Fleet Week to pay tribute to Sept. 11 victims
NEW YORK (AP) – With fireboats spraying plumes of water in welcome, a small fleet of Navy ships sailed into New York Harbor on Wednesday as Fleet Week began in a city under a fresh warning of terrorism. As each ship passed the World Trade Center site, the sailors saluted and observed a moment of silence in honor of the more than 2,800 people killed there. Guns were fired from nearby Fort Hamilton as the ships went by.
It is just the second time that the annual celebration has occurred at a time of war. It also came one day after the FBI issued a vague, unconfirmed warning that terrorists have threatened New York and some of its landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Security, already high in the city since terrorists destroyed the trade center on Sept. 11, was tightened even more.
Helicopters hovered around the city and, to prevent public alarm, police announced that some ceremonies would include the firing of guns and military flyovers. Early Wednesday, the discovery of a suspicious package forced the shut down of the Brooklyn Bridge for about an hour before the package was identified, said police spokeswoman Sgt. Mary Williams.
As the ships arrived, people gathered in a waterside park held up signs reading “Thank you for protecting us.” Sailors, dressed in bright white uniforms, lined the decks, facing New York City, as their ships curled around lower Manhattan.
More than 6,000 naval personnel are expected in New York through the Memorial Day weekend.
“New York City is one of those cities where people will stop you on the street when you’re in a Navy uniform and let you know how much they appreciate what you do,” Navy spokesman Mike Brown said.
“It’s always been like that here, even before Sept. 11.”
About 20 ships are participating in Fleet Week, including a carrier, cruisers, destroyers and frigates. Several ships recently returned from duty in the war in Afghanistan.
The Navy planned special ship tours for firefighters, police officers and other personnel who played major roles in rescue, recovery and cleanup at the trade center.
Lillian Todd of New York stood at the entrance to Pier 88 waiting for her brother Eugene Idlett Jr., who is stationed in Norfolk, Va., to step off the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault carrier.
“I’m supposed to be at work but I had to see my only brother, my baby brother,” she said, holding a sign with her brother’s name. “He’s never been to New York before.”
Newly arrived in town with the Navy fleet was David Canin, a Navy reservist from San Diego.
“Our Fleet Week was canceled because it was supposed to happen the week after Sept. 11 last year,” he said. “It’s good to be here.”
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On the Net:
http://www.fleetweek.navy.mil
http://www.intrepidmuseum.org