New York Harbor will host what’s being called the largest maritime and aerial gathering in American history this weekend, with about 80 vessels and 20,000 sailors converging for Sail4th 250, a two-day flotilla marking 250 years of American independence, according to WABC-TV.
The 20,000 sailors represent ten times the typical Fleet Week headcount, WABC-TV reports. The fleet includes more than 40 tall ships with white sails, about 32 warships, and possibly the USS Nimitz, one of the Navy’s aircraft carriers. Nearly 200 military aircraft are expected to fly overhead.
Chris O’Brien, the president of Sail4th 250, is coordinating with more than 1,000 people from different agencies to manage the logistics. “Certain ships have to dock at certain times because of the tides,” he told WABC-TV.
The event runs across two days. On July 3 starting at 1 p.m., about two dozen Class B mid-sized vessels will sail down the East River. Then on July 4 at around 9:30 a.m., roughly 40 tall ships from the U.S. and countries around the world will travel from the Verrazano Bridge up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge, covering 15 miles of waterfront.
The Coast Guard cutter Eagle will lead the July 4 parade, with the remaining ships following in alphabetical order. O’Brien told WABC-TV that the fleet must maintain 1,200 yards of spacing between vessels and move at six knots. “Some are a little bit older, some are a little bit newer, but we want to be very careful because these ships are basically like the crown jewels of the countries that own them,” he said.
All of the vessels are official training ships on an international goodwill mission. O’Brien said communities connected to those countries are expected to turn out. “Those local communities are going to come out and support that ship, meet those sailors from their home country,” he told WABC-TV.
New York Harbor hosted similar parades in 1976 for the bicentennial and again in 2000, but this year’s gathering is expected to surpass both, according to WABC-TV. ABC will cover the anniversary with 24 hours of programming called “Disney Celebrates America,” led by anchor David Muir, airing July 3 through July 4.
Featured image: Bushwick Daily image
