The Cuauhtémoc — a training ship for the Mexican Navy that doubles as a vessel of goodwill — has returned to Mexico for the first time since a May crash into the Brooklyn Bridge that killed two naval cadets and left at least 19 others injured.
The tall ship arrived Sunday morning to cheering crowds waving Mexican flags along the pier in Cozumel, Quintana Roo.
🌊⚓ ¡Bienvenido a #Cozumel, Buque Escuela “Cuauhtémoc”!
Con orgullo y alegría recibimos a “El Embajador y Caballero de los Mares”, símbolo de disciplina, honor y amor por México.
Que esta visita inspire a más jóvenes a seguir navegando con valentía y pasión por nuestra patria.… pic.twitter.com/SHJTO9MDCs
— Mara Lezama (@MaraLezama) November 2, 2025
Mayor José Luis Chacón Méndez and his wife led the welcoming ceremony for the crew of 167 cadets and three officers who departed from New York’s Pier 86 a month ago to resume their training voyage.
Before departure, it had successfully completed a series of sea tests.
The ship, which has circumnavigated the globe four times, will remain in Cozumel until Nov. 7 for public tours and events, including a parade Wednesday. A farewell ceremony is planned for Friday at the Punta Langosta pier.
Officials said the Cuauhtémoc will then continue its training cruise, calling next at Progreso, Yucatán; Heroica Veracruz, Veracruz; and Acapulco, Guerrero.
The ship is nicknamed “El Caballero de los Mares,” or “The Knight of the Seas.”
Officially known as the ARM Cuauhtémoc, it had been undergoing repairs and inspection in New York for more than five months after striking the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge.
After being docked in New York for five days of public viewing, the ship left Pier 17 on the night of May 17, intending to leave the harbor. But the ship’s three masts, measuring more than 48 meters, hit the base of the bridge, which has a clearance of 41.1 meters.
All three masts collapsed while cadets were standing in ceremonial formation, killing América Yamileth Sánchez Hernández, 20, and Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos, 23.
Other cadets were left dangling, and 19 to 22 others of the 277 on board were injured, according to reports.
Damage to the vessel was estimated at over US $500,000, according to the newspaper El Economista.
Authorities confirmed the vessel was under a New York harbor pilot’s control when its speed unexpectedly increased to nearly 6 knots in reverse, and the tops of its masts struck the bridge.
Mexico’s Naval Ministry (Semar) pledged that the investigation into the crash would be conducted “with total transparency and responsibility.”
At this stage, no definitive cause has been established and no official report has been issued. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in June that the investigation is ongoing.
According to U.S. officials, orders from the harbor pilot were given in English, translated into Spanish and relayed through several crew members — a process under scrutiny.
The 270-crew, 90.5-meter sailing vessel launched in 1982 in Bilbao, Spain. It serves to train cadets of the Heroic Naval Military School in navigation, leadership and teamwork.
On April 6, the ship set sail from Acapulco on a 254-day mission to “exalt the seafaring spirit, strengthen naval education and carry the Mexican people’s message of peace and goodwill to the seas and ports of the world,” according to Semar.
Last year, the ship went on a voyage to three ports in Australia: Fremantle, Melbourne and Sydney.
With reports from El Economista, Eje Central, N+ and TV Azteca
