USS Arlington now in New York for the International Naval Review 250

The USS Arlington arrived on Tuesday evening (June 30) in the New York Harbor ahead of the International Naval Review 250, a parade of ships scheduled for July 4th.

Vice Admiral Yvette Davis said she couldn't think of a "finer ship" to celebrate the 250th anniversary of "our nation, our Navy, and our Marine Corps."

"Arlington's very special. She's one of three ships that really commemorate 911 victims. And in her case, Arlington commemorates the victims that occurred in the Pentagon," Davis said upon the vessel's arrival.  

According to Sail4th250, 48 tall ships representing 20 foreign nations and U.S. Navy vessels will sail in the International Parade of Sail, passing beneath the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, past the Statue of Liberty, and up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge.

As the U.S. prepares for its semiquincentennial - the 250th anniversary of its July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence from Great Britain - political divisions that have defined the Trump era are testing what is traditionally a unifying summer ritual: celebrating the country's founding with fireworks, parades and red-and-white bunting.

With Trump stamping his imprint on the official commemoration, and with his second White House term marked by polarizing policies on immigration, the economy and foreign affairs, many Americans are struggling with how to separate the politics from the pageantry.

Production & Camera by Hussein Al Waaile; Writing and Editing by Eva Weininger/Reuters