Bay Crossings Staff report
Published: October, 2004
The 24th annual Fleet Week events kick off with a welcome for both the US and Canadian Navies. On Friday, October 8th, you can take a narrated Bay tour on the vintage WWII steam freighter, the SS Jeremiah O’Brien. A fireworks display presented by Hornblower Cruises continues the festivities on Friday night at 8:30 pm, with best viewing from Piers 39 and 45. The parade of ships begins at noon on Saturday, October 9th with views of the parade available all along the waterfront and perhaps the best viewing from the deck of the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, which is taking part in the parade.
Later on Saturday (and Sunday) the air show, sponsored by the Fleet Week Committee, is scheduled to start at 1:00 pm with the US Air Force F-15 Eagle Demonstration Team, the Navy’s F/A
Hornet Demonstration Team, the Canadian Snowbirds and the Patriots L-39 Demonstration Team. The Coast Guard will also present a HH-65 Search and Rescue demonstration and, on Saturday only, the newest fighter, the F-22 Raptor will do a fly by.
The participating ships this year are the amphibious aircraft carrier USS Tarawa, the amphibious landing-dock ship USS Pearl Harbor, guided missile destroyers USS John Paul Jones and USS Momsen, guided missile frigate USS Jarrett, Coast Guard Cutter USS Alert, Canadian Kingston class coastal defense vessels, the HMCS Brandon, HMCS Edmonton and HMCS Nanaimo and San Francisco’s own restored SS Jeremiah O’Brien.
Free ship tours will be available to the public on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (10th-12th) from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on piers 30/32, 35, 27 and 15/17. There will be a number of welcoming events for the sailors hosted by the Friends of the Fleet and others. For the sailors, East Bay law enforcement agencies, Lou Lozano (and friends) and the Oakland Navy League will once again host the Fleet Week Barbeque at Pier 30/32 on Sunday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Friends of the Fleet is providing a luncheon and transportation, also on Sunday for the “MVP” sailors selected by their commanding officers as having demonstrated outstanding leadership characteristics, a theme very important to Vice Admiral McCabe, Commander Third Fleet, who will also be present.
A Black Tie dinner hosted by San Francisco and Friends of the Fleet on Sunday and brings together the Commanding officers and their assistants with industry leaders, diplomats and politicians. On Monday, Friends of the Fleet is sponsoring a Fleet Week golf tournament for a maximum of 180 sailors. Both the Fisherman’s Wharf Association and Pier 39 are sponsoring a number of free events and San Francisco’s Fior D’Italia is once again generously hosting a large number of free meals for the sailors.
Fleet Week started in 1908, when the Great White Fleet paused in San Francisco for re-supply, and the officers and crew were welcomed to Northern California with a generous spirit. It was re-inaugurated in 1981 to welcome the sailors and became an annual event ever since.
