You may have heard of the Fleet Week tradition, where sailors come ashore for a week of vacation on their home shores. This week marks the first official LA Fleet Week, now set to be an annual tradition.
The Port of Los Angeles will play host to the docking vessels through Labor Day, as Fox 11 reports. Ships of the US Navy, Marines and Coast Guard are scheduled to arrive in San Pedro during the week and then open up for public visits and tours from September 2 to 5.
If you want to revel in the Americana and get a glimpse at one of the ships from the inside, you’ll need to request one of the free, randomly-assigned tickets online and see if you’re selected. Vessels participating include the US Navy’s guided missile destroyer USS Wayne E Meyer and amphibious assault ship USS America.
If you don’t get invited aboard for a tour of one of the current ships arriving just for Fleet Week, you can still take a gander at them from the shore and buy discounted tickets (free for veterans and military) to tour the historic Battleship Iowa and S.S. Lane Victory. There will also be a family-friendly festival going on around the ships, including a STEM Expo, live music, food trucks and land-based military and civilian equipment to explore. Plus, hang around on Saturday night for fireworks.
LA Fleet week takes place from September 2 to 5, from 8:30am to 4pm on Friday, 8:30am to 10pm on Saturday, 8:30am to 7pm on Sunday and 7am to 4pm on Monday. A full schedule of events is available online.
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