Crewmembers of the Coast Guard Cutter George Cobb, a 175-foot coastal buoy tender homeported in San Pedro, Calif., place a yellow buoy marking the center of the San Francisco Fleet Week 2017 security zone, Oct. 2, 2017. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cory J. Mendenhall.
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Fleet Week kicked off Monday with a series of public events, including the arrival of military vessels to the Port of San Francisco.
In addition to maintaining the Coast Guard’s homeland security missions in the Bay Area, Coast Guard personnel and assets are scheduled to participate in and provide maritime security for the fleet week events.
A variety of ship tours and static displays from all five branches of the Armed Services are scheduled to be at the Pier 80 Village. The Coast Guard, Navy, Marine Corps, the California Air National Guard’s 129th Air Rescue Wing and the Royal Canadian Navy are scheduled to participate in fleet week events along the San Francisco waterfront.
Other Coast Guard assets participating in this year’s fleet week events include Coast Guard Cutters George Cobb, Pike, Tern, Sockeye, Hawksbill and Dorado; Maritime Safety and Security Teams San Francisco, Los Angeles/Long Beach and Seattle; and Stations San Francisco, Rio Vista, Vallejo, Lake Tahoe, Golden Gate and Monterey.
The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Midgett, a 378-foot High-Endurance Cutter visiting from its homeport in Seattle, plans to participate in the Parade of Ships and is scheduled to arrive at the Port of San Francisco Friday.
The public can expect an increased presence of Coast Guard vessels in the San Francisco Bay to ensure safety and security for mariners and participants.
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port of San Francisco has enacted a special local regulation for this year’s on-water fleet week activities held Thursday through Oct. 9 to ensure the safety of participants and spectators on the San Francisco Bay. Traffic will be restricted throughout most of the Central Bay from the Golden Gate Bridge, south of Alcatraz, to just south of the Bay Bridge. This is to accommodate the Parade of Ships as they pass under the Golden Gate Bridge to their assigned piers. A 500-yard protective zone will also be enforced around each military vessel the entire time they are in port.
From Friday to Sunday, the Navy Blue Angels are scheduled to participate in the air show from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The safety zone will also be in effect during air show practice from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday.
For the awareness of mariners and the public, below are graphics of regulated areas for the Parade of Ships and the Blue Angels respectively. Mariners should monitor VHF-FM channel 16 for up-to-date information regarding safety zones.
Coast Guard Sector San Francisco has established a safety zone to regulate vessel traffic during the San Francisco Fleet Week Navy Parade of Ships, scheduled for Oct. 6, 2017 from 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. A 500 yard protective zone will also be enforced around each naval vessel the entire time they are in port. Coast Guard image.
Coast Guard Sector San Francisco has established a safety zone to regulate vessel traffic during the San Francisco Fleet Week air shows, scheduled to take place from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 6-8, 2017. Federal Aviation Administration regulations require that these areas be clear of all vessel traffic during the specified air show times. Coast Guard image.
For more information on this year’s events, contact the San Francisco Fleet Week Association at (415) 306-0911, or visit http://www.fleetweeksf.org/ for a complete list of events.
Tips for mariners to stay safe on the water during fleet week can be found at https://fleetweeksf.org/safety/.
