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American Morning
Dozens of Navy Vessels Sail into City's Harbor to Mark Beginning of Fleet Week
Aired May 23, 2002 - 07:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: New York City remains on alert this morning following the latest warnings that terrorists might be targeting major landmarks. But that didn't stop more than a dozen Navy vessels from sailing into the city's harbor to mark the beginning of Fleet Week.
And CNN's Michael Okwu joins us now from dockside on the Intrepid -- good morning. We don't see you yet, but we know you are there -- good morning.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula.
ZAHN: There you are.
OKWU: How are you?
ZAHN: Fine, thanks.
OKWU: Great. I am doing great. It's a beautiful day here in New York City despite this terror alert. People here in New York have been enjoying Fleet Week since yesterday. The crowds showed up on droves.
And you know, for the past 15 years, Fleet Week has been occurring in New York. It is a regular occasion, and yet, it is such a surreal experience to see these U.S. naval ships steaming up the Hudson River.
Yesterday was remarkable as about 20 of them came up along the Hudson, about 6,000 Marines and sailors all standing at attention and saluting ground zero when they passed it, a very touching sight indeed.
And it was a day for very remarkable displays of compassion. In addition to the sailors and the Marines saluting ground zero, there was a flag that used to fly proudly in the center of the courtyard at the World Trade Center. That flag made its way to Afghanistan, where it was hoisted above the Kandahar Airport. And then that flag made it back yesterday to New York aboard the USS Iwo Jima, which was the newest and largest of the ships on display here yesterday. And that flag will be part of a ceremony in the next coming days, where they will be handing that officially back to the New York City Police Department. About seven of the ships that we saw yesterday returned from Afghanistan. We talked to a lieutenant commander aboard one of those ships, who told us that he was the second-in-command of the USS Cole in addition, and he said that it meant the world to him to be here in New York City at the site of ground zero in order to share his feelings with some of the citizens of New York.
And Fleet Week is not just about displaying this wonderful and artistic hardware really, but it's also an opportunity for the fighting men and women of the U.S. Navy to have a relationship and a dialogue with those people in New York, I am told. Many of them will not only be going to Broadway plays and sampling some of our restaurants and trying to stimulate the economy here in New York, but also they will be taking part in community development projects and working with community members at a very grassroots level.
It was an extraordinary sight yesterday, Paula, and we are hoping for a much more festive week as it continues.
ZAHN: Michael, as we continue to talk with you, we're going to let the shot relax, so we can get a better perspective of where you are on that vast floating vessel there. Describe to us the changes in security. As I understand it, this is the probably strongest security that has been in place at this event in years.
OKWU: Oh, that's right. In fact, but what they will tell you that not only the Coast Guard, but members of the U.S. Navy and the New York City Police Department is, they will say that there is definitely security you will not necessarily see of it. Of course, some of it was quite visible yesterday. There was a very large blimp flying above lower Manhattan, which was acting as the main surveillance command and control center, and that was making sure that there were not too many vehicles and vessels that were close to the vessels that you are seeing today -- Paula.
ZAHN: OK. Michael, thanks so much. I'm kind of jealous you are out there. That's one of my favorite places in New York. You know that that has become one of the most popular places to have a birthday party? I have hosted a birthday on board that vessel before. It's great, because it's the first time many kids have the opportunity to crawl all over that ship, and they get to talk to World War II veterans. It's a great place to learn -- take care, Michael.
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