Tradegy on Mexican Naval Vessel.

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Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
10,589
42,567
RTP, NC. USA
So, Mexican Navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge. What do people have against the Brooklyn Bridge? Two fell off the one of the masts and died. More injured.

Hope they weren't using Chinese parts. Issue was reported to be due to a machenical failure.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Briar Lee

Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
6,958
23,517
Humansville Missouri
Since they haven’t hung all us lawyers from the lamp posts yet—-

That ship was a man o’ war, a naval vessel of the Mexican Navy, and is not subject to being stopped, searched or detained.

If our government decides the ramming of our bridge was intentional, that’s the same as Yamamoto attacking Pearl Harbor.

Cue appropriate music

 

Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
6,958
23,517
Humansville Missouri
I can't figure out why there were 40 dudes standing all over the sail yards!

In the days of pure wooden walls and not even steam engines, a warship’s propulsion depended entirely on sailors climbing the rigging and furling and unfurling the canvas sails.

On those training ships men still defy death high on the masts for the same purpose.

Plus, it looks cool as hell to see all the yards full of white clad sailors to observers on the shore.

 

davet

Lifer
May 9, 2015
3,819
394
Estey's Bridge N.B Canada
I'm still trying to figure out why the Mexican navy uses ships with sails.
The United States Navy and Coast Guard currently have a total of two active sailing ships:
  1. USS Constitution (Navy): A three-masted frigate, commissioned in 1797, and the oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat. It remains in active service as a ceremonial and historical ship.

  2. USCGC Eagle (Coast Guard): A 295-foot, three-masted barque used as a training vessel for Coast Guard Academy cadets and officer candidates. It is the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service.
 

pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,843
5,982
Slidell, LA
It was going backwards when it wanted to be going forwards. Drop in and see the report from Sal at What's New In Shipping (YouTube) for details.
From what I've read, the ship had left the dock in lower Manhatten and was supposed to be heading back to sea. For some reason, it went the wrong direction, in reverse and hit the bridge. The cadets in the rigging were all facing towards the bow so probably didn't even see the bridge behind them.

I've seen one story that said the harbor pilot said the ship lost power before the collision. If it was traveling in reverse when the lost power, it would continue that direction until they hit something or power was restored. I want to know where the harbor tugs were?
 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
12,874
20,447
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
I can't figure out why there were 40 dudes standing all over the sail yards!
Possibly "skylarking" unless they were to be adjusting sails. "Sky larking", as a maritime word. denotes climbing the masts with no assignments, simply to watch the skyline fade away, or simply because they can. These are young folk, cadets, traveling the world, learning to sail, seeing the sights as they train.

The USN Constitution is not a training ship and only leaves it's berth for show now and then. The USCG Eagle is a sea going ship, regularly at sea.

Meeting a "tall ship", under full sail, at sea or from the shore, is a moving experience for many, setting one's imagination free to revert back a couple of hundred years to the "Age of Sail."
 

pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,843
5,982
Slidell, LA
Manning the yards when entering or leaving a port is something many tall ships do and it is sort of expected of them to put on the show.
While the ship was leaving the port under power, they may have also been planning to drop the sails after they cleared the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and switch to sail power. It would have made more sense to have the cadets man the rigging before getting underway.

And, as @warren said, seeing a tall ship under full sail is spectacular. I was stationed on Governors Island in New York Harbor when the Statue of Liberty was rededicated and centennial in 1986. Fleet Week and Operation Sail was part of the festivities. There were about 25 tall ships that entered New York harbor that week.