FLEET WEEK
San Francisco, CA,
Photos by
Kevin W. Hecteman
October 8-9, 2005

The solos' High Alpha Pass seen from the O'Brien's bridge on Sunday. To the right are Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower.

It's Sunday afternoon, October 9. Clear, windy and slightly chilly, but no fog anywhere. The Diamond 360 parades across the Bay with the bay, the Bay Bridge and the skyline as its stage. We were a little closer to the box this time, behind its western end.

Fat Albert's high-speed pass, relatively speaking, as seen from the Jeremiah O'Brien on Sunday. That's Fort Mason behind Bert.

The end of the Barrel Roll Break on Sunday afternoon.

The Delta cruises down the show line at the end of Friday's practice show. I was looking aft from the flying bridge; the hills in the background are the Marin Headlands, with Sausalito to the right.

I like to call this my "Where's Waldo?" shot. Somewhere among the O'Brien's forward masts, you'll find the diamond beginning the Diamond 360. This was taken from the O'Brien's flying bridge on Friday afternoon. We were still tied to the dock at Pier 45, gearing up for the weekend's cruises.

Fat Albert gets into the act during Friday's practice run. This is the final head-on pass of Bert's routine. That's Alcatraz to the right.

Blue Angel No. 5, piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Craig Olson, passes the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge during Thursday afternoon's survey flight. Photo taken from the west end of Crissy Field.

The Diamond 360 as it looked from the beach at Crissy Field on Thursday afternoon, October 6.

The Diamond 360 again, this time from the Bay on Saturday with the San Francisco skyline in the background. We were behind and just to the west of the aerobatic box for the show.

The Echelon Parade on Saturday, with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in the background.

The delta pulls up for the Delta Roll with the Bay Bridge in the background.

The diamond exits the stage toward the west after the Double Farvel on Thursday. That fog bank initially looked like it might disrupt, if not cancel, the practice show, but the Blues were able to fly the full high show. Indeed, the fog burned off during the show and stayed gone for the rest of the weekend.

On the Saturday of Fleet Week, the festivities begin with the Parade of Ships. Here's the USS Boxer leading the parade. We were just outside the Golden Gate; after watching the parade file past, we got in line and ended up being the next-to-last ship in the parade (ahead of, I believe, the USS Pearl Harbor).

Kevin W. Hecteman

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