San Francisco’s Fleet Week began 30 years ago under Mayor Dianne Feinstein, with the purpose of honoring and thanking the men and women of the naval armed forces for their contributions to our city and those abroad. It returns once again to our shoreline this month from Thursday, Oct. 6 through Monday, Oct. 12.

Fleet Week 2011 also marks U.S. Naval Aviation’s 100th year. The Naval Aviation program includes the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard. According to Maj. Gen. J. Michael Myatt USMC (Ret.), chairman of the San Francisco Fleet Week Association, “It all began shortly before 11 a.m. on the morning of 18 January 1911, when Eugene B. Ely took off from Tanforan racetrack in San Bruno. In his Curtiss pusher biplane and in full view of thousands of spectators ashore, on ships, at the city piers, and in a flock of small craft gathered around, Ely landed his biplane on the USS Pennsylvania that was anchored off the San Francisco waterfront. His biplane dove and snagged the arresting gear about halfway up its length. The Curtiss pulled ropes and sandbags to a smooth stop before reaching any of the safety barriers. This was the first landing of an airplane aboard a U.S. Navy ship.”

There may be no flight deck landing at this year’s Fleet Week, but over 1.2 million spectators are similarly expected to line shores, ships and piers along San Francisco’s northern waterfront for the festivities. Venues from the Marina Green to Pier 27 will host the popular parade of ships on Saturday; military ship tours from Saturday through Monday; and the ultimate crowd pleaser, the big air shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, this year featuring both the Blue Angels and the Canadian Snowbird jet teams. A full schedule of events can be found on Page 12.

For the second year in a row, the Navy and Marine Corps will team up with Bay Area first responders to train together during Fleet Week for future disaster response operations. The Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Response (HADR) display on the Marina Green on Saturday and Sunday will feature local disaster response equipment and teams, and the Marines will be showing residents and visitors much of the equipment they have available for community disaster assistance. The San Francisco Fire Department has also organized a search and rescue event on Treasure Island where Marines, sailors and local emergency responders will train together. The goal of all of these activities is to help raise awareness and better equip the Bay Area to cope with future disasters. District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell is hosting his first annual Fleet Week Celebration Event on Friday evening, Oct. 7, to help raise funds for the San Francisco Unified School District’s Safe Playgrounds Project. Supervisor Farrell is spearheading a program to help keep local schoolyards open on the weekends for family recreation. For more information on attending or sponsoring the event, contact Nichelle Lyons at 415-775-0698 or e-mail [email protected]. Free public viewing of the parades and air shows is available all along the waterfront and Pier 39. Information about reserved seating options on the Marina Green can be found at www.fleetweek.us. Reserved seating helps the nonprofit San Francisco Fleet Week Association, the governing body for Fleet Week and its disaster preparedness education and training programs, pay for the production of Fleet Week events. Saturday and Sunday air show commentary will also be simulcast on 560 AM KGO radio.

If you live in the Marina, there’s no way of escaping the events, so batten down the hatches, sooth the pets and babies, and enjoy the show!