Sixteen tall ships joined the principal sailing-ship parade at 1976’s Operation Sail.
Operation Sail was organized for the United States Bicentennial and brought an international fleet of sailing vessels to New York Harbor on July 4, 1976. The ships formed a grand parade watched by enormous crowds gathered along the waterfront and by viewers following the celebrations through television coverage.
The 16 tall ships were the relatively small group of major square-rigged school ships available around the world at the time. They represented several nations, including Italy, Norway, Poland, Chile, Colombia, and the United States. Italy’s Amerigo Vespucci and Norway’s Christian Radich were among the best-known participants.
The total fleet was considerably larger than 16 because 113 supporting vessels were also listed in the official program. That distinction explains why accounts sometimes give different numbers for the event: 16 refers to the principal tall ships, while the supporting craft belonged to the wider Op Sail fleet. The parade was one of the largest and most visually distinctive maritime events of the Bicentennial.