Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc sails into San Francisco on goodwill visit

A famed Mexican Navy tall ship sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco Bay on Wednesday for a goodwill visit and exhibition open to the public.

The ARM Cuauhtémoc BE-01 sailed through the Golden Gate at about 8:45 a.m. on a four-day visit to celebrate maritime tradition and the enduring ties between Mexico and the United States. The ship is the official flagship and goodwill ambassador of the Mexican Navy and is used as a training vessel and working classroom for midshipmen to complete their seamanship, navigation and leadership training.

City officials and community leaders, along with San Francisco Mexican Consul General Marco Antonio Mena Rodriguez were on hand to welcome the Cuauhtémoc and board the ship for its ceremonial arrival, which featured music and folkloric dancers. The ship is currently on a 92-day training cruise, visiting ports in Mexico, the United States and Canada. 

Built in 1982 in Bilbao, Spain, the vessel has sailed over 905,000 nautical miles (equivalent to circling the globe more than 41 times), completed 46 training voyages visiting over 234 ports in 75 countries, and trained over 45 generations of Mexican naval officers, according to the Mexican Naval Academy.

The Cuauhtémoc is a frequent competitor and award-winner in major international sailing events, including a three-time winner of the Boston Teapot Cup, a two-time Cutty Sark Trophy winner; and first place overall in the 2012 Tall Ship Races, according to the Mexican Secretariat of the Navy.

In May 2025, the ship was involved in a collision with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City in which two crew members died and 19 others were injured.

The ship is berthed at Piers 15-17 on San Francisco's Embarcadero and members of the public are welcome to board the ship during the following visiting hours:

• Wednesday, September 23: Noon - 3:30 p.m.
• Thursday, September 24: 10 a.m. - noon; 4 - 8 p.m.
• Friday, September 25: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• Saturday, September 26: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• Sunday, September 27: "Farewell at the Dock" - 9:30 a.m.

The ship is scheduled to depart San Francisco at 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 27.