Doomed Mexican ship’s crew was on masts for touching ‘manning the yards’ salute when boat hit Brooklyn Bridge

The doomed sailors aboard nan Mexican gangly vessel that collapsed into nan Brooklyn Bridge were participating successful a rubbing tradition called “manning nan yards,’’ which pays homage to big ports, astatine nan time.

Dozens of unit members connected nan Mexican navy training vessel Cuauhtemoc were lined up, opinionated pinch their arms apart, on rigging for nan craft’s 147-foot-high masts astir 8:20 p.m. Saturday successful a motion of respect that seamen often do erstwhile entering and leaving port, NTSB officials said Monday.

The vessel past smashed into nan historical span, leaving sailors dangling aliases caught up from nan crumpled masts, while others fell onto nan boat.

The calamity killed two young sailors and injured much than 20 different group connected nan ship, including a brace who are still critical.

The unit of nan Cuauhtemoc past week besides had demonstrated nan maritime “Manning nan Yards” tradition erstwhile The Post was connected committee for a ceremony of nan ship’s presence astatine nan South Street Seaport.

The sailors precariously stood connected nan beams and immoderate of nan rigging for their salute.

But getting down from nan rigging afterward is nary easy matter, and nan cadets whitethorn person been caught disconnected defender earlier Sunday’s crash.

“I was speaking to 1 of nan unit members who was still connected nan boat, and they stated [that] to get up there, it takes 5 minutes astir to climb up there,” Mayor Eric Adams said connected during an appearance connected Fox 5’s “Good Day New York” connected Monday.

“So that tin springiness you a existent parameter of really precocious it is,” he said.

NTSB officials Monday said nan calamity unfolded very quickly aft nan vessel formed disconnected from Pier 17 successful Lower Manhattan pinch nan thief of a harbor tugboat.

“At 8:24 p.m., a [voyage information recorder] power broadcast was sounded requesting assistance from different tugboats successful nan area of nan Brooklyn Bridge,” interrogator Michael Young said astatine a briefing.

“That was followed by 2 different requests for assistance, and astatine 8:24 and 45 seconds, nan vessel’s mast struck nan underside of nan Brooklyn Bridge. At 8:27, nan alloy came to a stop.”

He said NYPD and FDNY boats were astatine nan segment by 8:30 p.m.

The NTSB said it hopes to person a preliminary study connected nan calamity wrong 30 days but warned that a afloat accounting of nan collision could return arsenic agelong arsenic 2 years.