The tall ships are back — and so are six US Navy warships and hundreds of sailors and Marines arriving in town today for the launch of Fleet Week.
The festivities start this morning, with the Parade of Ships up the Hudson — featuring four guided-missile destroyers, including USS Mitscher, most recently on patrol for pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
The parade also features the happy return of nine sailing ships; the historic vessels will be docking in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island all week.
Curious visitors can head over to Pier 92 to try out the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet flight simulator — or to Pier 86 to see new unmanned aerial vehicles like the Shrike, a 2-foot-long “quadrocopter” that can hover in the air and provide a live intel feed to troops in the field.
Manhattan’s Pier 90 will also host USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship, and USS Roosevelt, a destroyer.
But Fleet Week isn’t really about ships and the technology of war — it’s a way to honor and give thanks to the sailors and Marines who spend their lives in service and are in town for some well-earned leave.
So give them a hand, New Yorkers. They’ve earned it.