Sixteen tall ships sailed to New York for Operation Sail’s 1976 Bicentennial parade.
Operation Sail 1976 formed part of the United States Bicentennial celebrations. The event brought sailing ships from several countries to New York Harbor for a Grand Parade of Sailing Ships on Independence Day.
The participating vessels included the Italian Amerigo Vespucci, Norway’s Christian Radich, Germany’s Gorch Fock, Spain’s Juan Sebastián de Elcano, and the United States Coast Guard’s Eagle. Each of the 16 principal tall ships carried a banner featuring the Bicentennial’s tricolor star insignia.
The 16 ships were the principal square-rigged school ships listed in the official program. They were accompanied by 113 supporting vessels, so descriptions of the entire fleet can produce a much larger number. That distinction explains why 16 is the precise answer for the tall ships in the Grand Parade.