Brooklyn Bridge Hit By Ship

[Rothman]

There's that old joke about Bolivia having a navy...

[kalvado]

Watched the video, how exactly did you come to that conclusion with such a small vessel?

It was a joke. How the fuck did this even happen is the real question. It should have been obvious that there was no way that boat was gonna clear under the bridge. Drunk captain?

The article that I saw said the ship lost steering control. Not really sure how that happens on that kind of ship. Some of the other articles say it "lost power", but how the fuck does a sailboat lose power?

I've lived in a windy area for half of my life, and sometimes wind just... stops. Hope this helps!

No, but really, those sails might be decorative.

Operation Sail was that way in the Bicentennial year.  Sailboats that had combustible engines for power as the sails were to create a historical image.

Looking at the numbers... This sailboat has 1800 tons draft and 1200 HP auxiliary engine. Looking at some WWII destroyers of comparable size, 2000 tons ship would have 40-50 thousand HP.
I believe most sailboats today have some propulsion for things like harbor maneuvers. So engine failure could easily be a factor.

[kphoger]

There's that old joke about Bolivia having a navy...

Switzerland does too.
Water exists in more than just ocean form, after all.

[bwana39]

Mexico has 2 coasts. It would be natural to have a Navy to defend them. Why they were so far off the Mexican coast beats me.

This was a ceremonial tall ship.
The Cuauhtémoc is a training sailing ship of the Mexican Navy and described by officials as a diplomatic symbol of Mexico abroad.

Known as the "Ambassador and Knight of the Seas," the ship was in New York as part of a global goodwill tour and was en route to Iceland at the time of the incident.

[kphoger]

Hitting the Brooklyn Bridge on the way from Cozumel to Reykjavik does accord with my experience of how well Mexicans handle directions...