Fleet Week: Public can tour U.S.S. Wasp starting Thursday
NEW YORK -- Fleet Week is officially underway in the city.
The annual event kicked off Wednesday morning with the annual Parade of Ships in the Hudson River.
The public can check out many of those vessels starting Thursday.
Navy sailors, Marines and members of the Coast Guard disembarked from their ships along the river. Among the masses there showing their support were Donna and Tony Gonzalez of Long Island, proud grandparents of a young sailor aboard the U.S.S. Wasp.
They said they couldn't ask for a better gift, watching something like this.
Shortly after, there was a reunion.
READ MORE: Fleet Week 2023: Parade of Ships rolls into New York Harbor
Among the vessels CBS2 visited was a Coast Guard ship -- which they call cutters -- based in the Atlantic Ocean. From the Rocky Mountains to the Middle East, the ship and its crew keep people safe.
"It's a great opportunity for the people of New York to celebrate and embrace our Coast Guard men and women, and there's no better place than here in New York City at Fleet Week," Vice Adm. Kevin E. Lunday said.
Right next door was this year's main Fleet Week attraction: the U.S.S. Wasp, an amphibious Marine warship.
The Wasp is used to transport Marines all over the world, but this week for Fleet Week for some Marines that means docking back home.
"I'm from Long Island, New York," Sgt. Donald Mann said. "My family is coming in. We're gonna grab dinner and just enjoy the city."
The sheer size and might of the U.S.S. Wasp is a sight to behold. First commissioned in 1989, the ship holds combat vehicles below, and helicopters and fighter jets on the flight deck. It is home to thousands of sailors and Marines, and is based in Norfolk, Virginia. Just as important as showing off the ships is showing off its sailors.
"Especially wearing our dress uniform. It brings in people just to have a simple conversation, and I think that's a lot of the times what we're missing," the Navy's January Little said.
The U.S.S. Wasp can be toured by the public starting Thursday, right beside the Intrepid.
