Military flyovers greet Fleet Week's arrival

Thousands of spectators gathered Wednesday morning along the banks of the Hudson River to watch a parade of tall ships and naval warships sail into New York Harbor, marking a majestic start to Fleet Week New York 2012.

"The excitement of seeing these ships, these tall ships and warships, there's nothing like it," U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary operations officer Capt. Paulette Nedrow said as she helped coordinate enforcement patrols on the Hudson.

Led by the FDNY fireboat Harvey, the Parade of Sail included tall ships Juan Sebastian De Elcano from Spain, KRI Dewaruci from Indonesia, La Belle Poule and Etoile from France and a host of others.

As curious onlookers watched from a range of vantage points including pleasure boats on the Hudson and the esplanade in Battery Park, the ships headed north to the George Washington Bridge, before turning back to the Hudson piers near the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

Naval sailors from around the world lined the decks of some of the ships and lined the halyards, or rigging, of the Indonesian KRI Dewaruci.

The modern-day warship force that followed those ships included the USS Roosevelt, USS Mitscher, USS Gonzalez and USS San Jacinto, as well as the HMCS Iroquois from Canada, JS Shirane from Japan, the FNS Pohjanmaa from Finland and the RFA Argus from the United Kingdom.

The ceremonies also were marked by military flyovers from the Navy F-18 Blue Angels flight demonstration team, CT-114 Canadian Snowbirds, MV-22, H-60, H-65 and MH-60 helicopters among the 19 participating aircraft.

"It's a really good feeling of patriotism to be here," said Jan Bjune, 60, of Scottsdale, Ariz. He and his wife, Donna Burrell, 58, witnessed the pageantry near Battery Park after visiting the Sept. 11 memorial. "It was really sad," she said of the memorial, but seeing the parade of ships immediately afterward made her feel "really proud."

Another spectator, Annie Pelnsky, 58, of the East Village, said of watching the military flyover: "I wish I was in one of them. I love that flying and queasy-stomach feeling. It's like a roller coaster."

Fleet Week festivities bring sailors from around the world to New York City and include tours of the ships, exhibitions of naval power and other sailing and military-related activities and exhibitions.

This year's event marks OpSail 2012 and the bicentennial of the War of 1812, as well as a ditty written about that war -- "The Star-Spangled Banner."

>Held almost every year since 1984, Fleet Week New York is anticipated by maritime buffs and many of the 6,000 service members who will flood the city throughTuesday. Those who enjoy seeing the city briefly transformed into a set for a 1940s-era movie also are fans of the week.

Nedrow said she has seen every Fleet Week since 1986.

"It's magnificent to see these ships," she said. "It's a visceral experience."

With Sheila Anne Feeney

and John Valenti