Bay Ridge’s waterfront will serve as the opening stage for one of the largest international maritime gatherings in decades, as dozens of tall ships and naval vessels pass beneath the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge this summer as part of the Sail4th celebration.
The event, tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary, will bring ships from 46 countries into New York Harbor in a rare, large-scale display of international cooperation and naval tradition.
According to Chris O’Brien, president and vice chair of Sail4th 250, the day’s events will begin with an International Naval Review early in the morning, with U.S. and foreign and naval ships positioned at anchor along a 15-mile stretch of the Hudson River between the George Washington Bridge and the Verrazzano.
The formal review is expected to start around 7:15 a.m. and conclude by approximately 8:30 a.m.
The tall ship parade — the portion most visible from Brooklyn — will begin around 9:30 a.m., as vessels pass under the Verrazzano and proceed north. O’Brien said the full procession could take up to two and a half hours to clear a single viewing point in Bay Ridge.
An aerial demonstration led by the Blue Angels is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:15 a.m.
O’Brien added that planning for the international fleet began in April 2020, requiring coordination with foreign naval attachés and multiple levels of government.
“Now we have 46 nations participating altogether,” he told Brooklyn Paper. “It takes a lot of work to make it happen.”
O’Brien said the event follows a model established by earlier large-scale maritime celebrations, including those tied to the 1976 bicentennial, which brought international fleets to New York Harbor for major national milestones.
“They only happen once a generation, right?” O’Brien said. “So the gathering the navies of the world, bringing them to New York in an official capacity to mark an American milestone — that’s what it’s all about.”
In addition to the parade, many Sail4th ships are expected to dock at locations across the city and open for free public tours, offering visitors access to vessels typically used for naval training and international goodwill missions.
“Their mission is to train their cadets to become leaders for their navies,” O’Brien said. “But they have a dual mission. They are also on an international goodwill mission.”
He emphasized the symbolic role of the event, particularly given current global tensions.
“For us, it’s a real statement that doesn’t even need to be said because it’s, it’s evidence that [unity] is there,” O’Brien said. “And in our meetings with the attachés since April of 2020, that has been the sentiment. It’s, ‘We need to do these things. We need to do this. We need to come together for this moment.’”
Local, state and federal agencies — including New York City, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy — are involved in coordinating the event, officials said.
O’Brien lauded efforts in collaboration with Governor Kathy Hochul’s office, led by Senior Director of Major Event Operations and former Bay Ridge Council Member Justin Brannan.
“Our appointee from the governor has been fantastic, and we’re so thankful for him to kind of lead all things 250,” he added.
In a statement to Brooklyn Paper, Brannan shared his excitement for his home community in the Sail4th celebrations.
“Bay Ridge will have a V.I.P. front row seat for America’s 250th birthday. With hundreds of ships and aircraft from around the world passing under and over the Verrazzano Bridge, there’s no better place to experience this once-in-a-lifetime celebration,” he said. “And Bay Ridge will see it first!”
For more information on Sail4th and other America 250 celebrations, click here.
