On 25 April 1890 the Congress passed an act enabling the President to "hold a naval review in New York harbor in April 1893, and to extend to foreign nations an invitation to send ships of war to join the U.S. Navy in rendezvous at Hampton Roads and proceed thence to said review."
Three years later, ships from ten countries rendezvoused in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and proceeded to New York Harbor in conjunction with the Columbian Exposition, marking the 400th anniversary of the landing of Christopher Columbus. Participants in this first International Naval Review (INR) included warships from Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom, in addition to the United States. President Grover Cleveland, on board the dispatch boat USS Dolphin, reviewed the assembled ships on 26 April.
In 1907, Hampton Roads was the site of the second INR, held in conjunction with the observance of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia. In addition to most of the warships of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, ships representing Argentina, Austria-Hungary, Brazil, Chile, Germany, and the United Kingdom participated. President Theodore Roosevelt reviewed the ships from the yacht, USS Mayflower. The date of the review was again 26 April.
In 1957, Hampton Roads hosted the third INR, also held on the anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Invitations were extended by the U.S. State Department to the nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and to those countries considered to have an interest in the colonization of North America. A total of 30 combatants representing 17 countries—Belgium, Canada, Columbia, Cuba, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Venezuela—joined approximately 80 U.S. warships. On 12 June, Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson reviewed a double line of ships.
On 4 July 1976, New York Harbor hosted the fourth INR held in the United States. Ships and delegations from more than 40 countries assembled, along with approximately 200 sailing ships of the privately sponsored Operation Sail. The U.S. Marine Corps also participated in the observance. The ships were reviewed by President Gerald R. Ford.
The Statue of Liberty was the focus for the fifth INR, held in 1986, which brought together warships from the United States and 13 countries, and naval sail training ships from 11 nations. President Ronald Reagan reviewed the 21 international and 12 U.S. Navy ships from the deck of the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61).
On 26 October 1996, the 104th Congress passed a Joint Resolution: "the United States Navy will conduct an International Naval Review" in 2000 and declared that "all Americans and citizens of nations around the world are encouraged to join in the celebration of the 224th birthday of the United States of America and the international camaraderie that Operation Sail and the International Naval Review will foster." INR 2000 is scheduled to have 43 naval ships from more than 20 nations around the world present in New York Harbor to be reviewed by the President. More than 100 tall ships, military and civilian, will be participating in Operation Sail 2000 in New York, being held in conjunction with INR 2000.
OpSail History
1961: Founded by President John F. Kennedy to support sail training and goodwill among nations.
1964: Celebrating the 1964 World's Fair in New York.
1976: 200th anniversary of the United States.
1986: 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty.
1992: Quincentenary commemoration of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World.
2000: Joining INR 2000 in observing the Millennium Year.
International Naval Ships 2000
Argentina
Libertad, square-rigged sail training ship
Belgium
Zenobe Gramme, sail training ship
Brazil
Brasil, training frigate
Cisne Branco, square-rigged sail training ship
Canada
HMCS Montreal, frigate
HMCS Ville de Quebec, frigate
Chile
Esmerelda, sail training ship
Colombia
Gloria, sail training ship
Ecuador
Guayas, sail training ship
France
De Grasse, destroyer
Germany
Gorch Fock, sail training ship
Greece
Aris, training ship
India
Mysore, destroyer
Indonesia
Dewaruci, barkentine sail training ship
Ireland
Eithne, patrol craft
Asgard II, brigantine sail training ship
Italy
Luigi Durand De La Penne, destroyer
Amerigo Vespucci, sail frigate training ship
Japan
Kashima, training frigate
Yuugiri, destroyer
Kaiwo Maru, barque sail training ship
Portugal
Sagres, sail training ship
Singapore
Endurance, amphibious support ship
South Africa
Drakensburg, replenishment ship
Spain
Juan Sebastian, sail training ship
Turkey
Fatih, frigate
Ukraine
Slavutich
United Kingdom
HMS Manchester, frigate
Uruguay
Capitan Miranda, sail training ship
Venezuela
Simon Bolivar, sail training ship
U.S. Naval Ships & Units 2000
U.S. Navy
USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
USS Nassau (LHA-4)
USS Mt. Whitney (LCC-20)
USS Hue City (CG-66)
USS McFaul (DDG-74)
USS John Hancock (DD-981)
USS Elrod (FFG-55)
USS Underwood (FFG-36)
USS Jacksonville (SSN-699)
USNS Zachary Fisher (TAKR-301)
U.S. Coast Guard
USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716)
USCGC Harriet Lane (WMEC-903)
USCG Barque Eagle
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
NOAA Ship Rude
U.S. Marine Corps
Special Marine Air Ground Task Force
M1A1 Tanks
Light Armored Vehicles
Amphibious Assault Vehicles
AV-8B Aircraft
U.S. Civilian Tall Ships
Amistad
Gazela of Philadelphia
Kalmar Nyckel
Niagara
HMS Rose
Wavertree
International Civilian Tall Ships
Canada
Bluenose II
Fair Jeanne
Mist of Avalon
Denmark
Jens Krough
France
Le Belle Espoir II
Italy
Idea Due
Lycia
Netherlands
Eendracht
Europa
Oosterschelde
New Zealand
Picton Castle
Soren Larsen
Poland
Pogoria
Ukraine
Bat'kivshchyna
United Kingdom
Eye of the Wind
Gulliver of Southhampton
Jolie Bries
Rona II