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Navy ships open for first time since 9/11

NORFOLK, Va. — For the first time since the security crackdown after the 2001 terrorist attacks, Navy ships in Hampton Roads will be available for public viewing during Fleet Week.

Non-military visitors will be allowed into Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek this coming Sunday and Monday and are invited aboard the dock landing ship Whidbey Island and the coastal patrol vessels Monsoon and Thunderbolt.

At Naval Station Norfolk on those same days, holders of Defense Department identification and their guests are invited aboard amphibious transport dock Ponce, destroyer Laboon, frigate Nicholas and attack submarines Newport News and Montpelier.

Beth Baker, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman, said the week of events beginning this Thursday has been widely advertised and a large turnout is expected.

“It’s weather dependent, but we put out the word pretty widely,” she said. “It’s a chance to see the Navy up close.”

Visit the Fleet Week Hampton Roads 2008 Web site for more information.