One vessel was forced out of New York ship parade on the 250th anniversary celebration, and one of its banners was about saving the Clean Water Act

A historic environmental vessel found itself at the center of a major controversy during the Sail4th 250 parade in New York Harbor, Reuters reported. The U.S. Coast Guard forced the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater out of the fleet of sailing ships on Saturday, citing the presence of what they deemed to be politically charged messaging on the ship’s mainsail. This event was part of a larger celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The situation unfolded around 11:00 AM, just as dozens of tall ships were lining up south of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to begin the procession. Two Coast Guard vessels approached the Clearwater and ordered the crew to depart from the parade route and the security exclusion zone. The U.S. Navy and the NYPD provided assistance during the escort, effectively removing the historic sloop from the festivities.

One banner stated, “Save the Clean Water Act,” while the other read, “Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions.” Both of these banners included a drawing of the banjo belonging to Pete Seeger, the American folk singer who founded the vessel in 1966 to raise awareness about pollution in the Hudson River. The organization states that its mission is to “protect the Hudson River by stewarding an intergenerational community of river advocates through education, advocacy, sailing, and music.”

The disagreement centered on two specific banners displayed on the Clearwater’s mainsail

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, all participants in the Sail4th 250 event had agreed to a policy prohibiting the display of political or politically charged messages. The Coast Guard stated that it was enforcing this agreement on behalf of the event organizers, which is a group called Freedom 250. This organization was created by the Trump administration to coordinate celebrations for the country’s 250th anniversary.

The Coast Guard claimed that it reached out to the owner of the sloop to resolve the issue. “The owner of the sloop Clearwater was contacted and requested to remove the message being displayed or be removed from the parade of sail,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. “They declined to remove it.”

Jen Benson, who serves as the director of advocacy and communications at Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, has a very different version of events. She disputes the claim that the crew was given a choice to keep the vessel in the parade by removing the banners. Instead, she stated that the Coast Guard ordered the ship to leave the route immediately or face potential arrest.

Benson expressed frustration regarding the characterization of their mission. “We don’t feel like advocating for clean water is a politically charged message,” Benson said. “People on all sides of the aisle, and no sides at all, have been fighting in the United States for clean water in different ways.”

The conflict between the organization and the federal agencies remains unresolved. While the Coast Guard maintained that they offered a compromise, the Clearwater leadership insisted that no such option was provided to the crew. Following the expulsion, the sloop continued to sail independently south of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. There were 29 passengers and 19 crew members on board, and they remained on the water until 3:00 PM.

The Sail4th 250 event was a massive undertaking, featuring more than 40 tall ships from 20 foreign countries. The fleet traveled through New York Harbor, moving from the area near Sandy Hook, New Jersey, up to the George Washington Bridge. Before the dispute occurred, the Clearwater had been assigned to escort the NRP Sagres, which is a tall ship from the Portuguese Navy.

Interestingly, the Trump administration has previously moved to narrow the legal scope of the Clean Water Act, which is the same federal law that the Clearwater was advocating to protect with its banner.