Visited Pier 39 because of Fleet Week SF 2021

 Early, I arrived early for several reasons. One, to get a good parking location near the location of the ship tours.  Two, Sunday affords free all day parking on Bay St.  Three, I wanted to get in, take the tour, then Im out.  Unless I decide to change my mind, the all day parking affords that option.

The drive along the Embarcadero is quiet and serene with the glow of the sun behind me.  Farmer's markets were a thing on Sundays at the Ferry Plaza.

Fleet Week SF 2021 - Ship tour videoes, what there is of them

Without further ado, the few videoes I took of the ships while waiting to board.  Previously referenced, no videoes were allowed to be taken aboard and only the Monsoor was visible beyond the piers.  The Monsoor was a showpiece and garnered attention as well as turn heads while in its berth.  Thew newer of the available warships, the radical design stands as a sign of future design for military maritime vessels

Went over to the second level of the nearby aquarium to take vids of the exterior.  If I had known vids were forbidden, I would have done more in the morning.  At least I have pictures.

I could have taken more vids from the previous location after the tours but the number of visitors increased and, well, I forgot.  However, I went out to the end of Pier 39 and filmed the same thing as above but at a different angle.  It was still early and the sun still rising before 8:45

You are gathered into small groups then led onto the ship.  This close, all you see is this monolithic slab of a ship.  From the waterline to the top of the conning tower, its one uninteruppeted slope.  If I didnt already know the orientation of the ship, I would be hard presses to tell you front from back.  One or two groups of people had already boarded and began their tour.

The one video of the Shoup.  They almost asked me to delete the video but we werent on the ship and its a view that can easily pieced together from still pics.  Tried to clean the lense before the outing but I didnt do a good job.  Enjoy

Fleet Week SF 2021 - USS Shoup tour with views of USS John McCain

 Also on Sunday, I went to browse the other ship open to the puglic.  The other  two ships are part of the Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyer as opposed to the newer Zumwalt class of the Monsoor.  Outfitted slightly differently, they are more like fraternal instead of identical twins.

This all you can see of the two ships from the streets along the Embarcadero.

Fleet Week SF 2021 - USS Michael Monsoor tour

 Tours of the ships did not allow for video on and in the ship.  Pictures could be taken of the exterior and selected internal areas.  The Monsoor was docked on the side that faced Pier 39 and presented itself very well in the morning light

The Shoup and McCain were docked on the other side of Pier 35 and its views are obstructed.  There are no clear views from streetside Embarcadero either as the facades of Pier 35 and 33 are connected and blocked line of sight

Fleet Week SF 2021 - Parade of Ships video

 Edited and uploaded:

Fleet Week SF 2021 - Parade of Ships

 About 2 weeks ago, I was up in the Sacramento area to view the California Capital Airshow.  Now the US Navy and Marines are in town as the City celebrates their service.  Though virtual last year, the festivities are back in-person this year.  Along with that announcement comes the familiar accutrements like the ship tours and the popular airshow, that performs over 3 days(Fri, Sat, Sun), headlined by the Navy's Blue Angels.  

I wish I could find the footage that I took one year of the parade of ships sailing in under the Golden Gate Bridge and filming the Blue Angels show from the vantage point of the bridge and along the Marina Green.  That year, a submarine and aircraft carrier were part of the line up.  They even launched off of the  angled deck while in the bay.  Internet research states they had done this a handful of times over the years.

Three boat procession into the bay