Warships, war birds will star in parade kicking off Fleet Week

[thedrifter]

Warships, war birds will star in parade kicking off Fleet Week

By James W. Crawley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

September 30, 2003

More than three weeks of military appreciation and celebration begin this weekend in San Diego with a parade of warships and war birds.
The Miramar Air Show and a classic car rally at North Island Naval Air Station will highlight other weekends as the city celebrates the seventh annual Fleet Week San Diego.

Appreciation events such as a parade, golf tournaments and races are planned for military personnel and the public during the Fleet Week period.

"It's important for someone to say 'thank you' to the military and it's important for the military to know that people are thanking them," said Ronne Froman, who is chairwoman of this year's festivities. She is a retired rear admiral who commanded Southwest Navy Region here during the late 1990s.

"And it's important for the community to know how important the military is to the community."

Froman is chief executive officer of the San Diego and Imperial County chapter of the American Red Cross.

San Diego Bay will be center stage Saturday for the Sea-n-Air Parade on and above the water.

The aircraft carrier Stennis, along with the cruiser Mobile Bay, destroyer Benfold, amphibious ship Dubuque, frigate McClusky and nuclear submarine Salt Lake City, will cruise through the bay Saturday afternoon. Smaller vessels, including the Navy tanker Rappahannock, patrol craft Squall and the minesweeper Oriole also will parade past shoreline crowds.

Overhead, jet fighters, bombers, patrol planes, Harrier jump jets and helicopters will fly. Bomb disposal experts will parachute into the bay. Marines will demonstrate helicopter troop insertions and extractions and Coast Guard personnel will demonstrate search-and-rescue skills.

Top vantage points will be along the Embarcadero, Shelter and Harbor islands and at the Coronado ferry landing. Because of limited parking downtown, organizers urge those attending to use the trolley and Coaster.

Tours of the cruiser Valley Forge, the amphibious ship Denver and the experimental ship Sea Slice are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Broadway Pier and the North Embarcadero. The ships will be open to the public with valid government-issued identification required (for people older than 16).

On Oct. 11 and 12, runways at North Island Naval Air Station will be turned into a racecourse for vintage vehicles while more than 1,000 classic automobiles will be on display during the Chrysler Classic Speed Festival, which is produced by the Holiday Bowl organizers.

The annual air show will take over the runways and skies over Miramar Marine Corps Air Station Oct. 17-19. Three daytime shows, plus a Saturday twilight event, are scheduled. Flight demonstrations will be flown by Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force jets, along with civilian stunt pilots. The main event each day will be the window-rattling fly-overs by the Navy's Blue Angels.

In 1997, Fleet Week supplanted the city's annual one-day "Accolades" tribute to the military with several days of festivities culminating in a parade of ships through the bay. In following years, events increased and the celebration was moved to October to coincide with the annual Miramar air show.

The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, forced the cancellation that year of the most visible Fleet Week events ? the ship parade, air show and car rally ? for security reasons.

The events were reinstated last year.

A full schedule of Fleet Week events is available on the Internet at http://www.fleetweeksandiego.org.



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James W. Crawley:
(619) 542-4559; jim.crawley@uniontrib.com


http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/n...1m30fleet.html


Sempers,

Roger