ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The Nao Trinidad is known for navigating some of the world's roughest waters, like the Straight of Magellan, but the Matanzas River proved to be particularly treacherous Monday.
A replica of the historic Spanish ship making its return to its US homeport in St. Augustine accidentally drifted into the Bridge of Lions Monday morning.
The Nao Trinidad arrived in St. Augustine at 8 a.m., but as it was waiting for the Bridge of Lions to open, the ship "lost propulsion" and drifted into the bridge, according to the St. Augustine Municipal Marina.
“Not what you see every day, so that’s why we were paying attention to it and watching it," said Lynne Blow, who recorded the impact.
When Blow saw what looked like a 500-year-old ship floating toward the Bridge of Lions, she immediately started filming.
She couldn’t look away.
“Like a trainwreck, but maybe a shipwreck," said Blow.
The Nao Trinidad was just finishing a four-day trek down from Georgetown Virginia to display the floating museum in St. Augustine.
Blow could tell right away the end of the voyage wasn’t going as planned.
“It was obvious there was a problem because it was not stopping and it was not pivoted in the right direction to clear the bridge," said Blow.
The Nao Trinidad was the first ship to navigate the Strait of Magellan, but its replica wasn’t going to make it through the Bridge of Lions once both of its engines quit.
“They were just at the mercy of the weather at that point," said St. Augustine Municipal Marina Harbormaster Eric Mauldin. "Unfortunately, they did drift into the bridge. It was a minimal, easy impact. There was no damage to the boat or the bridge.”
Mauldin said several agencies towed the ship away.
Blow was concerned when she saw the bridge closed down during the process.
“Because that’s a big bottleneck for traffic in St. Augustine," said Blow. "Not to have the Bridge of Lions is not a good thing for us.”
The Florida Department of Transportation sent inspectors to survey the bridge, and a spokesperson said they determined it was safe and it reopened within about 15 minutes.
Putting an end to an eventful morning for Blow.
“It wasn’t a catastrophe or anything," said Blow.
When in port, the Nao Trinidad acts as a floating museum and is open daily for tours showcasing the history of the ship, as it was occupied by Spanish sailors over 500 years ago.
The ship director said they are hoping to have inspectors come Tuesday morning to check on the ship, so they are delaying tours for now.
The plan is to keep it in St. Augustine for the next few weeks, so there should still be plenty of opportunity for folks to see it once it gets the all-clear.