a pause in on-site work for safety reasons."
"Contingency planning is in place to commence mast repairs on Friday, weather permitting. Forecast for Wednesday and Thursday will likely stall the work till then," NYCEM said.
If this schedule holds, they say the vessel could potentially be moved to a dry dock facility by Sunday. The long-term plan is expected to involve initial repairs at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Cuauhtémoc is a Mexican Navy training vessel. It left the South Street Seaport on Saturday night with the crew members in ceremonial formation atop the ship's rigging.
Ship tracking data show it departed at 8:20 p.m. at barely two knots towed by a tugboat. But at 8:23 it released and began to accelerate backwards. And one minute later, it struck the bridge at 6.1 knots.
Investigators said the currents were minimal and the winds were moderate, raising questions about why the ship did not accelerate forward and instead backed into the bridge.
Mayor Eric Adams praised first responders on Tuesday and the Mexican captain and crew for cooperating in the rescue effort.
"We walked on to the ship, they were extremely receptive," Adams said. "Everyone was collaborating. I cannot commend our first responders enough."
The ship had been scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 nations, including Kingston, Jamaica; Havana, Cuba; Cozumel, Mexico; and New York.
It also had planned to go to Reykjavik, Iceland; Bordeaux, Saint Malo and Dunkirk, France; and Aberdeen, Scotland, among others, for a total of 254 days, 170 of them at sea.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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