The Romanian training ship Mircea, a symbol of the Romanian Naval Forces, took part in the Parade of Tall Ships in New York on Saturday, July 4.

The ship joined several tall ships from around the world in Sandy Hook Bay, south of New York, arriving on Friday, July 3. The same day, a powerful weather front brought wind gusts of over 80 km/h within just a few minutes, putting all the ships at anchor to the test and damaging some, according to Digi24.

The next day, New York residents were treated to an impressive naval and air parade meant to showcase American military power, according to vice president JD Vance.

"It is a very American thing to mark 250 years of US history by showcasing the strength of our naval and air forces for the world to see," Vance said aboard the assault ship USS Kearsarge in the Port of New York, where he delivered a speech and thanked the approximately 50 countries participating in the city's July 4 events.

USS Kearsarge sailed through New York waters and participated in the International Naval Review, the seventh in the nation's history, alongside USS Arlington, USS Iwo Jima, USS Farragut, USS Nitze, and USS Jason Dunham, among others.

The demonstration of maritime "cooperation" was part of the Sail4th250 events, which included "the largest flotilla of tall ships in history from around the world, creating a majestic nautical spectacle and an unforgettable once-in-a-generation event on land, at sea, and in the air," according to the organizers.

More than 40 tall ships from 20 countries sailed along the Hudson River until mid-afternoon, including several Latin American vessels such as Esmeralda (Chile), BAP Union (Peru), and ARA Libertad (Argentina), as well as the Spanish training ship Juan Sebastián Elcano, all flying their national flags.

Most of the tall ships traveling along the Hudson River from the Verrazano Bridge to the George Washington Bridge, including Mircea, were docked and welcomed visitors. The latter received the chief of the Romanian Naval Forces Staff, vice admiral Mihai Panait, accompanied by Romania’s consul general in New York, Simona Florea.

The three-masted, 82-meter ship has 23 sails with a total sail area of 1,750 square meters and a crew consisting of 80–89 members and 120–140 cadets. Built in 1938 in Hamburg, Germany, for the Romanian Navy, Mircea is similar to Eagle (United States), Gorch Fock (Germany), and Sagres (Portugal). The ship regularly participates in international events dedicated to tall ships, including previous OpSail celebrations in New York.

The tall ship Mircea departed from the Port of Constanța on April 16 on an international training voyage to join the international fleet in the port of New York. Scheduled to take place between April 16 and September 16, the voyage included stops at five American ports: Miami, Norfolk, Baltimore, and New York, and will conclude in Boston.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Nava-Școală ”Mircea”)