A maritime Tragedy on the East River: Mexican Navy Ship Cuauhtémoc Collides with Brooklyn Bridge, 2 Dead, 19 Injured. In a tragic incident that stunned New York City, the Mexican Navy’s training ship Cuauhtémoc collided with the historic Brooklyn Bridge on the evening of Saturday, May 17, resulting in the deaths of two crew members and leaving 19 others injured, two of them critically. The dramatic crash occurred at approximately 8:26 PM while the ship was navigating the East River, as part of an international goodwill tour.