The Blue Angels soared and roared over San Francisco Friday as military ships cruised from the ocean into the bay and festivities commenced on land for the annual Fleet Week celebrations honoring U.S. armed forces.
The annual event takes place between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, high above the San Francisco Bay.
Fleet Week festivities attract people from all over the region and include choreographed acts from the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and United 777, among others.
The yearly weekendlong salute to the U.S. military happened to coincide with the public memorial service for Dianne Feinstein, who, as mayor, helped bring Fleet Week to San Francisco in the early 1980s.
San Francisco's Fleet Week pays tribute to the Bay Area's rich naval tradition.
But the weekend celebration also gives federal service members a chance to team up with their local counterparts and civilian first responders for yearly disaster preparedness drills.
With thousands of spectators and every branch of the military represented, Fleet Week is San Francisco's largest annual city-sponsored event.
The event is free and largely centers on the Fisherman's Wharf district, where onlookers can see the planes overhead and ships in the bay.
Friday's festivities included the yearly Parade of Ships, which brought vessels from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge as thousands of people watched the maritime display from the waterfront at Fisherman's Wharf, the Embarcadero and Marina Green.
Among other vessels taking part in the maritime show were the Paul Hamilton missile destroyer, John P. Murtha amphibious transport dock and Benjamin Bottoms and Waesche Coast Guard cutters.
The skies were clear and the weather hot for the first day of the weekend celebration, which will continue with events from late morning to early evening on Saturday and Sunday.
The air show, which drew thousands of onlookers Friday, will continue again at noon on Saturday and Sunday. The Blue Angels, meanwhile, will return for air shows at 3 p.m. for each day this weekend.
