The tide was high on the East River as it flowed underneath New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge the evening of November 7, 2014. At about 10:30 pm, the 590 foot cargo ship RAINBOW QUEST headed down the East River on its way towards open sea. As the ship passed under the Brooklyn Bridge, its tallest mast clipped the bottom of the famous bridge linking Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Coast Guard spokeswoman Ali Flockerzi said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had already scheduled a routine closure of the bridge late Friday and inspected the span when it was closed. She said there was no damage to the bridge. Can you imagine the nightmare if the RAINBOW QUEST had caused extensive damage to the bridge and/or the ship? Any boat must know its height requirements and high tide information for passing under bridges. Luckily no one was injured and no damage was done.