I went to the largest maritime gathering in US history, featuring ships from 20 countries, for America's 250th birthday. Here's what I saw.

• Ships from 20 countries visited New York City in celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
• I toured ships from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Poland, Argentina, Sweden, Uruguay, and Italy.
• I also visited two active-duty ships in the US Navy, the USS Arlington and the USS Farragut.

Ships from over 20 countries paraded up New York City’s Hudson River in celebration of America’s 250th birthday on July 4.

I got a close-up look at Farragut’s 5-inch Mark 45 gun and Mark 41 vertical launching system used to deploy missiles.

The first ship I’d reserved was the HMS Gladan, a Swedish Navy training vessel built in 1947.

On the foreign ships, visitors chatted excitedly with uniformed crew members in their native languages — Spanish, Polish, Swedish, Italian — either as native speakers themselves or in broken sentences as they attempted to practice their skills. A crew member on Uruguay’s Capitan Miranda told me that ships serve as “floating embassies,” promoting international relations while also providing a taste of home to citizens and expats abroad.

Boarding ships from Poland and the Dominican Republic, two countries included in my own family’s history as American immigrants, also held special significance for me. I sent a steady stream of photos to the family group chat, marveling at seeing parts of our journey to America represented by the towering sails.

It was definitely one of the best birthday parties I’ve been to in a while.