Fleet Week Visits New York

U.S. sailors hold a contest for the highest kick during their visit to the Top-of-the-Rock observation deck as part of the Fleet Week celebration on Thursday, May 25, 2006. Besides daily ship tours at Manhattan's Pier 88 and Stapleton pier in Staten Island, Fleet Week includes military band concerts, technology displays, military ceremonies and demonstrations involving Marines, Navy SEALS and helicopters. There are 14 scheduled parades in various parts of New York. Photo by DIMA GAVRYSH /GAMMA.

Fell in love with sailors at On the Town or just looking for a respectful way to celebrate the US Armed Forces this Memorial Day?

Fleet Week New York, now in its 27th year, is the city’s time-honored celebration of the sea services. It is an unparalleled opportunity for the citizens of New York and the surrounding tri-state area to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, as well as witness firsthand the latest capabilities of today’s maritime services. The week-long celebration has been held nearly every year since 1984.

Three U.S. Navy ships, two U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) cutters, and four U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) Yard Patrol boats arrived in the New York Harbor on Wednesday to participate in the 2015 Fleet Week New York Parade of Ships. The ships could be seen along the Hudson River from Battery Park to just south of the George Washington Bridge.

In addition to showcasing the world’s largest maritime force, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) are scheduled to host a variety of music concerts featuring Navy Band Northeast and the USMC Band, May 18 through 25, in celebration of the 2015 Fleet Week New York.

Highlights thus far have included the Navy Band Northeast “Pops Ensemble” performing a public concert at the Brooklyn Central Library on Monday and at Bryant Park on Tuesday, as well as Marine Day in Bryant Park on Thursday featuring a boot camp-style exercise session followed by USMC displays, demonstrations and a performance by the USMC Band.

The true excitement, however, is still coming up, so you have plenty of time to enjoy Fleet Week this Memorial Day Weekend. The Navy Band Northeast’s “Rhode Island Sound,” the USMC Band and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Silent Drill Team will perform at Military Island in Times Square on Friday from 5 to 7:30pm, while the “Rhode Island Sound” and Drill Team return at 5pm on Saturday and 1pm on Sunday.

Also on Sunday is the Fleet Week New York Community Music Festival at Flagship Brewery in Staten Island. From 1 to 5pm, both local and navy bands will be performing. And on Monday, when the Mets will take on the Philadelphia Phillies, the Joint Service Color Guard will present colors, and a member of Navy Band Northeast will sing the national anthem.

Curious about the ships themselves? Public visitation on USN ships and USCG cutters in Manhattan and Staten Island began on Thursday and continues through Monday, May 25, 8 am to 5 pm daily. A variety of air demonstrations, from Search and Rescue demos to airborne insertion and extraction of aircraft with combat equipped Marines, will be performed for the public at parks throughout the city. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) will also showcase several unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs), as well as other technologies for the future force at Pier 86 and Pier 92 through Monday.

Whether you’re interested in music or the newest search and rescue technology, there is something here for you at Fleet Week New York. For more information, please visit http://www.fleetweeknewyork.com/.