About 60 ships were estimated to take part in the 2026 Sail250 maritime gathering for America250.
Sail250 was organized as part of the United States semiquincentennial commemoration and incorporated OpSail 2026 and an International Fleet Review. The event brought naval vessels, tall ships, and other historic or nationally representative ships into anniversary programming.
The planned maritime gathering included vessels from about 30 countries and used New York Harbor as a major setting on July 4, 2026. Other port calls connected with the wider Sail250 program included New Orleans, Norfolk, Baltimore, and Boston.
The event was described as the largest maritime gathering in United States history. It also continued the tradition of using major anniversaries to bring tall ships and international naval visitors together, as earlier Operation Sail events did for the 1976 Bicentennial.