The count-down is on! Only four days left until our Navy ships roll into the Hudson River for a week's worth of sea service celebration during New York City Fleet Week 2009 (note: when you click on the link, you must also click "continue to the site"), May 20-27. Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen will be the toast of the town as year after year the City graciously rolls out the red carpet to host our service members during this highly anticipated annual kick-off to the unofficial beginning of summer.

Follow my Twitter updates at @NYCNavygirl as I attend fleet week events with the commanding officer of USS New York (LPD 21), Commander Curt Jones. We'll visit the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space museum, Gracie Mansion, and much, much more! In addition, 28 Sailors from the USS New York's crew will be riding IWO JIMA up to partake in Fleet Week activities and talk to New Yorkers first-hand about the up-coming commissioning as an informal introduction of New York's very own service members. Give them a big welcome as they get to know the City during Fleet Week sponsored events as well as out on town on liberty.

Built with a hull containing seven and a half tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center attacks, USS New York is a San Antonio class U.S. Navy warship that is currently under construction at the Northop Grumman shipyard in Avondale, Louisiana. After the ship's commissioning on November 7, 2009, to take place right here in New York City, USS New York's primary mission will be to transport and land Marines, their equipment and supplies to support amphibious assault, special operations, or expeditionary warfare missions throughout the globe.

Below is the press release just out today announcing our ships participating in New York Fleet Week '09.

Viva la vida marina!


PRESS RELEASE:

Ships head to New York for Fleet Week
May 16, 2009

A flotilla of U.S. Navy ships and thousands of Sailors and Marines set sail Monday morning from Norfolk, Va., to participate in the 22nd Fleet Week New York, which will take place May 20 - 27.

The ships heading up the East Coast for this year’s Fleet Week commemoration are the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) with a special purpose Marine air/ground task force embarked, and the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72), both homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.; patrol coastal ships USS Tempest (PC 2), USS Hurricane (PC 3) and USS Thunderbolt (PC 12), homeported at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va.; and the guided missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), homeported in Mayport, Fla. Iwo Jima and Roosevelt will be moored in Manhattan; and Vella Gulf, Tempest, Hurricane and Thunderbolt will be moored at Staten Island.

The ships will parade into New York Harbor Wednesday morning, May 20.

Two U.S. Coast Guard vessels and five Canadian navy vessels will also join Wednesday’s Parade of Ships.

Hosted nearly every year since 1984, Fleet Week New York is the City’s celebration of the sea services. This event also provides an opportunity for the citizens of New York City and the surrounding tri-state area to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, as well as see, first-hand, the latest capabilities of today’s maritime services.

In addition to public visitations of participating ships, May 21 – 26, there will be a number of exhibits showing off the technology of our maritime services and the skilled expertise of our service members. More information is available on the official Fleet Week New York website at https://www.cnic.navy.mil/cnrma, then click on the link for Fleet Week New York City.


-USN-