As the ship entered New York Harbor last week, the topside chatter stopped twice: When she passed the Statue of Liberty and, again, when she rendered honors to Ground Zero, they stood proudly to parade-rest.
Can anyone tell me what it means when a ship "renders honors"?
In effect, it is like a salute rendered by the entire ship. Crewmen in dress uniform line the rails at attention for the formal version; for the less formal version all hands above decks cease activity and face the honoree at attention. At an announcement, a hand salute is rendered.
It is an old naval custom.