The Mexican Navy’s tall ship Cuauhtémoc — which infamously smashed into the Brooklyn Bridge — sailed out of Manhattan Saturday afternoon without incident after an emotional farewell ceremony that drew hundreds to the Hudson River.
Around 300 people lined Pier 86 beside the Intrepid Museum to wave, sing, and dance as the three-masted training vessel prepared to head home to Cozumel, ending a six-month stay in New York for repairs.
At 2:45 p.m., the ship’s cadets formed ranks on deck as a military band played the Mexican and naval anthems. By 3:20 p.m., the gangway was pulled and the crew began its 35-day voyage south.
“We are very proud of the Cuauhtémoc, which has been crossing the seas of the world since 1986, when it was built,” said Marcos Augustus Bucio Mujica, Mexico’s consul general in New York.
“We are very grateful to Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul and to the hospitals and first responders who supported during and in the aftermath of the tragic accident. We also want to remember and honor the two cadets who lost their lives that night.”
Captain Victor Hugo Molina Pérez and Admiral Francisco Guillermo Escamilla Cázares also spoke, honoring the fallen sailors and offering condolences to their families.
Among the crowd was Carmen Ortiz, 65, a retired teacher from Puebla, who came to see off her nephew, shipboard doctor Hugo Adrián Calvario.
“He is a traumatologist,” Ortiz told The Post.
“He was one of the first people to respond during the accident.”
She called the crash “a stressful and very sad night for them, obviously.”
Spectators clapped and waved Mexican flags as dancers in regional costumes performed on the pier.
“We came to see them off dancing,” said Saray Quiroz, 45, who performed traditional routines from Chiapas.
“We send them off with love and wish them the very best on their journey,” added Damaris Huerta, 49, from Jalisco.
One of the most emotional moments came from Marlene Castro, 68, a school aide who was on the East River the night of the crash and said she still has nightmares.
“I’m so scared,” she said, staring up at the newly restored masts.
“I’m still so scared for them. I was there when the boat hit the bridge. I was there when they were doing CPR. I pray the God and the Virgin Mary watches over their souls in heaven.”
The May 17 collision killed two sailors and injured 19 when the Cuauhtémoc — a 297-foot training barque — inexplicably reversed under power and slammed into the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The masts snapped and fell as dozens of cadets were “manning the masts” in ceremonial formation.
Federal investigators said the vessel accelerated backward despite pilot commands to move ahead.
The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet determined the cause, saying its inquiry could take a year or more.
The Cuauhtémoc spent four months in dry dock at Caddell Repair & Dry Dock Co. on Staten Island, where crews rebuilt its three masts and inspected its propulsion and steering systems.
The vessel completed a successful sea trial in September before relocating to the Intrepid pier last month.
Chris O’Brien, president of Sail 4th 250 — the organization planning America’s 250th birthday maritime celebration next year — called the ship’s departure a symbol of renewal.
“We’re doing the big event for next year, and we’re very hopeful that the Cuauhtémoc and the Mexican Navy will be coming back to join us for the events,” O’Brien said.
“It’s going to be a gigantic international goodwill celebration right here in New York.”
“I came to see them off,” he added.
“We have a saying in the sea services. I’m former Coast Guard. You say fair winds and following seas and wishing them well on their voyage.”
O’Brien called tall ships like the Cuauhtémoc “the Crown Jewels of their nations.”
David Winters, executive vice president of the Intrepid Museum, said New Yorkers were proud to host the vessel.
“Tall ships like this are goodwill ambassadors for their nations, and we’re very, very happy to have this vessel here at the Intrepid,” Winters said.
“We’ve had other tall ship visitors in the past, we’ll have more in the future, and this is a nice preview to next year’s Sail 4th celebration of our nation.”
As the Cuauhtémoc eased from the pier and the crowd cheered, the Mexican Navy’s band struck up one final song.
The ship’s white sails caught the wind, and its masts — newly rebuilt and gleaming in the afternoon sun — rose again above the Hudson.
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