Operation Sail was the international sailing-ship parade held for the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial.
The event brought a large fleet of tall-masted sailing ships and naval vessels to New York Harbor on Independence Day. The ships represented multiple nations and created one of the most visually distinctive maritime spectacles of the Bicentennial celebrations.
The fleet later gathered in Boston, extending the commemoration beyond New York. President Gerald Ford reviewed the ships aboard a guided-missile cruiser in New York Harbor, where the international participation emphasized the anniversary’s global significance.
Operation Sail is sometimes confused with Fleet Week, a recurring naval public-relations event, or the America’s Cup, a competitive sailing championship. Operation Sail was specifically a ceremonial international gathering associated with the Bicentennial and was not a single-race competition.