After the Mexican Navy training ship Cuauhtémoc collided with New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday Night, speculation quickly veered into conspiracy theories. However, one seasoned mariner, known on TikTok as Captain Boomies (@captainboomies), stepped in to offer a sobering, experience-based analysis of what likely went wrong.
In her breakdown, she dismissed shady theories and explained the tall ship wasn’t actually trying to pass under the bridge at all.
The Cuauhtémoc, she explains, met strong currents and a possible mechanical issue trying to back out of the South Street Seaport, a tragedy that resulted in two cadet deaths (América Sánchez and Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos) and 19 injuries of the 277 people on board.
What happened with the Brooklyn Bridge ship collision?
Immediately shutting down viral theories, @captainboomies began, “I need to cut off some conspiracy theories real quick.” With 25 years of maritime experience, much of it in New York Harbor, she explained the ship never intended to pass beneath the bridge at all. Instead, it had been backing out of its slip at the South Street Seaport.
Importantly, tall ships like the one involved have very limited options when docking in New York City. “If they’re gonna visit New York,” she said, “that’s kind of it.” South Street Seaport is one of the few viable locations available, even though it’s uncomfortably close to the bridge.
She suspected that the ship became stuck in reverse while attempting to leave. A docking tug boat was present, but such tugs typically help with orientation during departure, not with full-scale towing. This minor detail made a major difference when strong currents got involved.
A perfect storm of tide, current, and delay
Conditions on the East River are notoriously difficult. “The East River is gnarly when there’s a lot of current,” she noted. After checking tide charts, she confirmed that the current could have reached speeds of up to three knots during the incident. That is enough to shove a vessel into the bridge, even if it wasn’t under power.
Meanwhile, many questioned why crewmembers didn’t climb down from the spars sooner. That, too, had a simple answer.
Descending from a tall ship’s rigging isn’t quick. “You have to shimmy along little toe ropes literally meant for your toes to be on and clip in and out as you go and get down,” she explained. In emergencies, that process could take longer than the window between realizing something’s wrong and hitting the bridge.
@captainboomies The ship that hit the Brooklyn Bridge probably had a combination of things working against her leading to this tragic loss of sailor lives.
♬ original sound – Captain Boomies
Tragically, that delay may have cost the crew the chance to clear the rigging in time. Yet even amid the aftermath, @captainboomies emphasized that the maritime community treats these events seriously. “Anytime something like this happens… You bet we revaluate how we do things and why we’re doing them.”
The TikToker‘s insights made one thing clear: there was no conspiracy, just a complex collision of navigational challenges, mechanical issues, and tough timing.
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