A Parade of Ships Ushers in Fleet Week

The Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum rests on the Hudson River. The aircraft carrier will be the main stage of Fleet Week celebrations that will last until May 26. Joshua Philipp/The Epoch Times

NEW YORK—Destroyers, aircraft carriers, frigates, and other ships from both Canada and the United States rolled down the Hudson River on Wednesday. F-18 fighter jets and helicopters zoomed overhead, while school kids on the flight deck of the USS Intrepid museum pointed and gasped in awe.

The Parade of Ships marked the beginning of Fleet Week, which will last until May 26. The Intrepid was the main stage to watch the 11 ships arrive in New York. It will also hold most of the events for Fleet Week.

“Whether you’re for the war or against the war has nothing to do with us or Fleet Week,” said Bill White, the president of the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum. “What we’re about is honoring our troops, supporting our troops, and making sure they know that we love them.”

5,000 troops will be coming to New York to join the Fleet Week celebrations, including the crew of five Canadian warships. More than 100,000 visitors are expected to show up for the events.

“This Fleet Week is going to be the greatest Fleet Week we’ve ever had,” White said, adding that this for the first time in Fleet Week history 900 U.S. marines and an Army ship carrying tanks and armored troop carriers will be joining in.

Due to funding cuts, this year’s events will not be as large as in previous years, yet locals don’t seem to mind.

On Wednesday, the Intrepid was crowded with kids on school field trips. Anna DiNardo, a fifth grade teacher at P.S. 72 said that the day held special meaning for many of her students.

“A lot of them have never been out of the Bronx,” DiNardo said. “It’s different when you see it in real life.”

DiNardo explained that several of the kids can’t afford to go or have parents who are too busy with work to take them. In order to bring some of the kids along, DiNardo paid their admission from her own pocket.

“I wanted to spark their interests,” she said. “If you’re just doing textbooks they get bored. If you do actual trips, that sticks with them.”

Most of the students were huddled around two uniformed marines, asking question after question. Among them was the 10-year-old Joshua Choi, who said it was the first time he had seen U.S. marines.

“I want to be a marine. I really do,” Choi said, adding that he thinks ‘their uniforms are cool.’

Another student, Helena Evans, 12, said that it was the first trip she’d been on in her life and has only seen aircraft carriers and jets on television. She said that “seeing them in real life is exciting.”

Throughout the week, various events will be taking place in honor of the men and women serving in the U.S. military—ranging from military demonstrations to a cooking contest where Navy chefs will match their skills.

On Thursday a ceremony will officially reopen the Growler nuclear submarine, which floats in the water alongside the Intrepid. A soccer match will be held on the flight deck, matching the New York Red Bulls against a team of marines and coast guardsmen. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is also scheduled as the guest of honor for the night’s dinner reception.

An estimated 2,500 military veterans are expected to join a memorial service on Memorial Day.

This will be the first time the Intrepid has been a part of Fleet Week’s festivities since 2006, as it has been closed for renovations. The Intrepid has served in three wars and has survived five kamikaze attacks. It was retired in 1974 and is now home to one of the world’s largest maritime museums.