FLEET
WEEK NEW YORK CITY
Fleet Week NYC is
an annual, week-long event, usually
occuring around Memorial Day (it runs
from May 24 to May 31 in 2006), which
provides a close look at modern military
ships and their crew and cargo. Fleet
Week events
include concerts, parades and dozens of
military demonstrations and displays, but
for many people, it is the the chance to
tour ships on active duty that provides
the real draw. You can think of Fleet
Week as updated version of the Intrepid
Sea-Air-Space Museem;
the key differences are that that Fleet
Week's ships are curently deployed so the
technology is up-to-date, and also that
the lines to tour Fleet Week ships tend
to be much longer (so plan accordingly).
Ships are docked at both Pier 88 in
Manhattan (close to the Intrepid) and
at Stapleton Pier on Staten Island.
Three
branches of the U.S. military will
participate in Fleet Week: U.S.
Navy, the Marines, and U.S. Coast Guard,
plus there will be ships from other
countries. The visiting ships will be:
Pier
88
U.S.S.
Kearsarge
(amphibious assault ship)
U.S.S. Anzio
(cruiser, Ticonderoga class)
U.S.S. Ramage
(guided missile destroyer, Arleigh
Burke class)
U.S.C.G.C.
Seneca
(270-ft. Medium Endurance Cutter)
U.S.C.G.C. Sturgeon Bay
(140-ft Icebreaking tug)
H.M.S. Scott
(British Royal Navy - ocean survey
vessel)
U.S.S. Mason
(Destroyer, Arleigh Burke class)
Stapleton Pier
U.S.S.
Shreveport
(amphibious transport dock - Austin
class)
U.S.S. San
Antonio
(amphibious transport dock)
U.S.S. Nitze
(Destroyer, Arleigh Burke class)
U.S.S. Klakring
(Frigate - Oliver Hazard Perry class)
If
you are visiting with kids, you are
likely to spend the most time on the
cargo ships. This is because kids love
to go on all the
vehicles that are stored there. If you
have any questions, the
servicemen and women who operate the
vehicles are always
happy to answer them.
Aircraft
participating in Fleet Week include:
3
CH-46E
helicopters
2 AH-1 Cobra
helicopters
1 UH-1 Huey
helicopter
1 P-3C Orion
turboprop aircraft
1 KC-130 Hercules
1 E-2 Hawkeye
1 S-3 Viking
1 EA-6B Prowler
4 F/A-18 Hornets
2 AV-8B Harriers
4 F-14 Tomcats
2 MV-22 Osprey
Tours
of the ships will be from noon to 5 pm
May 24-30, except Sunday, May 28th when
tours will end at 4 pm.
Here
are some of the other daily events held
May 24-30:
6:30
am - Submarine
School Display
at Pier 88, 2nd Deck
8 am - Navy
SEAL Motivator
at Pier 88, 2nd Deck
8 am - Navy
F/A-18 Hornet Flight Simulator
at Homeport Pier, Staten Island
8 am - Coast
Guard Display
at Intrepid Pier & Homeport Pier,
Staten Island
9 am - Navy
Environmental Exhibit
at Pier 88, 2nd Deck
noon- 5 pm - Naval
Research Technology Display
on U.S.S. Kearsage
Check
out the latest on the Fleet Week official schedule
and the FAQs
before you head out the door.
by
Bobby Franzese
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