Seattle Seafair Fleet Week Kicks Off

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob G. Sisco | 170802-N-ZP059-057 SEATTLE (Aug. 2, 2017) – USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) sails in a Parade of Ships during Seattle's 68th annual Seafair Fleet Week. Seafair Fleet Week is an annual celebration of the sea services wherein Sailors, Marines and Coast Guard members from visiting U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships and ships from Canada make the city a port of call. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob G. Sisco/Released)  

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES

08.02.2017

Courtesy Story

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet           

SEATTLE – Seattle Seafair Fleet Week kicked off with a parade of U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy ships in the Port of Seattle, Aug. 2.

Ships participating in Fleet Week are San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage (LPD 23); Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112); Hamilton-class high endurance cutter USCGC Mellon (WHEC 717); and the Kingston-class coastal defence vessels HMCS Yellowknife (MM 706) and HMCS Edmonton (MM 703).

The 68th annual Seattle Seafair Fleet Week runs from Aug. 2-6.

Throughout the week American and Canadian service members will be participating in multiple community outreach events, including performances from Navy Band Northwest and the U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, ship tours, environmental educational displays, and hospital visits.

"We need to stay connected with the people we’ve sworn to defend, and fleet weeks help with that. So come see the ships, but more importantly, speak with our Sailors; they’re what the Navy is all about,” said Vice Adm. Nora Tyson, commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet and native of Memphis, Tennessee.

“Seafair has hosted Fleet Week on the Seattle waterfront since 1950 in celebration of the men and women who serve our country. This year Seafair, along with the Seattle Navy League and the Port of Seattle, is proud to welcome vessels and personnel from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy,” according to the Seafair website.
The inaugural U.S. Navy Fleet Week was in 1935, in San Diego. That same year multiple cities across the nation hosted their own Fleet Weeks, each with their own unique culture to put on display, including New York, San Francisco and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

For Seattle Seafair Fleet Week imagery, stories, and videos, visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/SeafairFleetWeek

• Date Taken: 08.02.2017
• Date Posted: 08.02.2017 16:11
• Story ID: 243462
• Location: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, US