20-05-2025
USS New York and USS Oak Hill off to Fleet Week in New York City
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — After several months of preparation, hundreds of sailors and Marines on the USS New York are heading to New York City for Fleet Week.
Setting sail for Manhattan, the amphibious transport dock joins the USS Oak Hill for a week of events in the city that never sleeps. It is a trip many new recruits get to take part in.
It joins the more than 450 marines and sailors on board, with Fleet Week letting the public meet all types of service members in the Navy as sailors attend events throughout town. This includes a baseball game, Broadway performances and much more.
'I've never been, so I'm really excited and looking forward to it,' Midshipman 3rd Class Brianna Newell said.
'Seeing how the enlisted interact with the public and how we can interact with them more,' Midshipman 2nd Class Job Grant said.
'It's more important now than ever to integrate the public into what the military is doing and familiarize them with that,' Midshipman 3rd Class Charlie Hecht said.
Bringing the ship to its namesake city, USS New York carries about 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center in its bow.
'We're going to pass Ground Zero, which for this ship is always a special opportunity,' Commander David Pagan said.
For Pagan, the trip represents his roots.
'My grandfather enlisted out of the Brooklyn Navy yard after immigrating from the Dominican Republic in WWII,' he said. 'He served on a battleship, served on a cruiser, so being able to rehash those ties to my family history in New York specifically is really something special.'
They are expected to arrive sometime this week.
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