A boat of FDNY sprays water near the Statue of Liberty during the "Parade of Ships" in New York, the United States, May 25, 2011. The 24th annual New York Fleet Week kicked off on the Hudson River Wednesday morning. [Xinhua/Shen Hong]

The "Parade of Ships" passed the iconic Intrepid en route to the George Washington Bridge, where they will sail back to the respective piers where each vessel will be berthed for the Fleet Week festivities.

Among them were the USS Iwo Jima, USS Kauffman and the USS New York, whose hull was forged with some 7.5 tons of steel from the collapsed World Trade Center.

Myles Post, a retired Navy veteran sitting in a wheelchair on the flight deck of the Intrepid and looking at the USS New York sail by, told Xinhua that the Fleet Week is a good opportunity for people to salute to U.S. armed forces members.

"I love to come down here every year and watch the ships come through. It's exciting for both armed forces members on board and spectators," he said.

During the Fleet Week, citizens will have the opportunity to view a number of helicopter raid demonstrations and get an up- close and personal experience with Marines and their gear during static displays. The ships are scheduled to depart on June 1.