The Mexican Navy training ship that struck the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday was moving in the “wrong direction,” a senior city official with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.
The Cuauhtémoc had been docked at Pier 17 in Manhattan, just down the river below the Brooklyn Bridge. As it made its way out of the harbor, it was supposed to make a stop at a Bay Ridge fueling dock before heading out to sea on its way to Iceland, the official said.
“It was the current that took it under the bridge,” the person said. “It wasn’t supposed to be headed in that direction.”
Officials from different city agencies are meeting Sunday morning to determine the next steps in the response and the investigation.
According to the senior official, Cuauhtémoc’s captain has told investigators he lost steering of the vessel after the rudder stooped working.
“They had some sort of mechanical issue, they lost power so without being able to use the rudder, they could not steer,” the official said, cautioning all information is preliminary and subject to change.
The city is also investigating the role of a tug boat that can be seen in video appearing to lead the Cuauhtémoc through the river.
The senior official said city divers are expected to go into the water today to inspect the Cuauhtémoc’s rudder to determine if the ship can be moved.
The Cuauhtémoc’s crew spent the night on the ship, the senior official said. Now, city officials are working to get them off the ship and home to Mexico, the person said.
The city’s Office of the Medical Examiner is also working to repatriate the bodies of the two victims, the senior official said.
