Crewmembers aboard U.S. Coast Guard Cutter James Rankin, a 175-foot buoy tender homeported in Baltimore, render a salute after setting the Francis Scott Key buoy in Baltimore, Md., June 6, 2016. (U.S. Coast Guard file photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jasmine Mieszala)
BALTIMORE — The Coast Guard Cutter William Tate’s crew is scheduled to set the historic Francis Scott Key Memorial Buoy, Wednesday, in the Patapsco River near the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The specially designed star-spangled buoy marks the approximate location where Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1914 from an American truce ship. Following the Battle of Baltimore, Key witnessed the rising of Fort McHenry’s large garrison flag over the ramparts and was inspired to write lyrics that would later become the U.S. national anthem.
The buoy, which sits between the Francis Scott Key Bridge and Fort McHenry, is set every summer and removed just before the winter. The buoy has been an attraction for boaters and tourists for decades.
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