NEW YORK (WAVY) – The Norfolk-based USS Wasp was front and center at this year’s Fleet Week in New York City.

The amphibious assault ship led the parade of ships under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and up the Hudson River Wednesday. The man piloting the ship is Navy Sailor Nelson Jiminian, a New York City native.

“I was standing up in the bridge; it’s like a legendary moment. It’s like a one-time moment. You don’t get this moment again,” said Jiminian.

USS Wasp is one of about a dozen Navy ships in the Big Apple. They’ll be there over the Memorial Day weekend, until Tuesday.

New York (May 24, 2023) – The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) is escorted into pier 88 in New York City during the parade of ships as part of Fleet Week New York (FWNY), May 24, 2023. FWNY 2023 provides an opportunity for the American public to meet Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen and see first-hand the latest capabilities of today’s maritime services. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Juan Carpanzano)

Thousands of people are expected to tour the ships.

The first official Fleet Week took place in New York City in 1988 and usually coincides with the Memorial Day holiday weekend.