No distress calls made from Mexican Navy tall ship that crashed into Brooklyn Bridge, Mexico Navy chief says

The Mexican Navy tall ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend did not issue any distress calls before the collision, but instead requested support, Mexico’s Navy chief said. 

The Navy chief, Raymundo Morales, said on Tuesday that the port pilot maneuvering the Cuauhtémoc ship did not have much time to stop the vessel, as it had been docked a short distance from the bridge.

“We cannot speculate at this time whether the port pilot properly used all measures available,” Morales said at a press conference with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

The Mexican Navy training ship that hit the Brooklyn Bridge sits moored in Manhattan on May 18, 2025, in New York City. (ANA FERNANDEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

The Cuauhtémoc was built in Bilbao, Spain, in 1981 and has won the Tall Ships’ Races twice, according to Sail Training International. The ship was in New York City as part of a promotion for an event next year that celebrates America’s 250th birthday.

Reuters contributed to this report.