Maryland Fleet Week's 3 locations to bring fleets, flyovers, festivals to Baltimore | WBAL NewsRadio 1090/FM 101.5

2022-09-24 04:55:11 By : Ms. Julie Zhu

By sea, by the sky and on land, Maryland Fleet Week is set to bring a good time to Baltimore, in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

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The event will run from Sept. 7 to Sept. 13 and will include fleets, flyovers and three different festivals at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Port Covington and Martin State Airport.

In 2018, Fleet Week drew about 300,000 people, and this year, organizers hope for even more.

"The excitement building for this event to be back in person is really just starting to become a vibe that you can feel around the city," said Kathy Hornig, director of operations and events for Maryland Fleet Week. "We have an amazing lineup of local bands in every genre you can imagine, delicious food -- all Baltimore-style -- beer, wine, specialty cocktails. It's going to be a happening party here at the harbor."

The party at the Inner Harbor will include special activities with 35 exhibitors from the Maryland Zoo to the National Aquarium to the Enoch Pratt Free Library's Bookmobile.

"We are going to have several librarians doing story time, and it's all about the area marine life," said Will Johnson, manager of outreach and mobile services with the Enoch Pratt Free Library. "It's going to be a great time, and it's going to be very festive for families and children."

The event will also be festive for restaurants and shops whose owners are excited about a boost in business.

"They are stepping up their game. They are ready to have huge crowds back down here at the harbor," Hornig said.

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The huge crowds will be ready to party and ready to honor those who have served the nation.

"It's just an amazing time to unite our city in joy and celebration," Hornig said.

The Fleet Week festivities are free and open to the public.

Ships began arriving in Baltimore on Sept. 7 and will include U.S., British and Canadian naval ships, U.S. Coast Guard vessels, National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Army Corps of Engineers working vessels, the USS John Brown and the Savannah.

The fleets will also include traditional sailing ships like the Danish sail-training tall ship Danmark. They will be docked at various locations around Baltimore, including the Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Under Armour Pier Locus Point and Port Covington.

Ship tours will be available from Sept. 8 to 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

USS Minneapolis Saint-Paul (LCS 21): The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest littoral combat ship USS MINNEAPOLIS-SAINT PAUL on May 21. She is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed for operation in near-shore environments, yet capable of open-ocean operation. She is designed to defeat asymmetric "anti-access" threats and is capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control and deterrence. Her ship's motto is "I will either find a way or make one." (Free Tour)

Tall Ship Danmark (Denmark): Built in 1933, DANMARK is a steel-hulled, three-masted fully-rigged ship. She serves as a training vessel for young people seeking careers at sea. She is operated by the Maritime Training and Education Centre, MARTEC, in Frederikshavn, Denmark. Besides training in maritime English, engineering, safety, seamanship, firefighting and maritime techniques, life on board influences the trainees' ways of thinking and their social skills. (Free Tour)

USS Constellation (Historic Ships in Baltimore): The USS CONSTELLATION, a National Historic Landmark, is a sloop-of-war, the last sail-only warship designed and built by the United States Navy. She was built in 1854, using a small amount of material salvaged from the frigate USS Constellation, which had been disassembled the year before.  (Admission Fee)

HMCS Moncton (M708, Canada): A Kingston-class coastal defense vessel that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1998. MONCTON is the ninth ship of her class. She is the second vessel to use the designation Moncton. The ship is assigned to Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) and is homeported at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. (Free Tour)

US Light Ship Chesapeake/USS Torsk (Historic Ships in Baltimore): Commissioned for the U.S. Navy on Dec. 16, 1944, the USS TORSK was the only submarine out of its Tench Class fleet of 10 to see service during World War II. More than 80 sailors lived aboard Torsk. After numerous war patrols and duties as a training boat after the war, the TORSK arrived in Baltimore to serve as a museum and memorial in 1972.  (Admission Fee)

USCGC 37 (Historic Ships in Baltimore): The U.S Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) 37, a National Historic Landmark, is one of the famed Secretary of the Treasury Class Coast Guard cutters built in the mid-1930s. Commissioned in 1936 as USCGC TANEY, Cutter 37 was designed for law enforcement missions, search and rescue and maritime patrol. She is notable as the last warship afloat that fought in the attack on Pearl Harbor.  (Admission Fee)

USNS Newport (T-EPF 12): Operated by the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, NEWPORT is a Spearhead-class high-speed catamaran. She is designed to operate in shallow waterways as a versatile, non-combatant, high-speed transport for troops, military vehicles and equipment. Her missions includes overseas contingency operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, support of special operations forces, theater security cooperation activities and emerging joint sea-basing concepts. (Free Tour)

USCGC James Rankin (WLM 555): Named after lighthouse keepers, the U.S. Coast Guard commissioned a new "Keeper" class of coastal buoy tenders in the 1990s. With a home port at the nearby Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, her mission includes aids to navigation (ATON) support for the Chesapeake Region. Each spring, she deploys the star-spangled Francis Scott Key buoy, marking the general area where British forces commenced bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. (Free Tour)

USNA Yard Patrol Craft (YP): The mission of the Midshipmen-run Yard Patrol Squadron (YPRON) is to provide the Brigade opportunities to enhance their leadership, seamanship and navigation skills in a safe and controlled learning environment that mimics that of the Fleet. Midshipman crews practice onboard Yard Patrol Craft (YPs) and execute out-of-area movement orders to ports on the Eastern Seaboard. (Free Tour)

HMCS Glace Bay (M701, Canada): Sister ship to HMCS Moncton, GLACE BAY is a Kingston-class coastal defense vessel that has served in the Canadian Forces and Royal Canadian Navy since 1996. She is the second ship of her class and second vessel to use the name designation. She is assigned to Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) and is homeported at CFB Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has participated in many military and defense exercises worldwide. (Free Tour)

HMS Richmond (F 239, Great Britain): RICHMOND is the seventh Royal Navy ship to proudly bear the name. She enjoys strong affiliations in both Richmond upon Thames (Southwest London) and Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. Classified as a Type 23 frigate, she recently spent time in the Arctic working alongside NATO allies during the largest military exercises in the region in over 30 years. Her ship’s motto is A Deo et Rege (From God and the King). (Free Tour)

USS Carter Hall (LSD 50): Classified as a Dock Landing Ship, CARTER HALL's mission is to transport Marine personnel, landing craft, vehicles and cargo; land them ashore using landing craft and helicopters in support of military and humanitarian assistance operations; and support and withdraw them as necessary. She acts as an invaluable component to a joint Navy-Marine expeditionary unit (ARG/MEU), one of which is forward deployed at all times to quickly respond to any potential developing crisis. (Free Tour)

USACE Reynolds: The REYNOLDS is a steel debris vessel named after John Reynolds, a former Chief of Operations for the Baltimore District, Corps of Engineers. Built in 1992 in Pensacola, Florida, she patrols the waters of the Baltimore Harbor and Patapsco River for debris that could be hazardous to navigation. Equipped with a hydraulic front-end loader with a mesh basket, her crew can pick debris directly out of the water. In support of the USACE Clean Energy Initiative, she runs on B-99 bio-diesel. (Free Tour)

USACE Catlett: CATLETT is a 61-foot survey vessel christened into the fleet in 2017 and named after former hydrographic surveyor Harold Catlett. She actively supports the Baltimore District's Navigation Branch Operations in construction and maintenance of more than 100 Federal navigation projects on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, including a deep draft survey mission in a 50-foot main shipping channel. (Free Tour).

New this year, there will be a series of flyovers of modern and historic aircraft from Sept. 9 to Sept. 11 over the Inner Harbor.

Various military and historic aircraft conduct flyovers and all be visible from the Inner Harbor. Stop by Flyover Control located on Pier 1 at the Inner Harbor at the Constellation Center and hear up-to-the-minute announcements about the flyovers and aircraft from National Aviation Expert Matt Jolley. (Schedule subject to change)

- Friday, Sept. 9 -- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

- Saturday, Sept. 10 -- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

- Sunday, Sept. 11 -- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The celebration offers three festivals featuring live performances, exhibitors, food, hands-on children's activities, military displays and more at Fleet Week Festival.

- Baltimore's Inner Harbor West Shore Park: Sept. 9 to Sept. 11 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

- Port Covington (new location): Sept. 10 to Sept. 11 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

- Martin State Airport Fleet Week open house in Middle River, Baltimore County: Sept. 10 to Sept. 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

MARYLAND FLEET WEEK/ORIOLES GAME STREET CLOSURES:

In preparation for Friday's Baltimore Orioles game, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation announced the following streets will be closed Friday starting around 4 p.m.

- Eutaw Street from Pratt to Camden streets

- Camden Street from Howard to Russell streets

- Hamburg Street from Russell to Leadenhall streets

- Washington Boulevard from Paca to Greene streets

In addition, the following parking restrictions will begin Friday at 4 p.m.

- East side of Greene Street from Lombard Street to Washington Boulevard

- East side of Eutaw Street from Pratt to Lombard streets

- North side of Conway Street from Charles to Sharp streets

The road closures and parking restrictions will also be in place Saturday starting around 2 p.m. and on Sunday starting around 10 a.m.

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