Fleet Week San Francisco 2010 Full Schedule

The San Francisco Fleet Week 2010 will run from October 7 to 12. See the complete schedule below.

Thursday, October 7
Fleet Week Festival
Starting today, the Fleet Week Festival, free and open to the public, will begin along the Marina Green.
Highlights:
• 1pm – 5pm: Air Show Rehearsal with the Blue Angels

Friday, October 8
Sailors and Marines on Liberty in San Francisco, “CERT” & “NERT” Emergency Preparedness Trainings and Evening Band Competition
Throughout the day, hundreds of sailors and Marines will be on liberty throughout San Francisco, and assisting in emergency preparedness trainings along with citizens as part of the local “CERT”
(Community Emergency Preparedness Teams) and “NERT” (Neighborhood Emergency Response Teams) groups. Also on this day, the Blue Angels will be having airborne rehearsals.
Highlights:
• 8am – 12pm: Softball tournament between ships’ teams and local teams.
• 8am – 4pm: Ships’ crews take part in area community outreach and service projects around San Francisco
• 9:30am – 5pm: Photo Display of Humanitarian Relief & Disaster Response Capabilities: onboard the historic ferryboat Eureka at the San Francisco Maritime Park
• 3pm – 4pm: Air Show Rehearsal with the Blue Angels
• 6pm: Navy Vice Admiral Hunt, Commander of the 3rd Fleet, speaks at the Marines’ Memorial Club followed by a performance of the 1st Marine Division Band (free public event, but advance registration required via www.marineclub.com )

Saturday, October 9
Parade of Ships, USS Makin Island open for ship tours; The Blue Angels and Pier 39 Concerts
It’s a day to celebrate Fleet Week at sea and in the air! The grandest Fleet Week flotilla in more than two decades will enter San Francisco Bay this morning, led by San Francisco’s own Fireboat Phoenix. This year’s “Parade of Ships” will include the following US Navy vessels: USS Pinckney (DDG 91), USS Curts (FFG 38), USS Pioneer (MCM 9), USS Chief (MCM 14), US Coast Guard Cutter Active (WMEC-618), Canadian Naval vessels HMCS Whitehorse (MM 705), and the HMCS Brandon (MM 710)., the historic WWII Liberty Ship Jeremiah O’Brien. Pierside will be the Vietnam Era Liberty PT-26 from Sacramento, California with its all-female crew of sea cadets

The USS Makin Island,LHD8 will be open for ship tours starting today at Piers 30 / 32 along the Embarcadero, south of the Ferry Building. Known as “The Navy’s Hybrid Ship, The USS Makin Island is the first US military hybrid vessel. Like a hybrid automobile, Makin Island also uses two modes of propulsion: the LM2500+ Gas Turbine engine and the electrically powered Auxiliary Propulsion Motor (APM). The Gas Turbine can be used at all speeds, but is least fuel efficient at 12 knots and below. The Auxiliary Propulsion Motor (APM) allows the ship to travel at speeds up to 12 knots using electrical power provided by the ship. Of historic note: The last time a ship bearing the name Makin Island entered the San Francisco Bay was November 5, 1945 when USS Makin Island (CVE-93) moored at Naval Air Station Alameda to debark aircraft following completion of her mission during WWII.

Later in the day: “Look! In the Sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s the ‘super men and super women’ of the Blue Angels! The world’s most talented aerial performance team thrills the public with its incredible feats. During the day, Pier 39 will play host a “Meet and Greet” with members of the Blue Angels. Also, a highlight of the week’s events is the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) display taking place the Marina Green on both October 9 & 10. For more information, go online to www.11thmeu.usmc.mil. (Note: during the Parade of Ships, the USS Makin Island will remain berthed at Piers 30 / 32 but open for public tours from 9am – 3pm. All ships will be open for public tours 9am — 3pm on Sunday and Monday.) For the most updated information on ship tours and security / admission regulations, please check the website at www.fleetweek.us That afternoon, the First Marine Division Band will offer a free concert at Yerba Buena Gardens. The day culminates with another free outdoor concert from the Band: 6pm atop Nob Hill in Huntington Park across from Grace Cathedral followed by a “meet and greet” with the Blue Angels at Pier 39.
Highlights:
• 8am – 4pm: Static displays on the Marina Green
• 8am – 4pm: Ships’ crews take part in area community service projects around San Francisco
• 9am – 3pm: The USS Makin Island will be open for tours along San Francisco’s waterfront at Piers 30 / 32(check www.fleetweek.us for full schedule)
• 9am – 5pm: “Navy in Space” exhibit featuring artifacts from the Chabot Space & Science Center, and the U.S.S. Hornet Museum. Fort Mason, Building D, Fleet Room.
• 9:30am – 5pm: Photo Display of Humanitarian Relief & Disaster Response Capabilities: onboard the historic ferryboat Eureka at the San Francisco Maritime Park
• 10am – 12:30pm: The Parade of Ships on San Francisco Bay!
• 12:30pm: 1st Marine Division Band Concert at Yerba Buena Gardens
• 1pm – 4pm: Air Show, featuring “The Blue Angels” (3pm – 4pm)
• 4pm – 7pm: The afternoon is capped at Pier 39 with a Pop Rock band performance.
• 6pm – 7pm: 1st Marine Division Band Concert at Huntington Park atop Nob Hill across from Grace Cathedral with special guests, the Blue Angels.
• 7:15pm – 7:45pm: Enjoy a “meet and greet” at Pier 39 with members of the public invited to meet the Blue Angels.

Sunday, October 10
Italian Heritage / Fleet Week Parade and Ship Tours
Two of San Francisco’s most treasured traditions join forces with the combined Italian Heritage and Fleet Week Parade. Ship tours and crew liberty continue as does the Festival along San Francisco’s Marina Green. The day will start when hundreds of uniform sailors and Marines gather for an iconic photo
Highlights:
• 8am – 4pm: Static displays on the Marina Green
• 8am – 4pm: Ships’ crews take part in area community outreach and service projects around San Francisco
• 9am – 3pm: Ships of the United States Navy’s 3rd Fleet along with US Coast Guard and Canadian vessels will be open for tours along San Francisco’s waterfront (check www.fleetweek.us for full schedule)
• 9am – 5pm: “Navy in Space” exhibit featuring artifacts from the Chabot Space & Science Center, and the U.S.S. Hornet Museum. Fort Mason, Building D, Fleet Room.
• 9:30am – 5pm: Photo Display of Humanitarian Relief & Disaster Response Capabilities: onboard the historic ferryboat Eureka at the San Francisco Maritime Park
• 12:30pm: Italian Heritage / Fleet Week Parade with Grand Marshall Navy Vice Admiral Hunt, Commander of the 3rd Fleet.
• 12:30pm: 1st Marine Division Band Concert at Washington Square Park in North Beach
• 1pm – 4pm: Air Show, featuring “The Blue Angels” (3pm – 4pm)
• 4pm – 7pm: Pier 39 hosts a performance by the “Wonder Bread 5” Band from 4pm – 7pm.

Monday, October 11 – Columbus Day Federal Holiday
Ship Tours & “Band Challenge”
Maritime lovers, military buffs and kids of all ages take advantage of the three-day weekend for this unprecedented opportunity to visit ships of the United States and Canadian Navies, the US Coast Guard and the historic WWII vintage Liberty Ship USS Jeremiah O’Brien. Ship tours are free and open to the public. For the most updated information on ship tours and security / admission regulations, please check the website at www.fleetweek.us. Mid-day, local school bands will take part in a friendly competition with their shipboard counterparts in a concert.
Highlights:
• 9:30am – 5pm: Photo Display of Humanitarian Relief & Disaster Response Capabilities: onboard the historic ferryboat Eureka at the San Francisco Maritime Park
• 9am – 3pm: Ships of the United States Navy’s 3rd Fleet along with US Coast Guard and Canadian vessels will be open for tours along San Francisco’s waterfront (check www.fleetweek.us for full schedule)
• 10:30am – 1:30pm: The First Marine Division Band will host a “Band Challenge” with young musicians from area high schools at the Band Shell in Golden Gate Park.
• 1pm – 3pm: Historic San Francisco and “Barbary Coast” Tour for our men and women in uniform.

Tuesday, October 12
Ships Depart
“Weigh anchor!” Fleet Week 2010 ends as the ships depart.

History of Fleet Week:
San Francisco and Fleet Week share a long and storied history starting with the arrival in the Bay of the President Theodore Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet” in 1908. Comprised of 16 battleships of the Atlantic Fleet and various smaller vessels, this historic flotilla featured hulls painted white except for the gilded scrollwork on their bows. The 14 month long voyage from Hampton Roads Virginia to San Francisco was a showcase of American sea power with ships manned by 14,000 sailors. They covered 43,000 miles and stopped at 20 ports on six continents. The fleet arrived in San Francisco on May 6, 1908 from Magdalena Bay, Mexico and was greeted by a huge celebration hosted by the City of San Francisco. As each ship passed Fort Point it fired a 21-gun salute, which was answered with a salute from land. Crowds flocked to San Francisco to see the fleet. Transbay ferry traffic from May 5 to May 17 exceeded the normal business by 450,000 passengers. The heaviest travel day was on May 6 when 186,000 passengers were taken across San Francisco Bay to see the arrival of the fleet. It was one of the largest crowds of Californians ever assembled.

On January 18, 1911, the era of Naval aviation began in San Francisco Bay with the first-ever launch of an aircraft from the deck of a military vessel, the USS Pennsylvania.

Throughout the 20th Century, San Francisco was a major focus of naval operations, and served as the headquarters of the United States Naval forces under Admiral Chester Nimitz during WW II. A generation of “Liberty Ships” and other military vessels were built, launched, serviced, berthed and later retired at such historic sites at Mare Island, the Marin Shipworks, Treasure Island, Hunters Point Shipyard, Suisun Bay and the Alameda Naval Air Station.