OpSail New York Kicks Off

A B O A R D  U S S  J O H N  F.   K E N N E D Y, July 4 -- Tens of thousands of private watercraft joined more than 100 tall ships in New York Harbor today as the largest-ever gathering of vessels in peacetime kicked off a spectacular Independence Day display.

A 21-gun salute rang out as President Clinton, aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, passed through the harbor at the start of Operation Sail 2000 and the sixth annual International Naval Review. Clinton reviewed naval vessels and praised U.S. sailors for their role in protecting the nation.

“I want to say on this Independence Day how grateful I am and how grateful your nation is for your service,” the president said. “You defend the freedom we celebrate today.”

Tall Ships, High Security

The John F. Kennedy was a particularly fitting place for the president to pay tribute to the thousands of vessels gathered here. It was President Kennedy, an avidsailor, who first conceived of Operation Sail four decades ago as a way to promote international cooperation and to preserve the tall ships.

An estimated 4 million people were expected to watch on the shores of Manhattan and New Jersey as the ships go through the harbor and up the Hudson River in a “Parade of Sail.”

More than 28,000 city police officers were on duty in New York City, along with law enforcement and security personnel from about a dozen federal agencies, including the FBI, the Secret Service, the Coast Guard and the Navy’s Criminal Investigative Service, which helps protect and provide antiterrorism security for the Navy.

Admiral Honored

As the tall ships that plied the seas decades ago paraded past Clinton, he named America’s next generation of destroyers after the late Adm. Elmo Zumwalt. Jr., architect of the modern U.S. Navy.

Clinton called Zumwalt “my mentor, my friend and a magnificent role model. He was a friend and passionate advocate for every sailor in his belovedNavy.”