Sail4th 250 brings fleet of 40 ships to New York's Hudson River

Vessels departing from the Verrazzano Bridge sailed north to the George Washington Bridge in what organizers called a record-setting tall ship procession

1 min readUpdated July 6, 2026

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Honoring America's 250th anniversary, a 40-vessel international fleet made its way up the Hudson River on Saturday as part of the Sail4th 250 festivities, according to CBS News New York.

The fleet pushed off from the Verrazzano Bridge at 9:30 a.m. and headed upriver toward the George Washington Bridge. No previous tall ship parade, organizers said, had brought together so many vessels at once, according to CBS News New York.

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Ahead of Saturday's ship procession, planes swept over the Verrazzano Bridge and the Hudson River in coordinated formation. The event had gotten underway the afternoon before, with Class B tall ships making a run down the East River from Hell Gate Bridge all the way to Gravesend, Brooklyn.

Getting ready for the celebration required about a year of security planning, according to Inspector Raul Maisonet, who commands the NYPD Harbor Unit, he told CBS News New York. Underwater personnel completed preventive dive operations, and sonar sweeps were run at unpredictable intervals throughout the waterway.

Jet skis and similar personal watercraft were prohibited Saturday, with officers stopping boats throughout the event to check for impaired operation, Maisonet told CBS News New York. "The U.S. warships that no one ever gets to put their eyes on, they're here and live, and these are active ships," he told the outlet.

Entry to the event required clearing NYPD-run screening stations equipped with magnetometers, and attendees were subject to bag inspections, according to CBS News New York. Carrying backpacks onto the grounds was prohibited.

Update, July 6, 2026: The broader International Naval Review in New York Harbor featured 44 tall ships and over 30 warships, according to Admiral Daryl Caudle, chief of U.S. Naval Operations. The event also included thousands of sailors, Marines, and allied partners. (per The New York Times)

Sail4th 250 brings fleet of 40 ships to New York's Hudson River

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