FireFighter at the Narrows, Fort Wadsworth side . . . rainbow effect of spray . . . must be doins’  … big stuff going on or about to . . . .

Waiting on the Fort Hamilton (Brooklyn)  side, I espy a huge shape some five or six miles off, here between FDNY’s not-yet-in-service 343 and the venerable Driftmaster.  Iwo Jima (Mississippi-built) has returned!  See fotos I took on board last year here.

The first fleet vessel through the Narrows was PC-4, Monsoon, Louisiana-built, commissioned in 1994, here passing Ellen McAllister.  Scroll through this link to see a sampling of  fotos of Monsoon‘s adventures.

Next visitor in was WMEC 909, Campbell, the sixth cutter to bear that name, here with helicopter above and USACE vessels all around, from left, Moritz, (I believe that’s the stern of Dobrin … barely visible), Driftmaster, and Gelberman.  Campbell’s homeport is Portsmouth, NH.  See a previous appearance of Campbell on this blog here… last foto).

Next in, sibling of Monsoon . . . was Squall, commissioned in same year and state.

As Iwo Jima approached the Verrazano Bridge, a gun salute from Fort Hamilton drew

Iwo Jima‘s response.  By the way, the bit of land on the lower left side of the foto above is Hendrick’s Reef, on which the Brooklyn pillar of the Verrazano Bridge stands, an island that from 1812 until 1960 housed Fort Lafayette.  I wonder which Hendrick that was.

Ellen McAllister followed Iwo Jima in.  Is that Catherine Turecamo over on Iwo Jima‘s port side?

Next in was DDG 95, destroyer James E. Williams, named for a sailor who served in both Korea and Vietnam.  Read about her namesake here.

Then it was FFG 45, frigate De Wert, named for a sailor who died in Korea in 1951.

And then Bath, Maine-built CG 58, Philippine Sea.

Closer up . . . I can’t identify the Coast Guard 47-footer other than 47315.  By the way, see this type vessel’s capabilities as filmed in the mouth of the Merrimack River in all its fury.  The Merrimack was my obsession during part of the 80s and all of the 90s.

I didn’t see where Miriam Moran assisted (probably up at the Hudson River passenger terminal) but a while later I caught her headed to home base as Laura K. was out to Red Hook for an assist.  Check out the two crew on the afterdeck.

Hmm . . . I wonder what the story is.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

By the way, “Government Ships 5” is the short title;  a longer version is “Their crews and all those sixth-boro based supporters.”

Welcome to New York.

A century ago, a parade of ships featured the Cruiser Olympia, now in very real danger of being reefed.

Staten Island Live has an excellent schedule of events planned the next few days on Staten Island, where most of the fleet vessels are berthed.  See the schedule here.

Final note:  I plan to cross the Merrimack aka “merry mack” tomorrow headed north for some canoeing.  See foto here.  The Pow Wow flows into the Merrimack.