The East River will host a parade of 15 international Class B tall ships on Friday from the Hell Gate Bridge to South Street Seaport. They arrive between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
"With something this scale, this size, we also take on a mission of counterterrorism," said Inspector Raul Maisonet of the NYPD Harbor Unit.
On July Fourth, Sail4th 250 continues on the Hudson River with 30 "Class A" tall ships from the Verrazzano to the George Washington bridges. They will arrive between 9:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. - followed by a parade in the sky of military aircraft led by the Navy's Blue Angels.
Then, the 85,000 shells of fireworks blast off over the water at night.
It all happens under tight security, with traffic closures on the FDR Drive and screening for all the people who want to enjoy the views, day and night, from the river fronts.
"There will be heavy weapons teams, canine units, and thousands of uniformed officers, aviation, harbor, and our counter-drone teams will also be deployed...There will be additional security measures that you will not see," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Eyewitness News got to see the Harbor Unit up close on Thursday. They enforce laws recreational boaters need to follow and help them when they need it.
"The team has been out there for weeks. We're doing proactive dives with our scuba team, sonar scans in our area at different times, just to make sure everyone is safe," Maisonet said.
Protecting New York Harbor is a shared responsibility between the NYPD and U.S. Coast Guard. There is always a lot of commercial traffic there - and this year, there's the added presence of visiting Navy ships.
"Just that alone changes the landscape of things. And in terms of counterterrorism, it's basically been a 24/7 operation for weeks on end," he said.
The waters around The Battery and Brooklyn saw Revolutionary War battles starting only about one month after the Declaration of Independence was signed in July 1776.
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