Joyous singing turned to screams Saturday night as New Yorkers who turned out to Pier 17 for a send off of a Mexican Navy ship on a goodwill tour watched in horror and disbelief as the vessel slammed into the Brooklyn Bridge.
Ismari Romero and her sister Miriam had been in contact with some of the 277 sailors aboard the Cuauhtémoc — and even given them a tour of the Big Apple while the majestic vessel was docked at the South Street Seaport this week.
“We were celebrating and we were saying goodbye and singing. We were all joyful, and they departed,” Romero, 43, told The Post. “And when they reached the Brooklyn Bridge, I believe they hit the bridge and the top collapsed.
“We were very scared. A lot of people were screaming, a lot of people were crying. They’re like, ‘How is this happening? How is it is this possible?’ ” the health care worker recalled.
Miriam Romero, 50, had been among a group of Mexican American New Yorkers who turned out Tuesday to welcome the Cuauhtémoc as it sailed into New York.
“We were proud that the Mexican naval school is visiting in New York,” Ismari said.
The ship, including 277 crewmembers, is on an eight month training tour that includes 22 ports in 15 countries. New York was the third stop on a trip that included visits to Jamaica, Iceland, and Portugal.
After a welcome party, Miriam showed seven of the sailors around downtown Manhattan, including Pier 26 and Canal Street.
They grabbed pizza and then walked over the Brooklyn Bridge — not knowing the horror that would unfold days later and leave 19 people hurt, four of them critically.
“I have a son who is a US marine. So this is especially emotional,” Ismari Romero said.
The Cuauhtémoc was built in Spain in 1982 with the sole purpose of training cadets.
Video showed the ship’s 147-foot tall mast, adorned in lights, crumpling as it sailed along the East River — and ran straight into the nearly 1,600 foot span of the historic bridge.
The arrival of the Cuauhtémoc gave Big Apple residents a preview of next year’s Sail4th event, which celebrates America’s 250th birthday.
The mission of the Cuauhtémoc is to “exalt the seafaring spirit, strengthen naval education and carry the message of peace and goodwill of the Mexican people to the seas and ports of the world,” according to the Mexican Navy.
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